We had real maple in our last house. It was gorgeous! We had an extra layer of sealant put on and it stood up very well to dog nails.

We've thought about putting in laminate here but it's too slippery for Preacher. He's blind, old and failing. As there will likely always be an old dog here, there will be no slippery stuff!

I really want tile, but with a woodstove for heat, it's too cold! So we are going to put in vinyl that looks like tile--easy to clean, stands up to critters and not slippery. Not sure when that will ever happen though so for now we have painted plywood--ugly as sin but it works!

Enjoy your pretty new floors!