# Best flooring for home with dog(s)...



## Labs R Us (Jun 25, 2010)

My sweet but suddenly destructive 7-month pup has now cost me more money. While in his wire kennel, he managed to start ripping up the Berber carpeting in the family room. The plastic tray that was in the crate was a little small for the kennel and he could reach the carpet along the edge and start pulling. I then moved his kennel to the kitchen and he managed to start ripping up the linoleum. I then put him in a slightly larger wire kennel which has the correct size tray. Well, when I got home today from running errands (for maybe an hour) he was able to rip more flooring in the kitchen. He managed to somehow crack the tray completely in half and get to the floor underneath. I’m so surprised at this as he really likes his kennel and settles down nicely in it. He usually has a bone in there with him also. The longest he is usually in there is four hours while I am at work. Guess he needs more exercise to tire him out before he gets put away. 

So ... since I will have to replace the carpeting in the family room and flooring in the kitchen, I’d like to know what everyone feels is a good flooring for a home with dogs.


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## Renee P. (Dec 5, 2010)

If it is any consolation my pup chewed the dining table even though she was in an X-pen.

I have oak floors, they work pretty good.


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## 2tall (Oct 11, 2006)

Becky, the main reason we rented the house we have now is because the entire downstairs in real mexican tile. Not a stick of carpet or square of linoleum. The stairs and upstairs are hardwood, but we can get rid of the scratches with a little elbow grease and wax. This has been great. The only downside, is that the dogs can and do slip and slide if they get rambunctious. Lots of area rugs might be a good idea.


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## Dave Farrar (Mar 16, 2012)

My house is tile and laminate wood flooring with large area rugs.


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## ChessieMom (Aug 28, 2013)

Hardwood Flooring in most of our house and it seems to work well. We do have linoleum in the kitchen, and our pup has been tearing up the edge...he found a weakness somewhere and works at it whenever he can get to it...grrrr...

Our guy has also cracked the plastic tray in his wire kennel, and I'm planning on getting a horse stall rubber mat to put down in there. Evidently, they're so heavy and tough that he shouldn't be able to destroy it...at least not right away, lol.


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## BonMallari (Feb 7, 2008)

Wood floors,easier to clean, cool during the summer, we just put down the dog beds so its very clear which place is theirs, unfortunately they play "king of the Hill' for the corner spot on the couch next to Clint


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## kdeckels (Sep 12, 2009)

You guys make me feel better. My last litter started pulling up the carpet off the stairs - course the carpet is probably 20 yrs old anyway, but I was ashamed to let it be known. Upstairs is wood laminate & tile.


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## luvmylabs23139 (Jun 4, 2005)

ChessieMom said:


> Hardwood Flooring in most of our house and it seems to work well. We do have linoleum in the kitchen, and our pup has been tearing up the edge...he found a weakness somewhere and works at it whenever he can get to it...grrrr...
> 
> Our guy has also cracked the plastic tray in his wire kennel, and I'm planning on getting a horse stall rubber mat to put down in there. Evidently, they're so heavy and tough that he shouldn't be able to destroy it...at least not right away, lol.


The plastic trays tend to crack unless on carpet. The newer crates, even high end ones seem to have thinner plastic and it splits easier.


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## Illini Coot Killr (Feb 21, 2011)

Here is what we have. Nearly indestructible.


http://www.floridatile.com/products/berkshire


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## Brad B (Apr 29, 2004)

My entire house is stained concrete. The stairs and up stairs is all tile. Love it way better than dealing with the carpet I had in my apartment.


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## Pam Spears (Feb 25, 2010)

We put down tile everywhere (except in the kitchen, which was already hardwood.) Best decision we ever made. Easy to sweep, and impervious to spills and the accidents that go with a new puppy. We were careful about picking a tile that wasn't too slippery.


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## Jamee Strange (Jul 24, 2010)

Illini Coot Killr said:


> Here is what we have. Nearly indestructible.
> 
> 
> http://www.floridatile.com/products/berkshire


Where in Illinois did you get this from since it's a Florida company? It looks perfect!


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## Illini Coot Killr (Feb 21, 2011)

Jamie

Purchased the tile at Buck's Decorating in Godfrey, IL. Had it installed on the entire first floor. It really does look like hardwood and has some texture to it so it's not slippery. I'm sure some carpet/tile store your way carries it or could order it for you.

Looking forward to getting back to training with you, Dennis and others. I'm the guy from Jerseyville that came down and threw birds while waiting for my Slider pup. He's coming along nicely. Almost ready for pile work.


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## christinaA (Jun 27, 2007)

I installed Home Depot's Allure Ultra sawcut dakota resilient vinyl planks about 8 months ago in my entire house. It is very easy to install and seems to be very durable so far. I have two large dogs who stay in the house and they have not left a mark yet. It is completely waterproof -don't ask me how I know this is true... The fake wood vinyl is embossed with ridges which I find make it less slippery for the dogs.


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## Labs R Us (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks all for your comments. I know how I'm going to spend today ... Checking out flooring and prices.


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## Steve Shaver (Jan 9, 2003)

Illini Coot Killr said:


> Here is what we have. Nearly indestructible.
> 
> 
> http://www.floridatile.com/products/berkshire


Nice, but expensive????


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## JusticeDog (Jul 3, 2003)

Steve Shaver said:


> Nice, but expensive????


Miles Distributors published their suggested retail price list as $8.43 sq. ft.


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## Rhenee Fadling (May 23, 2008)

We have laminated hardwood in this house, we had tile in our other house, the wood is much easier and it's not as cold as tile, important if you live where there's cool/cold winter temps, unless you can afford in-floor heating. Got tired of the stained/traffic stained grout, also if you're on your feet a lot in the kitchen, it's hard on the back/legs after awhile. Our living room and bedrooms are carpet.

I personally wouldn't put a wire crate, or plastic crate for that matter, directly on any kind of flooring. I always use an area rug underneath, I can hose it off or throw it out if it's torn. For those of you with the chewers and with no choice but to put it on your carpet, I'd get a piece of plywood, melamine or something similar underneath cut with a 3-4" border to set it on, you could paint it or look at the hardware store for something w/ a decent looking finish. You can zip tie it down in the center if you have to.


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## Sharon Potter (Feb 29, 2004)

Tile and laminate here. 

In the meantime, how about getting a different crate? Heavy plastic (not the cheapo Remintons) Maybe a ruff-tuff? Something that has a good, solid floor? Or set the wire crate on a piece of plywood that's larger all the way around than the crate?


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## 3blackdogs (Aug 23, 2004)

I just put new flooring all throughout the main level of my house. I had carpet and laminate prior to that. The laminate was not good for the older dogs, too slippery, although it looked very nice.

After considering about every flooring option under the sun, I put gauged black slate in a large format versailles pattern throughout, with the exception of the library/study where I had hardwood (hickory) planks installed.

The slate has a natural finish (ie not honed) so it's not slick, and has a little bit of traction too. But it's not so 'natural' that it's 'trippy'. The dark charcoal color of the slate complements the black labrador fur tumbleweeds very well....lol.

(Florida Tile is a large tile company, you should be able to find it just about anywhere. There are a lot of tile companies that now have the 'wood plank' look in ceramic/porcelain tile. Some of it looks very cool. A good tile/flooring store should have a number of options in this style, it's very 'in' right now.)

Happy shopping. If there is The Tile Shop (www.tileshop.com) in your area, check that out. They have a wide variety of stone, ceramic and porcelain products on display, it will give you an idea of what's available. They also have decent sales quite frequently.


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## SpinRetriever (Dec 25, 2012)

A rough tile is the best but be sure to use epoxy grout especially where the dogs come in wet or dirty.


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## Jamee Strange (Jul 24, 2010)

Illini Coot Killr said:


> Jamie
> 
> Purchased the tile at Buck's Decorating in Godfrey, IL. Had it installed on the entire first floor. It really does look like hardwood and has some texture to it so it's not slippery. I'm sure some carpet/tile store your way carries it or could order it for you.
> 
> Looking forward to getting back to training with you, Dennis and others. I'm the guy from Jerseyville that came down and threw birds while waiting for my Slider pup. He's coming along nicely. Almost ready for pile work.


Hey!!! Sending you a PM


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## suepuff (Aug 25, 2008)

This is going in our entire house next week! We ended up with Vinyl plank because the laminate was too slippery and even with the thicker stuff, it sounded too hollow. The warranty on this is incredible. Looks like wood, textured like wood. I didn't want wood because of the care and didn't want tile as it would look strange in our 1960s ranch. And it's too cold. We couldn't afford the under floor heating to make it warm.

This stuff is in a lot of the restaurants you go too.

http://shawfloors.com/resilient-flooringdetails/northampton_0235v-shelton_pecan


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## David McCracken (May 24, 2009)

We took our hardwood floors up and put in tile. Easy to clean, indestructable, and impervious to dogs. Plus.....it looks great!


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## mjankowski (Nov 5, 2013)

A textured tile floor is the way to go. The dogs are not going to tear it up and it is easy to clean.


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## EdA (May 13, 2003)

A similar discussion Jan 2012, our floor is now almost 2 years old and requires almost no maintenance and looks perfect.

http://www.retrievertraining.net/fo...et-What-do-dog-lovers-like&highlight=flooring


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## dlsweep (Dec 3, 2007)

We installed a vinyl plank floor based on Dr. Ed's recommendation, and we love this floor.


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## swampcollielover (Nov 30, 2012)

Wow, good post...I have hardwood floors except for the bedrooms which are carpeted. The hardwood floor needs replaced, our three dogs have pitted the floor. We keep their nails trimmed, but they just have ruined the floor. Also, it is not good for their hips and they slip slide around on it all the time. I have been considering vinyl planks and now you all have given me some other ideas to consider....


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## Labs R Us (Jun 25, 2010)

My original need for new flooring in the family room and kitchen has now mushroomed to...well as long as I'm at it, I'll replace the counter-tops, paint the walls, put in kitchen backsplash, replace vent and outlet covers. Luckily my kitchen cupboards are in good condition; but seriously, this pup is costing me a lot of money.


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## Labs a mundo (Mar 20, 2009)

A few years back we changed all flooring in the house to Natural oiled 3/4" oak. 4 " planks.
Really beautiful and so easy to clean. I have asthma so it's important to me that the floors are clean.
Sure it gets a few scratches from the dogs but they can be sanded if really bad or rubbed with a bit of oil and the minor scratches disappear.
Wouldn't have anything else.


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## Carol Cassity (Aug 19, 2004)

I have heavy textured tile throughout the majority of the house. Dogs don't slip even when it is wet. I got the kind that is the same color throughout in case of a chip.


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## suepuff (Aug 25, 2008)

First room done. This pic was taken at night so the light wasn't right. Will redo in the am. Luxury Vinyl Plank by Shaw. Quiet, not hollow sounding. Textured like wood. 20 year commercial warranty.


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## Renee P. (Dec 5, 2010)

Are folks still loving the luxury vinyl planks? It is what the flooring guy just recommended for my basement to replace the carpeting I have there now.

Thanks!


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## 1tulip (Oct 22, 2009)

So, this won't work for the whole floor, but around the crate... a little DEET. I have sprayed antiques and upholstered furniture (once) and they've been safe for generations of dogs.


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## Aleksksks (Sep 19, 2018)

We have a shedding puppy and mostly laminate flooring and only one carpet in the kids room. Laminate is very easy to clean and keep hairless. Btw my laminated floor looks so realistically like wooden floorboards that my guests don't believe me when I tell them it is laminated. Also a good friend of mine recommends me to get a robot vacuum cleaner, he says it's a must for dog owners. So I'm monitoring the prices through https://smartercomputingblog.com/the-best-roomba-for-pet-hair/


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## The Snows (Jul 19, 2004)

Renee P. said:


> Are folks still loving the luxury vinyl planks? It is what the flooring guy just recommended for my basement to replace the carpeting I have there now.
> 
> Thanks!


Love ours! Had it for four years now on the main floor. Easy to vacuum and keep clean. Looks the same as it did when installed with four dogs and their toenails walking / running around on it!


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## Renee P. (Dec 5, 2010)

The Snows said:


> Love ours! Had it for four years now on the main floor. Easy to vacuum and keep clean. Looks the same as it did when installed with four dogs and their toenails walking / running around on it!


Thank you for the response. I was ready to install some but contractor flaked on me. The project is on the back burner now but hoping to renew by summer.


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## Rainmaker (Feb 27, 2005)

I like ours. Virtually been impervious to dogs, scratches, water just stands on it, quieter than wood laminate too. Getting ready to do the rest of the house in it. Wasn't crazy about the gray tones when contractor got here with it, but, it grew on me and hides dirt and hair better than both the lighter and darker floors we have elsewhere.


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## The Snows (Jul 19, 2004)

Kim .... looks like you have the "barn board" like we do! Love it as the black lab hair disappears between vacuuming! LOL!!


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## luvmylabs23139 (Jun 4, 2005)

Oh my gosh. Forget the flooring I love the built in bedroom crates! Only one lab these days but wow back in the day of 4!


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## Rainmaker (Feb 27, 2005)

The Snows said:


> Kim .... looks like you have the "barn board" like we do! Love it as the black lab hair disappears between vacuuming! LOL!!


I was pleasantly surprised at how well the floor hides all three shades, black, yellow and chocolate!


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## Rainmaker (Feb 27, 2005)

luvmylabs23139 said:


> Oh my gosh. Forget the flooring I love the built in bedroom crates! Only one lab these days but wow back in the day of 4!


Thanks, local guy made all the furniture to spec, it turned out better than I'd hoped.


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## 1tulip (Oct 22, 2009)

Funny... never had this problem. But I have expensive heirlooms and antique furniture throughout my house. I sprayed most chair and table legs with DEET (Deep Woods OFF, for example) and I've never had any trouble. 

Ever put your whistle in your mouth and too late discovered you'd sprayed it with your bug repellent? Yeah, well, the dogs seem even more put off by the taste. I think it would work on your floors. A quick and dirty stop-gap measure until you decide on a permanent but more expensive fix.


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## Todd76 (Apr 4, 2015)

Agree with tile and hardwood or laminate. Though if the dog has accidents on the laminate it can cause it to swell and buckle.


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## The Snows (Jul 19, 2004)

Todd76 said:


> Though if the dog has accidents on the laminate it can cause it to swell and buckle.


Exactly why the vinyl plank flooring works so well with dogs!


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## andits22 (Jun 21, 2020)

I also have a dog in my house, so it is very important to choose best flooring option. As we know that Pets can be heavy on floors. Their nails can leave scratches. Accidents can cause staining and result in odors that just won’t dissipate. Shedding means floors need to be cleaned regularly and thoroughly.So I would like to suggest rigid-core vinyl flooring. Vinyl flooring is the best floor for dogs. It’s an inexpensive, waterproof, scratch and stain resistant flooring that is also comfortable underfoot. Vinyl flooring will keep both you and your dogs happy.


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## MooseGooser (May 11, 2003)

We have lived on 3/4 thick hardwood (oak). Carpet, Laminate. We have ceramic and Carpet in our new to us current home. The one floor, I was totally impressed with, including how nice it went down(installed myself) was Luxury Vinyl Plank.. Amazing stuff. looks really good too.


When new flooring is inserted into budget,, the entire house will be luxury vinyl Plank.. It can get wet! you can wet mop it... not noisey, no echos,,,Dogs did fine,, including a crack head russell terrier!

Hands down, the best floor we have had,,

Gooser


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## swampcollielover (Nov 30, 2012)

Jamee Strange said:


> Where in Illinois did you get this from since it's a Florida company? It looks perfect!


We have been looking at flooring. We have two Golden's and the hardwood flooring we have now, Oak, has paw toenail depressions throughout. We looked hard at the porcelain flooring but was a bit pricy and we were told that if you drop something heavy on it, the tiles can break. So we are now looking at a hardwood floor made from hickory, we are told the dogs feet will not damage this flooring. We will see...


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## 2tall (Oct 11, 2006)

MooseGooser said:


> We have lived on 3/4 thick hardwood (oak). Carpet, Laminate. We have ceramic and Carpet in our new to us current home. The one floor, I was totally impressed with, including how nice it went down(installed myself) was Luxury Vinyl Plank.. Amazing stuff. looks really good too.
> 
> 
> When new flooring is inserted into budget,, the entire house will be luxury vinyl Plank.. It can get wet! you can wet mop it... not noisey, no echos,,,Dogs did fine,, including a crack head russell terrier!
> ...


Gooser, is that the brand name, Luxury Vinyl Plank? We once had flooring called Knight Plank that sounds a lot like that. (Time for floors here now).


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## MooseGooser (May 11, 2003)

2tall said:


> Gooser, is that the brand name, Luxury Vinyl Plank? We once had flooring called Knight Plank that sounds a lot like that. (Time for floors here now).



LVP.. (Luxury Vinyl Plank) is a type of floor. many different bands.. Many different price levels..What I am familiar with is a 5mm floor, with a wear layer of .5 mm (.020 thousandths) gives lifetime guarantee..

What I installed was 5mm thick (a little over 3/16) and it was a click floor. (click together, no glue, but you can glue down if you want) wood grain weathered oak finish (light grey).. Click joints invisible.. Easy to install..

Completely waterproof, vinyl plastic core.. You can wet mop it.. 

When you look at it out of the box, it looks cheap. It isnt though! Its High quality! when installed, looks amazing (seamless)

I tried to scratch the wear surface with a deck screw thread.. I had to work hard to scratch it..

Ours was a dull finish not glossy.. it had a bit of texture toit that helped the dogs.but Idont allow dogs to be asses in the house! ASS behavioue is dedicated to Hunt tests..


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## MooseGooser (May 11, 2003)

Far Superior to typical Laminate floors.. No comparison..


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## MooseGooser (May 11, 2003)

Our old neighbor installed it. They had a new dishwashe installed after thefloor. Something went wrong during dishwashe install. Bad water leak on new floor while they were at work. 

All that was required was to "unclip " the floor.. Big fans brough in to dry the wood sub floor for a few days.. then they re-installed the waterproof floor back in place.

The only Hassel was marking the floor planks as to location as they came up.. Its basically solid plastic (Vinyl) I helped with the re-install.. I was sold! Did our house right after that...


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## The Snows (Jul 19, 2004)

Carol .... google Shaw flooring (one brand out there) and is the brand we used. As per Mike's description above we used the glue down plank ... don't think they had a click style when we installed our several years ago. Ours is their "barnboard" style, Matt finish and some texture for the dogs. Five years, four dogs, sixty-four toenails and still going strong!


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## 2tall (Oct 11, 2006)

https://www.carpetexpress.com/floortec-gluedown-lvp-pid-132137-198.html

This? I googled Knight Plank and Luxury Vinyl. Looks a lot like what we used to have. Great stuff.


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## WITX6865 (Sep 19, 2019)

A good LVP will do you well. If you want the type look, they have glue down, groutable vinyl tile as well. We purchased 1900 sqft of plank and about 75 sqft of the lvp tile for our bathrooms.


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