Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 17, 1999 08:06am | #1

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   John,

   One of my customers has a 65 lb. dog. He doesn't scratch the floor, but he did slide through the screen once. Seems he he can't stop or turn when he runs on that stuff.

   John

2. 
   Rich_B. | Sep 17, 1999 06:18pm | #2

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   It should look OK at first, but 3 - 4 years down the road, it will start to show. A lot depends on how often you clip the Labs toenails, and keep the dirt and grit out from between his pads when he comes in from the outside. As the owner of 2 large Golden's, my advice is - ceramic.

3. 
   Guest_ | Sep 17, 1999 06:54pm | #3

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   Laminate floors will definitely scratch with continual exposure to a dog and there isn't anything you can do to fix the scratches except to replace it. If you want a flooring that won't scratch you should consider ceramic tile. The other alternative is to use a wood floor with a good finish which will still scratch but at least you can go back and refinish it occasionally if it gets too bad.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 17, 1999 08:01pm | #4

   *There is ample discussion of laminate flooring if you search this site. Here is a thread specifically about dog v. floor. If the dog nails are sharp or dog velocity high (especially in cornering) the laminate's protective layer will gradually wear down. I'm sure you could use it safely in rooms such as the bath and bedroom where the dog will be less frisky (unless he hates baths).I doubt you want to tile the entire house, and tile will only work where the floor is stiff enough. Hardwood is also an alternative, and is fairly price-competitive with laminate's high price tag. There are wood harder than oak-- I've heard of hard maple and hickory floors. But a plus for Pergo (and a minus for the purists) is that it produces an antiseptic monolithic sheet with virtually no cracks to absorb contaminants. The glues used are also solvent-free.Also try http://www.floorsearch.com/. And don't forget the HEPA filters!

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 18, 1999 03:48pm | #5

   *I once went with a pal to give an estimate on some interior work on a VERY large VERY new house which had beautifull hardwood floors on the first floor. It also had an absolutely HUGE white Lab.The lab was wearing these little drawstring booties on his feet. dog would take 3-4 steps and 1 bootie would come off.homeowner re-installs bootie .This process was repeated about 57,000 times over the next 10 minutes.We didn't get the job,but at least we still get laughs over the homeowner chasing that beast around trying to re-apply the slippers.

4. 
   Mad_Dog | Sep 18, 1999 05:53pm | #6

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   Some of the laminate floors are so lousy, they will scratch
   badly from normal wear and tear, much less a black lab's
   claws. I have two dogs, one a lab, and hardwood floors as
   well as pine that I painstakingly refinished and sometimes
   the dogs take time off my life, as well as the floors. I
   would say to try some tile with infloor heating if possible.
   You and your dog will love it.

   md
   xxx

1. 
   Ken_fisher | Sep 19, 1999 01:32am | #7

   *As Andrew suggested..check out floorsearch.com, though I'm not affilaited with that one either. Common thing about dogs and their ages, personalties etc. Some tend to stay completely away from laminated floors if they "grew up" on carpet. They become afraid after slamming into the front door a few times. I'm sure this is true with tile as well.

5. 
   Guest_ | Sep 19, 1999 09:18am | #8

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   andrew thanks for the link, have customer who removed her carpet and is lookin for flooring suggestions. Have not used Pergo but it may be the answer. She has 2 large Rotweillers that are fun to work around.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 19, 1999 12:07pm | #9

   *Rotweilers scare the sh*t out of me. Do they have a sweet side? My friends had one named Terminator or some such and ... let's just say I never tried to pet it, in fact they wouldn't even let it out of the basement when they had company over! And they had a baby, too.They insisted, oh, he's just the sweetest dog.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 19, 1999 08:09pm | #10

   *Andrew, They're no big deal...if they start getting a little too aggressive, just wave your sawzall and a couple of those "latex balls" in front of their snouts.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 21, 1999 05:42pm | #11

   *Damn Rots look like Dobies on steroids. Anyone done a survey to see which is ahead? People shot with empty guns or people bitten by dogs that don't bite. Labs are the way to go. Lab houses are safe they have no sharp corners.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 22, 1999 11:48pm | #12

   *Don't worry. These floors will not hurt the dogs.

6. 
   woodog | Sep 25, 1999 06:36pm | #13

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   I refinished the hardwood floors in my house about a year ago, I've got a 95lb.black lab and the floors are holding up beautifully! Wouldn't even consider using a pre-finished laminate floor in your situation. Once it begins to deteriorate (and it will) the only option is to replace it. Besides it's a lot of fun watching the dog runiing full speed and not going anywhere, or sliding across the living room with full binders just to bounce off the fireplace!
   Remember that if you use a high gloss finish you will see more of the scratches. A low sheen will hold up and look good for a long time. -good luck- woodog

7. 
   John_Smith | Sep 25, 1999 06:36pm | #14

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   I'm contemplating putting laminate flooring down in my house. Allergies and Athsma have made us come to the conclusion that the carpet should go. My only reservation is that I have a 100 pound Lab. Will he leave scratches all over this type of floor? At $25 per square yard, this is too expensive a material to experiment with. Does anyone reading this have both laminate flooring and a big dog? If so, how does the floor hold up?