Is a cork floor pet friendly/durable?

Question

We have some pet rabbits. (don't ask... ;)

They're pretty good with the litter box...maybe batting .900 but it's that other 10% of the time that wreaks havoc on the carpet. Rabbit pee is pretty nasty and once in the carpet, it's staying there.

Our old house was all hardwood and it wasn't a huge deal. You see the puddle, you mop it up. We now need to tear out this carpet (it was cheap and ugly anyways) and replace it.

We'd rather not go with hardwood as the rest of the first floor is hardwood and we'd never match it so thought contrasting material might be better. I like the idea of Cork but have no idea how pet proof it is. Is the sealed/finished cork fairly durable? Would anyone recommend a particular type of installation over another? (Tiles? Snap-together-laminate? Sheets?)

Is a sealed cork floor porous at all? That'd be my primary concern.

Answer 1

Sealed cork is definitely durable. My parents' house has cork in the kitchen and the family room which was installed ~25 years ago, and the only place where it's showing some wear is in the spot in the kitchen where my mother drops things regularly and they've shifted the oven and dishwasher in and out for servicing. Knives do stick in it rather than bouncing off, which may affect the permeability of the sealing.

Answer 2

Sealed cork is sealed with multi-layer coating. The material remains still soft. As long as the rabbits do not get the idea to nibble on the cork all is well.