The good thing with laminates is that they are easy to fix/replace. So is the flooring product selection based entirely on how it holds up when pets have an 'accident'? How much barf/pee/poop are we talking about here?

My engineered wood floors have held up to spills and leaks just fine but I attribute that to the glue adhesive (Bosticks) I used in the install. I did nail down engineered floors in the upstairs - doubt they would hold up to standing liquids as well.

I would go with a laminate and hope for the best. There are options to controlling pets - like interior barrier fences to keep them contained in a smaller area. The contained pet area could then be covered with inexpensive rug(s) that can be picked up, cleaned, etc... Of course you could just crate the pet while unattended - not advising you do that - just an option.

Tile is far more labor intensive to install - especially over a wood subfloor. YMMV.

We just removed a tile floor and put in laminate inthe kitchen and dining room. We had it in our kitchen and dining room at our old house in California as well. We had to replace that one because the previous owner used galvanised straps on the copper water lines which began to leak. I don't know how long it was leaking but the floor started to peak at the seams and then started pushing water up through but it never turned to mush. My grandpa had a high end laminate floor in a bucket of water for three months with no damage though so premium floors may be worth the price here.

Plus glasses usually bounce off the laminate and break on the tile. Great for kids.

Sounds like laminate is the way to go for us, inexpensive and easy for me to install... any specific brand names I should look for? As in the "high end" stuff that holds up well to moisture (that has been mentioned)?

We have three cats (one cat too many) they are pretty good about going poo/pee in the box but the occasional hairball gets coughed up... and sometime the hairball comes up right after they eat :rolleyes: Then there is the husband who spills red wine, thus the rugs in our living room and two bedrooms look like a MMA ring.

So time to do away with the rugs... and want to replace with something quick and easy to install that won't break the bank.

Thanks again!

I always thought the issue was on the surface - the sealer eventually gets cracks in it & spilled (or excreted) liquids go down inside those cracks and cause the wood to swell and discolor. Some of them just click together using a special joint and no glue.

I had an idiot plasterer once leave a wet towel on my eng. wood floor overnight - did not have to be completely removed but he did lose $1k on the job from the sanding & refinishing required to solve his damage.

One good brand is Kahrs.

Is Pergo good? Easily available at Home Depot.

The brand we used was made by Classen. It a moderate commercial grade with a 15year guarantee. We got it at Rona, which is like Lowes but you don't have them in the states.

I wouldn't recommend laminate for a kitchen, but we did and it works good for us.

We also used the same brand in the basement with Delta FL vapour barrier underlay, also without any issues so far.
DELTA®-FL - Vapor Barrier for installation on concrete slabs, provides a warm and dry floor

I layed tile in the kitchen and bathroom... this would be for living room and bedrooms and in sunny SoCal on a second floor so not too worried about moisture/flooding.

Not familiar with the products, but some type of penetrating wax finish worked in might help seal the joints, and keep all liquids on the surface.

I was really worried about spills getting in the joints, especially with my kids, but so far my worries have bee unfounded. In the kitchen we had a flood, the fridge automatic defrost drip tray, that is glued to the top of the compressor, came unglued and spilled water all under the fridge and it sat for a couple of days. We cleaned it up and there was no damage to the floor at all.

Madcorgi's experience of it turning to mush must have been old tech el'cheapo crap laminate.

Be sure you know what you are talking about when you say "laminate." There are three types of laminated wood flooring. One is basically plywood with a picture of a wood plank glued to the top. Pergo is an example of this. The other two kinds are often called "engineered hardwood" but also called "laminate" sometimes. One of these has a real wood layer on top that is 1/16 to 3/16 thick, a layer of some kind of composite material in the center, and a thin layer of wood on the bottom. The last kind is the kind I'm putting in my kitchen. It has the real wood layer on top of 5 plys of wood with the grain of each ply going in different directions. The advantage of laminates is that they are easy to put down and are more dimensionally stable. You can "float" them on your floor with sound deadener underneath so they are quieter than other wood floors. When you float the floor you basically have a big sheet of wood laying on your floor that can expand and contract without buckling and sections can be replaced relatively easily.

Any pre-finished floor has 'gaps'. So the answer to your question is 'no'.

You need a real 'finished-in-place' floor. IMO....

I have done several floors, all with pre-finished hardwood. That is my preferred floor, and the next best would be the thin hardwood on top of a composite material.

But with beveled edges you get gaps and you can't clean it.