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Trying to decide between wood and laminate floors and can't decide. I know that laminate is alot cheaper however I am also concerned about value and quality over time as well...
I have older cats that occasionally vomite and pee from time to time and plan to have a family soon. Any ideas or suggestions between the 2. Pros and cons etc....???
Hi Curiosa,
Both products can absorb and retain odors and can be damaged by any type of fluid and pet fluids are no exception. I recommended that you shop for a high quality sheet product that will have resistance to urine and bile staining and will have very low surface permeability. There actually some really nice looking products out there!
Laminate vs. hardwood ... laminate is more durable and less expensive, but it is a laminate (fake), and unless you get the thick ones, it will sound hollow. Wood is real, so there's a lot of variation (no two are alike), though it's not as durable, so expect the need to refinish it down the line. Laminate ... one the surface is damage, that's it. Wood ... it can be refinished.
Now for value ... considering that you figured on dealing with vomit and pee, both types will be worth very little at resale, as neither are water resistant. Consider vinyl (sheet/tile/plank) or tile (ceramic/porcelain) instead.
It's actually pretty easy to deal with cat puke on a wood floor that's got a really serious polyurethane top layer. Trust me, I've learned it through experience with the senior cat (aka the Unipuker).
Laminate is usually cheap, sounds hollow and scratches/stains VERY easily. It is not "real" wood, simply put.
Wood flooring, refinish it as many times as you want (when needed, of course) and it will last you decades. Also, no two are alike, in my opinion that is the beauty of it.
I don't like laminate and haven't seen one that really looks like wood. As far as resale wood would be a better value. Laminate sounds so hollow and some don't like it.
I live in FL and asked my realtor friend and she said that most people don't like laminate and would rather have tile so they take that into account when putting in a bid.
We just put in hardwoods in 1600 square feet ourselves and I am so glad we went with the pre-finished hardwoods and steered clear of the laminate. Our last house had a high quality Mannington laminate that held up really well but I could never get that hollow sound out of my house and it really did bother me more than I realized it would after it was installed.
If the main issue is cats barfing and peeing on the floor i would go laminate. it's easier to clean up, plus the boards fit very snugly into eachother. Hardwood often has tiny gaps the garbage will get into. The most important part is animal urine is the kryptonite to hardwood floors. If not picked up right away or have a spot not found for a while, it will burn black stains into the wood that can only be fixed by refinishing if you're lucky, but most of the time it will have to be replaced.
Laminate flooring won't hold up to constant puking and urination. Neither will wood; urine will stain a hardwood floor eventually.
But hardwood is definitely the better, more durable option.
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