How do you pick the right flooring for your pet? In this article, we explore what factors to consider when choosing pet-friendly flooring.
This is a question that is asked often but there are so many ifs and buts as what is best for one household may not be suitable for another.
Before you head over to our Pet Friendly Flooring choices, have a read of some points to consider below. If you can think of any additions please let us know.
Flooring For Puppies and Kittens
Everyone has a different experience with a new pet depending on the age, existing behaviours and how you are approaching house training (and other puppy habits).
You may want a floor that has potential to survive throughout your pets lifetime in which case you will need something that is scratch resistant, water (pee) resistant and easy to maintain.
You might also want to consider whether it would be best to lay a temporary solution during the messy stages.
Flooring For Older Animals
We don't like to think of our beloved cat or dog getting old but it is a fact of life.
With age, like humans, animals can develop painful joints so you really want to minimise the potential for slips.
You might think carpet at this point but you should also consider that bladder control can become an issue for older dogs.
Best option might be a water resistant floor with use of rugs and mats in areas that slips are more likely to occur such as doorways.
Unwanted Guests
If your animal companion has never brought fleas into your home consider yourself lucky.
Ridding your home of lice and their eggs is labour intensive and unfortunately carpet does make the de-infestation efforts more difficult as you need to get into every corner and do this several times over a few weeks.
Laminate or Vinyl floors are much easier for removal and prevention of flea infestation. Rugs and Mats can be removed for cleaning or disposed of a lot easier than wall to wall carpet.
Is Luxury Vinyl Flooring Pet Friendly?
Luxury Vinyl Flooring Tiles are considered pet friendly as they are often scratch resistant due to the wear layers and the Click LVT and Rigid LVT are water resistant when properly installed. Luxury vinyl is resilient which means it gives but 'bounces back' and it has sound resistant properties and it is also easy to maintain but do pay attention to the maintenance instructions for your chosen floor.
Is Sheet Vinyl Flooring Pet Friendly?
Sheet vinyl flooring *can* be pet friendly due to the water resistance and easy maintenance however they don't tend to have the protective wear layer that offers some scratch protection. On the plus side, sheet vinyl is a very affordable option and this means it won't break the bank if you need to replace it every so often. Even better, it comes in a fantastic choice of designs!
Is Laminate Flooring Pet Friendly?
Laminate flooring can be a great option - look out for the collections that are designed with pets in mind. These are water resistant, better for allergies, hard wearing and easy to maintain.
Is Wood Flooring Pet Friendly?
It can be! If you have large heavy active dogs, zoomers or a cat that likes to scratch, things could get interesting. Things to consider:
- Keep your pets nails short
- Liquids can get into the grain easily so be ready to catch it before it hits!
- Engineered wood is more resilient than solid wood.
- Solid wood can be repaired by sanding it down.
Our Top Tips for Keeping Your Pet Friendly Floor Looking Fabulous
- Lay a barrier mat at doorways and the feeding station
- Ensure muddy paw prints and accidents are cleaned up quickly.
- Keep your pets nails trimmed
- Consider rugs and mats for older pets and for the 'zoomie' episodes.
*Disclaimer: We are flooring retailers with real life experience of all the above points. For your animal health and behaviour issues, please consult with a relevant professional.
