I am in the process of purchasing another house and moving. I have been researching flooring. My plan is to rip every single bit of carpeting out of the house, and re-do the floors, prior to moving in. I have found a wonderful product and I think it's going to be perfect. It's called Vinyl Composition Tile. The brand I am using is Armstrong. It is hard, like ceramic tile, but is vinyl, and has limestone in it. It comes in 12" squares and is about 1/8" thick, needs no grouting, and the color goes all the way through the tile. They are a little flexible and rubbery feeling, not real hard like ceramic. And, the best part is the price. It is easily about 1/3 the cost of buying and installing ceramic tile or laminate. This is a commercial product and is found in hospitals and department stores, such as Wal-Mart and Kmart. There are tons of colors to choose from, and like with ceramic tile, you can do all the designs you want. It is glued to the floor, much like sheet vinyl. If one is broken, it can be removed with heat, and replaced. It started out that I was just going to do the 2 back bedrooms and hall, the area where the ferrets will be allowed. The more I looked at it and thought about it, I am now going to do the entire house with it. I will use bright colored/washable throw rugs throughout. The guy we're buying the house from just happens to be a salesperson for Armstrong, though he is not getting one penny of commission from this sale. I didn't discuss flooring with him prior to shopping. After I found this product, I asked him his opinion. He said this is the perfect flooring for pets. The tiles fit tightly together so there shouldn't be a problem with urine getting under the tiles, though I guess that's possible. It is easily cleaned with mopping, and should be "polished" about once a year, very low maintenance. I guess you can ask me in about 5 years whether I'm still so sold on this product, but I think I will be. Katharine http://community.webshots.com/user/katharine524 [Posted in FML issue 4879]