What Flooring Is Best for Your Pet Store?

question:

What is your preferred flooring in your stores? — Terri Adams Perry, Fuzzy Friends, Rio Rancho, NM

• Heavy-duty vinyl plank. Our installer even glued it down. Over 20mm-thick wear layer, has lasted for over 6 years and still looks great. — Scott Tripp, Wagabonz, Galveston, TX
• I love luxury vinyl plank (floating ones with the foam on the bottom). I have it in all my stores and it looks like brand new after many years. Also good on employees’ feet, and dogs love it. — Joanna Bronowicka, Well Bred, Chatham, NJ
• We use the same flooring that is in school cafeterias — we have had our floors for over 10 years and just need to get it rewaxed every few. — Jae Chant, Bark If You’re Dirty, Phoenix, AZ
• Stained and sealed concrete floors. They start out distressed so wear and tear is no big deal. We just buff them and they shine. — Rachael Creech, Adventure Pets, Mandeville, LA
• Laminate wood flooring. Dogs can’t scratch it. The only time we’ve damaged it in 10-plus years was when I dropped a hammer on it! — Penny Murano, Unleashed, New London, NH
• We stripped paint and sealed concrete. We love it! Impervious to most everything. — Karen Conell, The Bark Market, Delavan, WI

Editor’s note: All answers printed with permission, edited for clarity and length. Join the private PETS+ Facebook Community for retailers and service providers at facebook.com/groups/petsplusmagcommunity.