Choosing the right flooring is important when you have pets. There are many different options to choose from, but only a few are best equipped to withstand the inevitable wear and tear that can come from your four-legged friend. What’s great about many of these flooring options is that you don’t have to sacrifice having nice looking floors for pet friendly floors, since each of these flooring types come in a variety of colors and designs.
Stone or ceramic tile flooring are both great options for a house with pets. They are very resilient against scratches, and are much better at concealing scratches if they do occur. Stone or ceramic tile also make for a relatively easy clean up if your pet leaves a little present for you on your floor.
Cork flooring is an eco-friendly option for pets. Cork is very durable and scratch resistant against your pet’s nails. It is also sound-absorbent, making it quieter in your home when your pet walks around the house.
Laminate and vinyl flooring are other great flooring options for pets. Laminate is tough flooring and very hard to scratch, so it won’t be ruined quickly from your pet’s toenails. It is pretty good with handling whatever accidents may be thrown its way, but large messes need to be cleaned up quickly to ensure that too much moisture does not get into the seams that could cause eventual buckling.
Although carpet and hardwood flooring are two of the more common flooring choices in most homes, they are also some of the least pet-friendly, unfortunately.
Carpet is the most vulnerable to pet accidents. Since the moisture from your pet’s “oopsy” sinks down into the pad of your carpet, the stain and smell are both very difficult to totally get rid of. Pet shedding is also a factor, since carpet tends to catch each and every hair shed from your cat, dog, or other pet.
Hardwood flooring is also not one of the better choices forpet owners. While hardwood is beautiful and sturdy at first, it does not holdup very well after a while against your pet’s nails. Accidents can also bedetrimental to your hardwood flooring. If it is not cleaned up quickly enough,the moisture can cause staining and warping to the boards.
