What is most durable flooring used 2021?

[Nicole W.]

Hi. I have a rental in Az where the carpet needs replacing. Has ceramic tile in kitchen, bathrooms and laundryrooms which I will leave as they all still look fine and have no chips etc. I am looking to put in laminate flooring but there are a lot to choose from. There is also LVP. I know it is best to go with 12 mm or higher on these. Anyone have longterm use of any of these that are working better than other and if so, which brands are holding up the best? This is for a 1900 sq ft house. Would like to have something that kids and small dogs can be on without scratching and is waterproof. Thanks, Nicole

[JD Martin]

If you don't need 100% waterproof, which is what I tend to use everywhere these days, I have some Pergo flooring in some of my rentals that is holding up amazingly well. The key I've found with laminate plank flooring of any brand/type is to use a heavy mil wear layer -12 or more - and use something that already has an irregular pattern and texture, which is generally something that looks like wood planks or some kind of irregular stone. Not only do scratches on those not show up as easy, they're easier to hide. I put a big scratch in one of my Pergo floors moving a refrigerator that didn't have a wheel (I didn't realize the wheel had come off) and after I touched it up with a paint pen I couldn't even figure out where the scratch was later. A couple of years later when the unit turned, I tried to find the scratch and still couldn't find it.