Let’s be honest; as much as we love them, our pets can be messy and destructive creatures.
If you’re in the process of choosing new flooring, assume your furry friend is going to find some way to make a mess on it.
When a new puppy joins your family, training them to do their business in the right places can be a painfully slow process. There will be accidents — and those accidents never happen where and when you want them.
While durability and maintenance are key aspects of any flooring choice, they aren’t the only considerations. Flooring is a major design decision for your home. Your choice of attractive flooring options isn’t limited based on just what’s best for a home with pets. There are all kinds of different materials, colours and textures that can fit your home’s style.
Dogs and Floors
Larger dogs are going to be harder on your floors than smaller dogs and cats. Everything they do is bigger — bigger nails, larger messes, dropping more dander and fur, and more overall wear and tear. With larger dogs, you also have to consider their higher centre of gravity and how it affects their footing on slippery surfaces. For elderly dogs, who might have achy joints and are a little less steady on their paws, it can be even worse. Some dogs can even develop phobias of hard, slippery surfaces.
Your dog’s natural gripping ability simply doesn’t translate to hard surfaces. Dogs will use their toenails for traction, gripping the ground like cleats on a shoe. Those hard nails can’t get a grip on a hard tile floor. In fact, trying to grip with their nails will make them even more unstable on that hard, slippery surface — anyone who has worn cleats on a hard floor knows how unsteady that feels.
On the other hand, while carpet is soft, warm and easy to walk on, fur and dander can easily get trapped within carpet fibres, along with dust and dirt. No matter how much you vacuum, carpet simply can’t ever get as clean as hard flooring surfaces. While bathroom accidents can be easily cleaned on most hard surfaces, it’s going to take a lot more work to release those stains and odours from your carpet.
Also, most cats love to scratch carpet — it can be really difficult to train them not to!
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring has timeless beauty and can add tremendous value to your home. While it’s considered an extremely durable flooring material in most respects, it really isn’t the most durable flooring option for pets.
The big problem with dogs and hardwood floors is their nails. Even well-trimmed nails can still wear away and gouge your floor’s sealer, exposing the wood to further damage. You can lay rugs and runners — but unless you cover the whole floor — those nails are still going to find the uncovered areas.
Pet urine is one of the most common causes of stains and odours on hardwood floors. In the event of an accident, you have to act fast. If you don’t clean it up before it dries out, it can fade your floor’s shine and cause discolouration. The uric acid in urine can break down the surface finish of a hardwood floor — a surface finish that may already be worn down because of your dog’s nails. If urine penetrates your finish, it can soak into the wood and leave a deep, black stain that may never come out. Then there’s the unpleasant odour — it can persist, especially if it can sink into the wood. In warm temperatures, the foul odour can be even more prominent. And a persistent odour spot can also become a magnet for pets to leave another bathroom mishap.
However, that doesn’t mean you absolutely shouldn’t choose wooden floors — just be prepared to maintain them. You might have to refinish them sooner than you anticipated, and unfortunate bathroom accidents need to be cleaned up in a timely manner.
If you do choose to go with a hardwood floor, the harder the wood, the better. Maple flooring is among the hardest of the hardwoods, commonly used for bowling alleys and gym floors. Red oak has excellent durability, with a Janka hardness score of 1290. White oak is even harder, with a Janka rating of 1360, similar to ash and birch. Hickory scores even higher, at 1820 on the Janka scale, and many exotic hardwood flooring options reach well over 2,000.
The harder the wood, the longer you can go before sanding and refinishing worn spots and problem areas. A low gloss or matte finish will also reduce the appearance of scratches and gouges. Additionally, a rustic or distressed flooring texture will hide scratches and gouges much better than a smooth finish.
If you have your heart set on a real wooden look, you could also consider a more affordable option like engineered hardwood, while adding the most scratch-resistant finish available. Depending on the thickness of its wood veneer, it can be refinished one or two times.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is a cost-effective and low-maintenance option for pet owners that can mimic the look of real hardwood. This artificial wood product is extremely strong with a tough resin coating that makes it scratch- and scuff-proof, however liquids can cause damage if they’re left to sit for long. Laminate is less expensive than hardwood and tile, which coupled with its longevity, makes it a highly economical option.
For pet-lovers who also have allergies, the added bonus of laminate is that it doesn’t harbour dust, pet dander and other common allergens. It’s also mould-resistant.
The one potential issue with laminate — like most hard flooring — is that the layer of protective coating makes it very slippery for paws and claws. To prevent your furry friends from skidding all over the place, consider placing runners or rugs, or applying a textured finish.
Luxury Vinyl Flooring
Luxury vinyl flooring is a fantastic option for pet owners that hits the sweet spot between beauty, durability and price. Luxury vinyl planks offer an incredible variety of amazingly realistic wood-like colours and textures that are much more affordable than real hardwood. There are a number of highly durable and scratch-resistant options that can stand up to your pet’s wear and tear, along with many waterproof and water resistant varieties.
Luxury vinyl flooring is a softer material than hardwood or tile. It offers more grip and is a much more comfortable surface underfoot. Some varieties are thicker, or have underlays that provide even more cushioning and hold much more warmth during those cold months. For elderly pets, luxury vinyl flooring is the best option for old joints, and offers better traction to get up from lying down. LVP tends to dampen sounds as well and will absorb the clacking noise of claws across the floor.
Tile Flooring
Tile flooring is a great way to add timeless beauty and incredible value to your home. Available in hundreds of sizes, shapes, colours and textures, there are almost limitless options for traditional, contemporary, and even adventurous tastes. Tile flooring can look like natural stone, subtle ceramics, or even wooden planks.
Tile can last for decades, or even centuries. It’s very scratch resistant and won’t wear or become gouged from nails and claws. It’s easy to maintain, requiring only regular sweeping and occasional mopping with lightly soapy water, even for muddy paws or bathroom accidents. You’ll probably want to invest in stain-resistant grout between the tiles and apply additional sealing while you’re at it.
Tile flooring might not be the warmest or softest option, but it can be installed over radiant heating to warm the flooring surface and make it more comfortable underfoot. You can also soften tile floors and add warmth by covering them with inexpensive, easy-to-wash (or replace) rugs. While it’s perfectly suited for kitchens, bathrooms and hallways, it probably isn’t a flooring material you’d want in your bedroom or family room.
The slippery surface of tile floors can be a fall hazard for your pet, especially larger breeds and senior dogs. You might want to apply an anti-slip top coating. Alternatively, you could consider anti-slip runners or rugs in high-traffic areas or corners and any other areas where they’re likely to change direction. You’ll want to be aware of traction for both people and pets in any areas that are likely to see water spilled or tracked inside — like entrances or near the water bowl. Water makes an already slick tile floor even more slippery, regardless of your footwear.
Cork Flooring
Cork flooring is much easier on the feet for both people and our furry friends. It can give you that hardwood look while providing a soft, comfortable surface — with better grip — for pets to walk and lie on. It’s also a natural insulator and holds the heat of the room. Its thick, spongy composition is not only soft underfoot, but acts as a natural sound dampener. You won’t hear the loud clicking of nails across a cork floor like you will tile, hardwood and other hard surfaces.
Sealed cork floors hold up well to spills, including pet accidents. It’s given a finishing seal to provide additional protection and only requires regular sweeping or mopping to remove debris. For pet owners who struggle with allergies or asthma, cork has natural anti-microbial properties and repels dirt, dander, and dust mites better than many types of flooring. It’s also mould and mildew resistant.
And if you’re passionate about protecting the environment, then you’ll love that cork flooring is not only natural, sustainable and easily replenishable, it’s also biodegradable.
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo is another eco-friendly flooring option with properties similar to the hardest wooden flooring. Bamboo is actually a type of grass, reaching maturity in a quarter of the time of trees, and will continue to grow so it can be reharvested a few years later.
Bamboo flooring comes in several different variations, including natural horizontal, vertical, strand woven, and carbonised. It’s strong, durable and much more water resistant than hardwood. It’s also naturally resistant to insects and repels mould and mildew.
The hardness of bamboo flooring ranges from 1,180 (carbonised bamboo) to 1,380 (natural bamboo) on the Janka scale, which is harder than red oak’s Janka rating of 1290. This hardness rating means bamboo can stand up to the wear and tear of your pet’s nails and deep gouges that can appear in softer hardwoods.
Bamboo has a wooden yet distinct appearance that can give any room a more contemporary look. Due to its excellent water and scratch resistance compared to hardwood, this material is easy to clean and maintain. Bathroom emergencies won’t cause the damage they do to hardwood, but urine can seep through the joints on your floor and cause damage if it’s left uncleaned for a long time.
Choose the Right Flooring for You
The best flooring for you and your pets is one that’s durable, scratch resistant and easy to clean. While some flooring types are better suited to pets than others, there are many different material and style options to fit any decor and budget. Remember, also, about their comfort and stability underfoot — and when they lay down and get back up again.
When choosing your flooring, you’ll need to consider how much maintenance you’re willing to put into maintaining it. Of course, keeping your pet’s nails trimmed, maintaining food and water areas, ensuring your pet is well trained, and quickly cleaning messes and spills will go a long way to limit the damage to your floors.
Choosing the perfect flooring for your pet will ensure they stay healthy and happy — and your floors maintain their quality and value — for years to come.
Our Flooring Experts are Here to Help
Xpression flooring experts can guide you from start to finish, to find the perfect floor to make a livable and comfortable space for you and all non-human members of your family.
We can also help with flooring installation.
Simply drop by our showroom or give us a call for a quote at 613-688-2080.
