Pet Friendly Flooring for your Home

Did you know that 45% of households in the UK are home to pets from all walks of life; from cats and dogs to lizards and snakes?

Whilst we love our animal friends dearly, pets can be tough on our floors. We have all succumbed to a pet which constantly sheds hair, leaves muddy paw prints across our kitchen floors and likes to stretch out their sharp claws.

But pet owners fear no more, as you no longer have to settle for second best floors with our guide to pet friendly flooring that still gives your home the wow factor.

Our resident blogger Binks has tried and tested all sorts of flooring and here he gives us his tips to keeping your pet happy and your home looking beautiful.

Wood & Laminate

Wood may seem like the ideal solution for a home with animals; however there are quite a few limitations when it comes to hardwood flooring and your pet.

Let me explain.

Although tough and durable in many ways, sometimes accidents happen. If I knock by water bowl over, which I do quite often, puddles need to be dealt with immediately as staining to the flooring is likely. Hardwood floors can even warp under the moisture of such spillages.

It’s also quite slippery, so I need to use my claws just to stand up straight; this can add to the distressed character of your floor but it’s not really ideal. If you already have a hardwood floor I would suggest two simple steps to keep it looking fantastic.

1. Keep your pets nails trimmed so when they slide through the kitchen and down your hallway, minimal damage is caused.
2. You can also use an oil finish (waxing works too) instead of polyurethane to avoid slippery surfaces.

At Rivendell we would suggest that if you want a wooden floor and have a pet with claws you opt for a quality laminate floor or wood effect Vinyl instead – they are much better options than solid wood.

The hard wearing layers in laminated flooring and tough & durable finish means my claws don’t leave scratch marks. Laminate couldn’t be easier to clean either, especially when I leave muddy paw prints after my morning walk. Just get your hands on the right cleaning products and you’ll be sure to maintain a floor that’s good as new, as well as hygienic and resistant to those “wet dog” odours we all have.

Luckily Mandy knows that accidents sometimes happen, no matter how durable a product can be. Laminate flooring is an excellent choice should the worst happen as we can easily fix it with colour mastic or repair paste.

Why not try these?

Take a look at Kaindl Classic Touch laminate flooring which has been designed to imitate the natural look of classic wooden floors. The hard-wearing and durable floor is ideal for me, and your pet too.

Alternatively take a look at the Olsen Collection from Woodpecker Flooring. Again, a flooring option that is durable and low maintenance without compromising style and design this collection is a flooring solution ideal for practicality.

Vinyl

If you allow yourself to get over the preconceptions which vinyl seems to have acquired over the years, you might be surprised by the number of designs and benefits of the newer types of luxury vinyl available on the market.

I certainly love it.

Just as I discovered with laminate, it is extremely durable and resilient to spillages and moisture; often lending itself particularly to both bathrooms and kitchens. It also offers long lasting performance and slip resistant features; which I suppose is less fun when I’m running around the house but at least I don’t get told off for scratching the floor!

Take a look at Moduelo

Moduleo manufacture a range of luxury vinyl solutions for your home which are created to look natural; you can choose from wood, tile or stone effect, whilst retaining strength and durability in their design.

Their Select range combines the natural look of stone and wood with vinyl technology to bring you a scuff proof and moisture resistant floor.

So you can create the look of rustic natural stone with the added benefit that it is warm and comfortable underfoot, but more importantly underbelly too! Think about it, do you really want to let us have naps on cold, hard stone?

Carpets

For many of you carpet is the perfect flooring option, and I couldn’t agree more, it’s so warm and comfortable, perfect for stretching out on.

Whilst carpet avoids visible scratches, choosing the right material for your floor is essential to help you in case some of us have a little accident; it’s embarrassing to admit, but it does happen.

At Rivendell we would suggest choosing a carpet made from a wool blend, which uses synthetic materials creating a more durable product than entirely wool carpets. You may even wish to purchase a slightly cheaper carpet made solely from synthetic products such as polyester, polypropylene or nylon as a carpet which is both hardwearing and stain-resistant.

Did you know that polypropylene is the least absorbent of all man-made fibre? Therefore when spillages occur they’ll sit on the surface of your carpet rather than sink through and create tougher stains.

You could also look out for a cut pile carpet when choosing the style of your flooring. I do like a good stretch, but sometimes my claws might get a tad caught. Other carpet styles such as a loop pile can run when this happens, causing wider spread damage to your floor. With a cut pile however, each tuft of carpet is an individual structure and will therefore not affect the surrounding area, if like me your pet likes to stretch with claws extended.

Consider these Pet Friendly Carpets

Victoria Carpets have produced a range they call Rustic Jewels made from a blend of 50% wool and 50% polypropylene. The range consists of eight neutral shades with the carpet providing extra durability whilst maintaining the luxury of wool

Or look out for cut pile carpets like these from Gaskell.

Well, hopefully my insight into the different pet flooring options has helped – I’m off to go and beg for some tasty treats , all this writing makes me hungry.

For More Information and Help

If you are looking to transform an animal friendly home with pet friendly flooring and want some help & advice then give the team at Rivendell a call on 0117 963 9797 and arrange a convenient, no obligation Home Consultation.

Categorised in: For Home

This post was written by Binks