Scratch-Proof vs. Scratch-Resistant Floors: What the Terms Mean

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    Flooring options that withstand scratches are highly coveted among customers seeking child- or pet-friendly flooring solutions. As they explore their choices, they’ll likely hear about both scratch-proof and scratch-resistant flooring – but what do those terms mean? SMART Carpet and Flooring provides thousands of flooring options to homeowners in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania via our mobile flooring showrooms. Here, we explain scratch-resistant floors and highlight the flooring options we have available.

    Can a Floor Truly Be Scratch-Proof?

    The answer, in short, is no. To say a floor is scratch-proof means that it’s made of a highly scratch-resistant material. A sharp enough object can damage the most durable floor, even if it claims to be scratch-proof. While there isn’t a flooring option available that’s guaranteed to withstand all sharp items, some are more resistant to scratches than others. The flooring’s composition and protective coatings determine how effectively it can withstand scratching.

    While there is no such thing as a truly scratch-proof floor, scratch-resistant flooring can withstand common home activities over an extended period. Many types of scratch-resistant flooring are highly stain-resistant and waterproof, and they can reduce the threat of allergens, bacteria, or mold developing.

    What’s Special About Our Scratch-Resistant Flooring?

    SMART Carpet and Flooring proudly offers a variety of scratch-resistant options, which fit a variety of spaces and work within different budgets. Scratch-resistant flooring types we offer include:

    COREtec

    A COREtec flooring system provides homeowners with a versatile, long-term solution, which adds beauty and functionality to the space. The composition provides additional comfort for your feet, while absorbing sound, helping to reduce noise coming from upper floors. The innovative design is also highly waterproof and capable of handling spills or accidents.

    Hardwood

    While typically a more expensive option, hardwood flooring gives homes a classic, distinguished, warm look. It particularly goes well in bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, foyers, or hallways. Our available styles include bamboo, engineered, and solid. Customers should be aware that traditional hardwood floors aren’t waterproof and could decay if they take on too much moisture. To prevent this, you should have hardwood flooring resurfaced every five to 10 years.

    Laminate

    This flooring, which is made of fiberboard or plywood, is a common hardwood alternative. It’s coated with an aluminum oxide finish that helps it withstand constant movement within a home. Laminate flooring is a versatile option that works in a variety of residential spaces, and it doesn’t require special maintenance. Our vast selection allows you to choose from styles that include distressed, exotic, high-variation, and weathered.

    Tile

    Another low-maintenance option, tile can add flare and style to a home. This flooring is commonly used within areas of a residence commonly exposed to water or moisture, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and entrances. Tile’s sustainable material prevents the development of allergens, mold, or pollutants. It also works as a heat conductor, making homes more energy efficient.

    Vinyl

    Vinyl flooring is another strong, scratch-resistant option for homes with small children or pets. It doesn’t need intensive maintenance, and any high upfront costs for installation tend to pay off from its longevity. The three distinct types of vinyl flooring we offer include:

    • Hybrid vinyl: This vinyl looks like natural stone or hardwood. The hybrid vinyl subgroups we offer are engineered plastic core (EPC), infused polymer core (IPC), stone plastic composite (SPC), and wood plastic composite (WPC).
    • Luxury vinyl: This style’s protective layer makes it one of the most scratch- and water-resistant options available today. Rigid core vinyl plank flooring made of a combination of stone and wood holds up well in high foot traffic areas.
    • Sheet vinyl: This type provides homeowners the satisfaction of long-lasting service and minimal maintenance. Our sheet vinyl styles include marble, stone, tile, or wood.

    Proper Care and Maintenance Matters

    While no floor lasts forever, you can extend these models’ longevity with the proper care. Actions you can take to preserve your scratch-resistant floor:

    • Keep pet nails properly trimmed
    • Lay down carpets, mats, or rugs to reduce impacts from foot traffic
    • Regular damage or imperfection checks
    • Reduce excessive moisture entering a home during humid weather
    • Consistent cleaning and sweeping with appropriate products
    • Place pads on furniture legs so they won’t rub against the surface when moved
    • Take care of spills quickly

    Make Us Your Scratch-Resistant Flooring Provider in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

    Regardless of the type of scratch-resistant flooring you are looking for to add to your home, reach out to SMART Carpet and Flooring. We are locally owned and proudly serve New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.

    Need more carpet or flooring? Take advantage of our traveling mobile showroom to shop and save. Our selection is 10 times higher than our competitors. We make the selection process comfortable and pressure-free. When it’s over, you’ll say, “Wow, that was easy!” To assist with flooring costs, we offer free services such as furniture moving, measuring layout, padding, and standard stair work.

    Contact us today to learn more about our work or to schedule an appointment.

    Ryan G.
    Smart Carpet and Flooring did an exceptional job on my carpet job. Louie, the sales rep spent multiple hours with me and even came twice to ensure I was well educated on all my carpet options, and never pressured me. Louie is extremely knowledgeable and patient. Louie came during the job and after the job to ensure it was completed with excellence. The carpet installers were also exceptional. My stairs are quite complex, but the installation team spent time to complete the stairs and the whole job as expected. I am extremely glad I decided to use Smart Carpet and Flooring for my house.
    alex F.
    Working with Jim and his manager Adam Forbes was a great experience. There was an installation error on one corner and a highly visible seam….they came and replaced the entire carpet! They really stand behind their work. Very pleased.
    Amanda R.
    Shayne Heslin was very helpful. We were able to do a very fast turn around between the first call and a finished job.
    Gayle H.
    We just moved to Atlantic County from Ocean County. Shayne H. was always our
    " go-to" guy for 20 years so we hoped he would come to our new home - and he did!! Professional and courteous service. Smart Carpet is the ONLY way to go! Thank you Shayne from Steve and I once again!
    Grace C.
    Im so glad i used SMART carpet to get my wall to wall done. Louie and Sammy were great. Profesional, punctual and very knowledgeable. My carpet came out better than I expected.
    Andrew S.
    I had an amazing experience with smartcarpet and Bill Hicks! He was extremely helpful and very honest regarding what would be the best options for my basement!
    He kept me in the price range that I was going for and gave me excellent recommendations. He took his time and I never felt pressured! I 100% recommend Bill and Smartcarpet!
    Linda D.
    The installers did a nice job. We love our new carpet.
    Michael F.
    Every step of the process to install, our carpet was smooth. I went online to put in information for a free estimate and someone called me within five minutes and gave me an appointment the following morning. Our estimator, Ruth, arrived early and was a pleasure. She has much experience, quickly calculated our square footage, and explained the different types of carpets. We struck a deal within 15 minutes. Our carpet was installed two weeks later by Sam, who called the night prior. He was friendly, arrived on time and had the job completed promptly. Smart Carpet is a very professional operation and I would certainly use them again.
    Xx
    Sales person Ruth K Tom's River NJ ,rep was extremely helpful w/ choosing the right carpet for us. Sam installed our carpet so perfectly! Easy process from beginning to end. I have used smart carpet for many years. I highly recommend them for any flooring needs.!
    Maureen F.
    I met with Jimmy Breslin and he was excellent in helping me get the perfect carpet and price! Fabian and his team arrived right on time and worked so hard and also did an excellent job. Thank you Smart Carpet!
    Yvonne D.
    Carpet looks beautiful. Louie, our salesman was very patient as I made my carpet selection. The installers and binder were excellent. Will use again!
    Michel R.
    They did a really good job in a short time. Recommended.
    Kim R.
    Calling Smart Carpet is the best decision I made. Drew, our salesman, was very knowledgeable about his products and very helpful assisting us in making a decision. Price was very reasonable. Scheduling installation was easy. The installers worked very hard, and we were glad that we did not have to remove the railing in the upstairs hallway. The carpet looks amazing. I'm very pleased and won't hesitate to call them for any upcoming flooring needs.
    Leah K.
    Just had carpets installed by Smart Carpet and Flooring. It was a great experience and our salesperson, Matt Connor was amazing! He was very professional and went above and beyond to help us get the perfect carpet for our house.
    Kevin N.
    Jim is an expert salesman! He was a delight to work with and he made the entire process enjoyable and simple. We will always go to him when the next project pops up.
    Dan N
    My experience with SMART Carpet and Flooring was terrific from start to finish. Bob was so helpful during the selection process in assuring that I found the perfect texture and color of carpet for my home. The timeline for install was ahead of schedule and the installers did a flawless job. Couldn't be happier!
    Thomas M.
    We met with a couple companies and Louie stood out. Super professional and knowledgeable. Had so many more options of carpets than any other. They came in and installed everything perfectly. Highly recommend using Smart Carpet Flooring. Only issue we had was a lot of paperwork. In a digital world that part needs to be easier.
    Ronkymore A
    My family had a great experience with Smart carpet and flooring. Right from getting the quotes from Matt( the sales man) until installation. Matt was very professional, knowledgeable and courteous. We'll definitely be back for our next installation. I promise, you'll not be disappointed. Thank you!!!
    Emily P.
    We worked with Bob for our new carpet and he made the process so easy. From the initial meeting and measurement until the installation. He even checked in to make sure the job went well. We are very happy with our final product!
    Denise J
    I am very satisfied with my carpet! Shayne in the Mercer county area was very helpful and professional. The installers did a great job. Thank you!
    Wesley P.
    Had to have a tile floor removed and used SMARTcarpet to remove that floor and put down a beautiful hard wood floor! From Bill the salesman to the installers everyone was excellent and professional. I won’t be shopping elsewhere when I need other floors replaced I will be using SMARTcarpet and would recommend them to anyone!
    Robert C.
    The installers did a great job. Professional and courteous. Mat called during the installation to make sure the job is done right.
    Lisa H.
    Louie was great to work with, nice selection in our price range and installers did an excellent job. Highly recommend! We are in Union County.
    Billy S.
    I highly recommend Smart Carpet and Flooring when looking to have carpets installed. The rep we worked with (Louie) did an excellent job working within our budget and suggesting our best options. The final product look and feel exceeded expectations!
    Leonard B.
    Guys did a great job. John was very helpful in selecting material.
    Kathleen W.
    Ryan was a super helpful and patient sales person. Prices are much more reasonable than several local flooring stores with the same or similar products. Would highly recommend. We have used them in two different homes now for three different jobs and always excellent service.
    Mike and Carol K.
    We had a great experience with SmartCarpet. They replaced wall-to-wall carpets in the living room/dining room/hall with Vinyl flooring and put a new carpet in the family room. The house is completely transformed! All the installers were top-notch and made sure the work was done to our satisfaction. Communication was fast and thorough. Highly recommend!
    Guy G.
    Had the family room in our home replaced with LVP. Smart carpet had put down laminate flooring over 10 years ago and it was time for a change. They came in and did a great job from start to finish including Louie our salesman!
    Kristen V.
    Easy process and seamless installation!
    Lara B.
    We just has carpet installed in two bedrooms and are very happy with results. The whole process was simple and convenient. Our salesman, Otto helped us find a great carpet at a competitive price. Scheduling was fast and our installer did a great job moving furniture, installing and cleaning up. If you need carpet, Smart Carpet is a much better value than the big home improvement stores.
    Karl D
    Very happy with the job SmartCarpet did in my home!
    Brenner D.
    Our experience with SmartCarpet was amazing. We needed our flooring installed in a timely manner due to our move in date and Otto delivered. He worked with us on style and price to get us exactly where we wanted to be. The install teams showed up on time and did an amazing job! We will definitely recommend them going forward!
    Michael P.
    We replaced carpet with hardwood flooring in 3 rooms in our house. Ryan was very knowledgeable about all the different options and worked with us to make sure we found what we were looking for. He also helped us decide on a color that went well with the other hardwood flooring in the house. Victor and his team did a great job on the install. They were very efficient and finished all 3 rooms in 1 day, including moving around furniture and ripping up the old carpet/hauling it away. Ryan even stopped by during the day to check-in. When we had a few questions after the install, Victor came back within a few days to address. He had great advice on hardwood maintenance too. Overall, we’re very happy with how the job turned out. We’d definitely recommend Smart Carpet and Flooring!
    Levy S.
    Working with Shayne at Smart Carpet was a pleasure. From start to finish, everything was professional and completed with quality. We are based in Monmouth County and needed new carpets for a few rooms + a stair runner - Shayne was wonderful to work with and very reasonable in price. Great service, great install and we are very happy with the results!
    Matthew L.
    We used Smart Carpet for our stair runner and could not be happier with the service. Louie was incredibly helpful and easy to work with. We are in Union County and can’t recommend Louie and Smart Carpet enough!
    Merle R.
    Shayne was helpful and accommodating. We were in a hurry to replace some carpeting and he made it happen in just a few days.
    Danielle K.
    Smart carpet was a great choice for our Monmouth County home! Building our nursery and they had just what we wanted. Shayne was fantastic to work with and the team was professional and efficient. Highly recommend!!
    Janice M.
    Louis Marrs was polite and very patient. He explained very thing and talked about pricing. The installer was on time, neat and friendly.He also did a great job. I am very happy.
    Meredith J.
    We had a great experience with Smart Carpet through Costco. Shayne in Hunterdon County was super patient and helpful and made sure we were happy throughout the entire process. Great job!
    Deborah B.
    From walking in and receiving help in choosing my flooring ( Brenden) to measuring ( Jim) and installing ( Victor) this made my day!! Old carpet out and new engineered oak planking in !! I’m in love!!! Thank you isn’t enough for the great service I received dealing from Smart Carpet ! If I could get down I’d roll all over ! It will be a breeze to keep clean. Thank you for the professionalism shown by all. A very satisfied customer.

    Also had a super experience with carpet installation in bedroom .. and rounding out the experience was window treatments ( Hunter Douglas) !! The highlight. Swift installation. Friendly staff. Otto was the absolute best in helping with choosing treatments … his expertise was amazing. I felt extremely comfortable having him help me.
    Dawn S.
    Salesman was Very Informative & Helpful !!!!!
    Installers were On Time,Curtious & Cleaned up after Themselves !!!!!
    Very Happy Customer 😊
    Great Job SMART Carpet and Flooring.......
    Marilyn P.
    The installers did a fabulous job. They were very neat and cleaned up all of the mess. They lined up the seams to match our hallway perfectly .
    lisa F.
    From start to finish the process was so easy. Jim was a pleasure to work with. He brought us a ton of samples to choose from. The carpet came in quicker than we expected and it was installed all in one day! This was the 3rd time we used Smart carpet and it won’t be the last.
    Beee B.
    Great experience from start to finish.sales Representative Marr was do easy to work with. He did
    not pressure me into buying more expensive carpets . He listened and helped me pick the best carpet to suite my needs at a fair price. Installers were great. They worked hard and the carpets look great. I couldn’t ask for more. I definitely recommend Smart Carpettp all.
    Robert N.
    Joe made it a very easy and a positive experience for my wife and me. He was very knowledgeable and patient throughout the process.
    Michele L.
    I just had carpeting, installed by Smart carpet. My representative Joe Orlando was very thorough, professional, and gave me a great price on carpeting for my 2 bedrooms!! I’m very happy with the end result!

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