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I have a particle board subfloor with a crawlspace underneath, I need suggestions for any kind of flooring (except carpet) that will be durable for a 83 pound German shepherd.

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  • Product recommendation questions are specifically off-topic for this site. – isherwood Jun 5 '19 at 16:07
  • Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. Unfortunately, as @isherwood says, "shopping" questions are off-topic here. Please take our tour so you'll know how better to contribute here. – Daniel Griscom Jun 5 '19 at 19:09
  • A German shepherd, a golden Lab and 3 cocker spaniels - carpet was fine, just needed a really good hoover... Oh and the german shepherd would lay in front of the hoover until he had been hoovered - absolutely loved it ... – Solar Mike Jun 5 '19 at 19:21
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    I'm not sure I agree that this is off-topic -- it's not asking where to buy a product, or specifically what product to use, but rather in general what types of flooring would be expected to stand up to the wear and tear of a large dog. @Johnny's answer is a perfect example of how this question can be answered without specific product recommendations. – Nate S. Jun 5 '19 at 20:01
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    This question seems to be about flooring pros and cons and not shopping - on topic. – DMoore Jun 5 '19 at 21:26
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Ceramic or porcelain tile is just about dog-proof.

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Full-strand bamboo flooring is far denser than traditional hardwood, and it can look just as natural and nice (in my opinion).

While I've only had it for a few months, I haven't noticed any scratches from my 70lb dog.

Additional benefits:

  • Can often be cheaper than hardwood (though current economic tariffs may affect this).
  • Is far more renewable than hardwood (Oak - 50+ years, Bamboo - 7 years)

I also considered tile, which my in-laws have. They have a 120lb leonberger. Their floors have held up perfectly so far.

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I used this product Pergo Flooring and it has held up just fine with my 120lb Goldendoodle, who drags his feet...

Now, I didn't use this exact colour, but I did use this line. I will be putting more down in my living room and dining room (probably this weekend). I have put it in our family room, which we use quite heavily. It worked well for me and my family (2 kids 3 and under in addition to my 120lb dog). I imagine it would be fine for you.

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You could go with laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is rated by "wear level":

  • AC1 - Residential use with moderate traffic. For example, a bedroom
  • AC2 - Residential use with general traffic. For example, a living room
  • AC3 - Residential use with heavy traffic or commercial settings with moderate traffic. This rating should work well in any residential room, or maybe a small office.
  • AC4 - Commercial use with general traffic. This would be suitable for a general office
  • AC5 - Commercial use with heavy traffic. For example, a public building or mall.

I've seen recommendations for AC3 or greater to help reduce the risk of nail damage. I had some dog nail damage near the front door in some hardwood flooring and replaced it with AC4 laminate and haven't had any issues.

AC4 wasn't a lot more expensive than AC3, but had fewer styles available.

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  • Good answer, but I wouldn't recommend laminate in this case, as it isn't refinish-able at all. – Chris Cudmore Jun 19 '19 at 16:39
  • It's not refinishable, but it's trivially replaced when it needs it - the cost to install the entire floor cost about what it cost to refinish a similarly sized hardwood floor in my old house. 5 years in on my laminate floors and they are as good as new, though I had some movers drop a bookshelf and ding one of them, took a floor guy about 20 minutes to replace the bad board with one of the spares I had in the garage. – Johnny Jun 20 '19 at 0:25
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Your first option is tile or stone flooring which is very durable and easy to clean. Definitely water and stain-resistant. Bamboo flooring is also a good option because it gives you the look of natural wood but is pretty sturdy, scratch and stain resistant as well. Luxury vinyl flooring is another option and a cheaper alternative for tile/stone flooring. It is also pet-friendly and water-resistant.

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