All of those except vinyl will become damaged by pet urine. And if urine gets under the pieced vinyl, ick. Sheet vinyl would be fine. The only other flooring that won't be damaged is tile with epoxy grout. You can put down inexpensive area rugs to add softness. They can be tossed in the washer if you need to due to the accidents.

my dog I have now does not have a problem. our other dog was very ill, the one who stained teh carpet. I really don't like walking on tile and my house is too small to break it up with area rugs.

missylin,

I have the same issue and have decided to go with luxury vinyl planks because individual planks can be replaced easily.

HTH

I just bought a bunch of Armstrong floating vinyl tiles (it's a plank of 3 tiles) from Lowe's. It was on sale so I decided to go with it - not so much worried about my dog (she seems trained) but I do drop things a lot and you just don't know what might spill or happen. I figured this way I could cut out any plank (or tile in a plank) that might get damaged. If something overflows, pipe breaks or leaks I would also be able to pull them up easier (and faster) than tiles glued down or a room size piece of sheet vinyl. I'd rather be able to get it off of the subfloor before that gets damaged.

I bought 1 box a few weeks back and laid it out in an area where the puppy runs and skids chasing her toy. After about 2 weeks of that it showed no damage to it. she has sharp nails too - I know because I'm a 'victim' of them !

I too, have a sick, older cat who has peed in places on my carpet and I'm ready to get new flooring. I was going to go with wood laminate. I used the vinyl plank tiles in my bathrooms and should one get messed up, I can replace it.

I think laminate would be good for you. It's much cheaper than hardwoods and more durable too. If your dog had an accident, as long as it didn't sit on the laminate floor too long, I don't think it would do damage. You said you are retired so I take it that you are home most of the day? That way, you would be more apt to find any accidents.

Animal lovers will always have to deal with this from time to time because we love our animals and take care of them when they get old and become high maintenance-:) It can be frustrating so that's why I'm doing away with my carpet. No matter how well I clean it, it still looks soiled in some places. I even own my own steamer for that reason.

Good luck in your decision and keep us posted.

I too, have a sick, older cat who has peed in places on my carpet and I'm ready to get new flooring. I was going to go with wood laminate. I used the vinyl plank tiles in my bathrooms and should one get messed up, I can replace it.

I think laminate would be good for you. It's much cheaper than hardwoods and more durable too. If your dog had an accident, as long as it didn't sit on the laminate floor too long, I don't think it would do damage. You said you are retired so I take it that you are home most of the day? That way, you would be more apt to find any accidents.

Animal lovers will always have to deal with this from time to time because we love our animals and take care of them when they get old and become high maintenance-:) It can be frustrating so that's why I'm doing away with my carpet. No matter how well I clean it, it still looks soiled in some places. I even own my own steamer for that reason.

Good luck in your decision and keep us posted.

What type of vinyl plank flooring did you find looked realistic? Thanks. :)

What rooms do you have it in? Does it look realistic? Our Lowes only carried some that even the salesguy said was a low quality (No pun intended). He said some could be ordered but he didn't think that would go on sale. ??

Hi Raineygirl, In speaking to stores and my friends who have laminate, it seems if there is an accident that laminate can mess up in a hurry. An ice cube popped out of the dspenser in my friend's kitchen and she ran like the dickens to pick it up. She said she's had to replace a couple of planks. Although I'm home much more than when I worked, I can't stay home all the time. ?? When I was on vacation the inside portion of my a/c unit, which is in my hall, leaked a little water. If that would have been laminate it owuld have been ruined.I looked at bamboo as I read strand bamboo is very hard and good. But the strand bamboo that was affordable was ugly. And the pretty bamboo was not the hard kind. :( I'd love to find vinyl plank that looks like the bamboo.

The lat few posts are inaccurate. The poster seems very nice, but has been misinformed. the ice cube deal is not factual. Ran to the cube, picked it up and it will hurt nothing. Leave it melt for an hour and I would argue any damage. Spill a gallon of milk over night and then I'll say you may have an issue. Bamboo will also die from water. Vinyl planks Also if there is a mechanical leak. Anything that gets under a product will destroy it except ceramic tile. We sell a lot of flooring. I have 9 crew going out pretty much daily. We see it all. Everything has issues when it comes to water..Except ceramic. Or vinyl if spilled topically. Recently had a Konecto claim because it got too wet. Got wet from under and adhesive strips let go. Had a Connections from Congo let go from Pine sol on top. Now vinyl click together planks may handle water as we have put it through some unbelievable testing. I am told that sunlight shrinking will give the vinyl snap together planks issues also. if you are talking about hardwood and water.....forget it..it will buckle or delaminate if engineered or even cup with too much climate inconsistency. Other than tile, water and flooring just dont mix. Stick down vinyl planks will loosen if left with standing water...not an ice cube mind you but a leak or surface water. I thought I have seen it all then once a month I see another horror story. Good Luck.

Ok, Floortech, so other than tile- which I hate walking on. Okay in the bahtroom- I have two tiny bathrooms, so that's okay. But I'm not putting tile anywhere else- what do you suggest. If I get what they call "luxury plank vinyl" what looks real and is good quality. I've seen some pics on the flooring forum of vinyl that looks like wood that has a very busy pattern, swirly or something. That would not appeal to me. What would you recommend? I have a very small house so will probably have some left over if there is a problem in a small area. I really liek the feel of carpet under my feet, but it just does not seem practical with dogs. Thanks.

With pets or with any other water issue, you either have to accept that your flooring will be damaged from them, or you have to accept that you will have to use a flooring that does not appeal to you. There isn't any other choice. Either do the sheet vinyl or the tile if you don't want to risk damage. Or accept that damage can occur and be prepared to replace the flooring at a much shorter interval.

I like a luxury vinyl tile I suppose. Topical water should not hurt it. It will scratch but takes an effort. Standing water from a leak or something can hurt the area..but Like I said most anything would be hurt. And a leak allows homeowners insurance to take over.
We sell a lot of Nafco LVT. Everyone seems to like it. Duraceramic is more realistic, but chips pretty easy. We are currently researching this Amtico product. And then their are manufacturers that step up with an Issue. And there are some that run. Congoleum is really good with claims and Konecto believe it or not. Armstrong and Tarkett like to fight claims. Nafco is made by Tarkett. We sell very little Mannington. I have over 1500 sq ft of tile in my house. Probably 1000 sq ft of Carpet. 300 sq ft of laminate. 1 Bathroom of vinyl and 2000 sq ft of hardwood. Heres how I rank them all. Out of all of them Ceramic is hard and bothers my back , but most of it is 8 years old and looks like the day it was laid. The hardwood instantly begins to show some abrasions. laminate looks fine if you like laminate. i used a very unique one that I fell in love with..Carpet is carpet. 5 to 7 years then rip it out and replace it. Vinyl is 12 years old in the bath and looks brand new. We are going to do tile in that room this year and tear out 1 year old tile in another bath and redo that room with different tile. Didn't like it after we laid it. I am not considering LVT anywhere as I cant find any that we really like, trust, or feel is practical as it is still semi expensive. Ceramic is actually cheaper wholesale to buy. Labor is more but it is lifetime and increases real estate value as oppose to most other products. I always say hardwood and tile bring additional value to a home. Just my thoughts...plus all these companies are rushing into the LVT game and are they making inferior products just to get in the game. And all of them are trying to get below each other price points just like they did with the laminate market. so what happens , quality gets sacrificed. Sorry to ramble on. Good Luck.

I would only recommend vinyl tiles of any kind as a cost saving DIY measure--IF you can find some that isn't too expensive. It's still all too expensive for me to recommend to be used currently, based on it's wear and lifespan.

If you have to pay labor, you might as well pay labor on something that is more permanent and durable. Tile will last for centuries if installed correctly. And it's beautiful. You can always put a rug pad and a rug over some of the traffic patterns if you want to soften it up. And there are numerous systems for warming it up for those in cold winter climates.

Hardwood will also be a durable choice, but with pets, you have to be resigned to the bit of nail denting and water damage from vomit or urine. Even the best behaved pets occasionally get a yucky tummy. Trimming the nails will help with denting from the pets, but it won't stop the denting from heels or gravel stuck in shoe treads. It's part of accepting hardwood for what it is and loving it just thr same.

I don't recommend most laminate with pets. It's subject to moisture damage, and much of it is too slick for safety, even if you have 4 legs. A friends dog tore his ACL from slipping on the new laminate floor. She ripped it out and put down hardwoods instead. It wasn't really any more costly, and the hardwood can eventually be refinished.

Thank you so much, Floortech. I would never buy Mannington. My parents' home came with terrazzo (this was "free" in that homes in Florida in those days had it for the floor (rather than cement mine has under the carpet. They put carpet over the terrazzo in everywhere but the bathrooms and kitchen immediately. They tried Mannington vinyl in the kitchen when they first grew tired of the terrazzo. It wore very poorly and no one would do anything about it. I heard of a LVP company called Earthwerks that someone liked. Do you know anything about that? Thank you for telling me about fighting claims about those other companies. I am very conflicted. I know tile wears best. I just do not like the way it feels underfoot and I know it's bad for your back. And elderly dogs have difficulty walking on it. My boy is only 7, but eventually he will be old. I don't want to put carpet strips everywhere when he gets older.. My carpet looks horrible after maybe 15 years. I mean really horrible. I had an elderly dog who was very sick for a short period of time. I don't know if it was her special medication or special food. one or the other made everythign that came out of her stain the carpet. I am actually looking at luxury vinyl plank, not LVtile, but it sounds like i have my work cut out for me. Thank you for your assessment.

Live oak, I am not looking at those gross vinyl tles. I am considering a fairly new product called luxury vinyl plank. It comes in planks similar to what wood comes in. Sounds like wood is out from what some people say, but I do have 2 friends who say theirs has been okay with their Pekingese. I live far away so I haven't seen it. I'll have to ask if it's in a place teh dogs go often. My dog only weighs 12 pounds, and I have the nails kept short. I am so confused.