[drcoastline]

Yes it looks cheap. Very cheap but is a better look than an old torn, stained, burned vinyl floor and will smell better than a dirty old shag carpet that a wet English sheep dog slept on for the past twenty years.

Laminate flooring is basically Formica applied to a hard backer. It will scratch when anything with an edge scrapes across it. Such as a knife, fork, broken glass, a stone stuck in the sole of your shoe. I would dispute the claim it holds up better. The backed may hold up but laminate is not repairable. just as a Formica counter will scratch from a knife. If your dogs have any tendency to scratch they will make quick work of the less than 1/6" laminate. In my experience one of the biggest problems with laminate flooring is the sound. It is very loud when walked on even with the padding between the flooring nd sub floor.


Hows it hold up to sun on it daily? I can not answer that question. I have never had it anywhere long enough to see the long term affects of sun light.

I would look into an engineered wood flood. An engineered wood floor is a thin veneer of select wood applied to a plywood backer. You get the look and feel of a real wood floor on par price wise with a laminate floor. Yes it will also scratch but being a real wood veneer of 1/8"+ you can make minor repairs. It will discolor over time due to light, oxidation.