Determining which hardwood or laminate floor type is best suited for your pet can be tricky. While a number of laminate floors are strong enough to handle pet wear (e.g. high pressure laminate) others are weaker and may warp or crack upon exposure to pet traffic or accidents.
Finding the right type of hardwood flooring for your pets can also be difficult. Those who have large dogs would be better off with hardwood that has a high Janka Hardness rating. Janka Hardness ratings are given depending on the hardness of a particular wood, and are based on a scale of 0 to 4000 (4000 being the hardest and 0 being the softest). Hardwood floors that are most likely to endure pet wear and tear without damage tend to be higher up on the scale (e.g. Brazilian Teak; Brazilian Walnut).
Keep in mind that both hardwood and laminate flooring do not take well to pet accidents. The acidity of urine can cause damage that may be impossible to repair. A benefit to purchasing solid hardwood flooring is that it can often be refinished a few times during its lifecycle. Refinishing is the process of sanding and staining your floors so they look close to, or as good, as they did when you first purchased them. Refinishing can help remove unsightly scratches from pet nails and surface dings.
While some laminate floor types may look like solid hardwood, they are actually just a translucent wear layer atop a picture (decorative layer) of the wood that it's made to resemble. Laminate flooring cannot be refinished; often times the only way to repair damage is to replace them. Save yourself time and money for laminate repairs by wiping up pet accidents and water bowl spills immediately after they happen. Most stains can be removed with a cleaning solution that's recommended by the manufacturer.
When shopping for laminate floors for your pet, consider purchasing the stronger laminate floor types that can handle a high level of wear without damaging. This includes high pressure laminate (HPL) and laminate that has an AC rating of AC3, AC4 or AC5. AC stands for Abrasion Class, and is a rating system that determines the strength of a particular laminate type and which household areas its best suited for based on those results. Laminate floors that have an AC3 rating are recommended for most residential and some commercial areas; while AC5 includes laminate that's strong enough to handle high commercial foot traffic (e.g. department stores).
Keep in mind that stronger hardwood and laminate floors often mean a higher price tag. While it may seem like a lot now, in the long run it could end up saving you hundreds to thousands of dollars in floor repairs.
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