Replacing Carpet - Solid Hardwood, Engineered Hardwood, Bamboo, or Laminate Wood for house with big dog? Looking to replace carpet in living room and replace vinyl flooring in kitchen with "wood" flooring.
My biggest concern is our 95lb Golden Retriever (and a stupid 5 lb cat). I know there will be wear and tear from tracking in dirt and grit on our shoes. I also expect animal claws to leave their marks. I'm thinking we want to use one of the hand-scraped or distressed types of flooring instead of a mirror-smooth finish. Any Redditors have opinions or advice on floor finish with pets?
Also, should we use a floating floor or one that had the boards individually nailed? I have heard that floating floors are best in small spaces but appear to buckle in a larger room. Again, any recommendations here?
TL;DR:
1 - What finish to use with dogs?
2 - Floating or secured floor for larger rooms?
F-That replied:
I hear if you have dogs, go with a laminate. That stuff is super strong. I just purchased 750 sq feet plus the pad for about $1800.00 delivered to my door from a company called bestlaminate.com. I am happy with it and I cant scratch it if I try. http://i.imgur.com/rvJJvQe.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hyKFuWh.jpg Oh and I have old hardwood that was trashed under mine but I chose to go with floating. My wife, mom, and dad installed it in an afternoon.