Today I will talk about the best laminate flooring for your dogs and the other four leg members in your family. I will share my experience and views with you.
Before starting we all need to know about laminate flooring.
What is a laminate floor?
It is a modern hybrid floor covering by particleboard. This is the easiest to install, even you can do it yourself. Laminate flooring is completely waterproof if tightly seamed. Naturally, we call it laminate wood flooring. In two minor respects, it is wood. First, it is made of pressed wood. Secondly, it looks like wood.
Laminate flooring is very cost-effective, easy to install, sophisticated looking, easy to clean. That’s why it is becoming popular day by day.
When you are planning to install or reinstall your floor and considering it would be a laminate floor, then you have to consider the following points:
- Types of Laminate Floor;
- Maintenance of Laminate Floor;
- How to Protect Laminate Flooring from Your Dogs or Pets’ nails;
- Best Flooring for Dogs that pee;
- How to Clean Laminate Floors ;
- How to buff out Scratches from Laminate Floors.
Types of Laminating Floor:
You will be surprised to know the verities of the laminating floor. You have many options for choosing a laminating floor for a beautiful home. The laminating floor types depend on the production method, surface, and thickness.
Laminating Floor Types Considering Production Methods:
The most important thing is to consider where you will install laminate flooring. You can select the laminate floor types considering production methods. Laminates are made using three principal layers; the decorative layer, core, and the backing layer. The core layer is made using wood pulp with high pressure. This core layer is the main factor of laminating floors’ durability.
Laminate floors are made in two methods.
- High-Pressure Laminate (HPL)
- Direct Pressure Laminate (DPL)
High-pressure laminate is made using over 1000 pounds of pressure. Which is perfect for heavy foot traffic.
Direct pressure laminate is made using 300-500 pounds of pressure. It is also durable but best for less foot traffic like a small office or home.
Laminate Floor Types Considering Thickness:
Considering thickness laminate floors have a range of verities. You can find laminate floors from 6mm to 14mm in the market. But 7mm to 12mm is more popular with the customers. A more stable subfloor requires thinner laminates. Unstable subfloor, wood-made subfloor, or where the sound is fact requires thicker laminates.
Laminate Floor Types Considering Surface:
One of the main reasons for the advancement of laminating flooring is the verity of the surface. There may be found in many types of laminate flooring. To achieve the desired look a certain amount of texture is used. There are several types of laminate flooring considering surface and textures.
- Satin/Smooth Finish: It gives you shine floor looks.
- Matte Finish: The most popular texture. It gives your floor a natural hardwood finish.
- Hand Scraped Finish: Though it looks like hand-scraped actually it is pressed to look like an authentic scraped wood floor.
- Natural Wood Finish: It is also becoming very popular with homeowners nowadays. It looks and feels like natural wood flooring.
- Soft Scraped Finish: Its look is very subdued.
- Oiled Wood Finish: It is traditional in style but very popular with today’s buyers. It gives the look that the floors were treated with natural oils.
- High Gloss / Piano Finish: Offers a shiny, elegant look. Ideal for an upscale, modern interiors
- Oxide Surface Finish: Metallic finish giving a small dose of shine and metallic finish. It is Used often for modern, chic interiors.
- Slate / Stone Finish: Replicates look and feel of the slate or stone.
How To Find The Best Laminate Floor For Dogs:
When you have 4 leg family members like a dog, you have to consider a few things before installing laminate flooring.
Dog’s size and weight is a big factor in choosing the perfect laminate floor. If your dog is a small breed like American Eskimo then you need direct pressure laminate which is perfect for moderate foot traffic. If your dog is near about 100 pounds breed like Shepherd then you need heavy foot traffic laminate floor which is high-pressure laminate.
You need scratch resistance laminate flooring if you are a dog owner. You will be happy to know that laminate flooring has a range of commercial flooring which can handle heavy traffic. Abrasion Class (AC) rating of AC3 to AC5 is usually using as scratch resistance laminate flooring in commercial areas like shopping malls.
Dog’s paws are built for the grassy natural fields. It can easily grip the natural field. If your dogs love to play inside the home, and your home is a laminated floor, your dog will face difficulties gripping it. Textured or ambushed laminate flooring will be comfortable for grip.
Tips For The Dog Owners When Using Laminate Flooring:
Moisture is the key enemy of laminate flooring. If any water or liquid like water can reach the subfloor, it can produce moisture and that can damage your laminate floor. You have to be careful about your dog that can pee on to the floor.
When your dog is not well trained, that can pee on your floor. In that case, you have to clean the floor immediately. Otherwise, it can reach into the subfloor and can damage your floor.
It is very clear that the water bowl is always a source of moisture. As you have a dog, you have to keep a water bowl on the floor. This water bowl can be a cause of damage to your floor, as it is a source of moisture. You can keep a rubber mat under the water bowl for the safety of your laminate floor.
The laminate floor is always cooler than other floors. In the hot summertime, your four-leg family member may love to lay down on the floor. If you install a smooth and shiny top laminate floor and your dog lays down on the floor most of the time, it will be a cause of dirtiness for hair fall from him. You can put carpets or floor mats on the areas where the dog loves to lay down. In the winter season, it will work as a warmer for your dogs.
The dog does not like smooth and shiny laminate floors. He will face difficulties walking or run on it. You have to be more careful about the trimming of your dog’s nails. It will be helpful for your dog to use a smooth and shiny laminate floor.
There are many dogs who love to play with water or snow. Even the best well-trained dogs also sometimes play with water or snow inside the home. It may damage your floor. For keeping safe from moisture you can use an underlay on the subfloor. It will also be helpful for making your floor noise-free.
Cautions for The Laminate Flooring:
Water or moisture is the number 1 enemy of laminate flooring. When you install the laminate flooring, you have to be more careful so that, water or moisture can’t pass into the subfloor. At the time of installation, it should be very tight.
Be careful before installing the laminate floor about your subfloor. It should be 100% dry.
If you feel that your dog or other four-leg family members may wet your floor, you may use an underlay on the subfloor. It will reduce the risk of damage to your floor by water or moisture.
Laminate flooring always makes noise. When you or your neighbors are noise sensitive, you have to make a soundproof floor. The Underlay of laminate flooring may help you to make your floor soundproof.
When your floor or any part of the floor becomes bubble up or scratch, you should open up that area. Make sure the subfloor is dry and moisture-free. If you change the bubble up or scratch area it is better. If it is not possible to change, then use a rubber mat on that area and install an underlay on the subfloor.
Pros And Cons of Laminate Flooring Who Have Dogs:
Pros of Laminate Flooring:
- Laminate flooring is very cost-effective
- Easy to maintain
- Wide verity of ranges
- Easy to install
- You can buy especially scratch free laminate flooring
- Sophisticated looking
Cons of Laminate Flooring:
- Easily damage by the moisture
- Makes noise
- Smooth or glass finished top naturally cannot scratch resistance.
Comparison between Laminate Flooring VS Vinyl Flooring:
When you are planning to install a cost-effective, durable, attractive floor covering for your home, which you can install by yourself, you have two different options.
- Vinyl Flooring
- Laminate Flooring
You may become confused to choose the right flooring for your beautiful home.
Let’s see the comparison between the two floorings.
| Vinyl Flooring | Laminate Flooring |
| 100% made of plastic. | 99% of wood-made products. |
| Superior to moisture resistant. Dog’s pee or water bowl will not be any problem for it. | For moisture resistance, you can use an underlay or rubber mat. |
| Best for damp areas like bathrooms. | More comfortable to use. |
| Natural-looking. | |
| Good resale value. | |
| Scratch resistance. | Some models are scratch resistance. |
Conclusion:
Though laminate flooring has many pros and cons, still now it is a very good choice for the users as it has a wide variety. You can choose the right laminate flooring within your budget. You can install sophisticated hardwood texture as well as scratch resistance shiny smooth laminate flooring for your beautiful home and kitchen.
Always remember that laminate flooring for the kitchen and other floor areas is not the same. You can see my other article “best laminate flooring for kitchen”.
