LESLIE: Sue in Indiana is looking for some help with flooring. What’s going on at your money pit?
SUE: I have carpet in my house right now and I have two large dogs and I want to take the carpet out and put something in that’s a little more dog-friendly but I’m not sure what is the best thing that holds up under the wear and tear of, say, two 70-pound dogs.
TOM: Well, my two cents would be laminate flooring. Laminate flooring can not only stand up to 70-pound dogs but it stands up to children pretty well, as evidenced in my house.
LESLIE: (chuckling) You know, kids with claws.
TOM: Yeah, kids with claws.
LESLIE: Would you go with a commercial-grade finish over a residential or do you think residential sort of stands up to it.
TOM: I think residential will be fine here. The laminate floor is really pretty durable stuff and it’s very attractive. It can look like tile, it can look like hardwood and I think you’ll be very happy with it, Sue.
SUE: Now the laminate, are you talking about the one that has the padding on the back or the one that you put the padding down first?
TOM: That depends on the manufacturer. Some manufacturers have the underlayment attached to the laminate and some have it as a separate element.
SUE: Is it better one way or another?
TOM: I don’t think so. You know, essentially, I would buy a brand-name product; you know, I would get a Pergo or an Armstrong or a Tarkett or something like that and I would look for the lock-together tiles – the lock-together so it doesn’t need any glue – and I would put it down. I think you’re going to find that it’s incredibly durable and you’ll be very happy and so will your pets.
SUE: OK, great. Thanks.
TOM: You’re welcome, Sue. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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