Flooring options that are good for pets

Nearly 60% of Canadian Households own pets, but pets can be tough on floors.  Many people struggle with their current floors due to the various activities of their dogs or cats, but you don’t need to.

There are lots of questions as to which is the best flooring option for homes with pets. Two of the most important factors in choosing pet-friendly flooring is moisture and scratches.  To help you select a suitable floor to stand up to life with the animal members of your family, here’s an overview of some of the most popular types of flooring — and how each might hold up with dogs, cats, and other furry friends.

One of the biggest issues with pets and floors is scratching, especially if you don’t keep nails trimmed. Even pets that don’t actively scratch floors can still leave their mark just by walking, running or jumping around. Some pets also shed and can sometimes have accidents inside.

But don’t fret, we have good news: Even with a scratchy, furry, accident-prone pet at home, it can still be possible to have beautiful floors. You just need to find the right type! Any flooring you can think of has its pros and cons, so it’s a fine balancing act in which flooring best suits your furbaby.

Fortunately, many of our durable flooring options are both pet-friendly and big on style, so you don’t need to pick one or the other.

Vinyl

One of the best options to go for with pets at home is vinyl, be it tiles, sheets, or even planks. While initially, vinyl (also called linoleum) was not the best material for flooring, nowadays manufacturers have modified these materials into one of the best and most resistant. Luxury vinyl tile and vinyl sheets are highly durable, long-lasting, and resistant to moisture, scratches, and dents. They are also easy to maintain, easy to install, and affordable.

Luxury vinyl tile and luxury vinyl plank is an excellent choice for homes with furry companions. Luxury flooring is one of the most resilient flooring products on the market for long-lasting durability, easy cleaning and 100% waterproof planks which when exposed to water will not swell, buckle or lose integrity. It comes in luxurious looks of wood, stone, slate and ceramic with a textured surface that’s not only convincingly real but provides slip resistance to padded paws.

Vinyl sheet flooring is also a great option for homes with pets. This resilient flooring comes in a roll, so there are few seams and no grout, but you can still get highly realistic hardwood and natural stone styles.   Vinyl flooring makes it easy to wipe away the little accidents left by housetraining puppies or the inevitable water bowl spills. And there’s no need to sacrifice style for the convenience of an easy-care surface.

Hardwood

While hardwood flooring isn’t always the best flooring for dogs, there are some options that can make it possible to enjoy your gorgeous hardwood without stressing about your pet.

Hardwood flooring with a rustic or distressed look is a good design choice since it easily hides signs of everyday wear and tear. We also recommend selecting flooring with a lighter color and lower gloss level to help hide additional marks that may occur.

Homeowners with dogs often think a hardwood floor is beyond their reach. Actually, hardwood floors and dogs can live in harmony — with a few rules. Keep your dog’s nails trimmed regularly and be sure to wipe up any messes quickly. Fortunately, hardwood is easy to clean, so when messes do happen they likely won’t require more than wiping up with a recommended hardwood floor cleaner.

Laminate

Laminate flooring gives you the look of traditional hardwood, natural stone, or even concrete, in a durable surface that stands up to the rough treatment dogs and cats can dish out.

Laminate’s scratch- and water-resistant wear layer takes the worry out of pets tracking water on the floor. Just be sure to quickly wipe up spills after they happen.  Laminate is also easy to clean. Just dust mop or vacuum regularly and use a mop and Laminate Floor Cleaner for a thorough cleaning.

Carpet

Carpet is much softer and more comfortable under paws, but it’s not the ideal choice with a dog because carpet is liable to stain and hold odors. Dog hair is also hard to remove from carpet and unless carpet is vacuumed almost daily, dog hair can become almost embedded in carpet fibers.

If you do go the carpet route you can still find balance with these simple tricks. Vacuum your carpet quite a few times every week, using full suction to get rid of pet hair from carpet. A vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter would be just great. Keep your pet’s paws clean to shy away from paw prints and traffic dirt on your carpets. Immerse your pet’s paws into a shallow container filled with room-temperature water and dry them off with a towel before they enter the home from outdoors. Accidents are also a natural occurrence with a pet in your home. Relax; treating those pet stains as soon as possible is crucial. A pet stain remover and a layer of baking soda will do wonders in making your carpet stain and stink-free respectively.

Tile

Many dog owners go for a ceramic tile floor in the belief that it has a durable surface that is not absorbent. That is partly correct, but with ceramic tile comes grout and grout is very porous and susceptible to staining. It is recommended to seal the grout to help avoid staining and discoloration. The downside to ceramic is that the surface can be is slippery and hard on the dog’s joints, especially as they age.

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