Finding the Right Flooring for Pet Owners
What’s the answer? The simplest way to make a pet owner’s life easier is to transition to solid flooring. In general, it’s easier to clean due to the solid surface rather than the carpet fibers — it simply doesn’t get absorbed or buried. Not all solid flooring is ideal for pets, though. Let’s take a closer look at what traits you’ll want.
Ideal Flooring Traits for Pet Owners
Waterproof: Anyone who’s owned a dog or cat knows how difficult it can be to clean up an accident. An entire cabinet of cleaning sprays and scrubbers feels necessary. Waterproofing allows for extremely easy cleanup and it minimizes the need to clean up a mess immediately for fear of absorption or the stain setting. With waterproof solid flooring, it can be as simple as mopping up the mess.
Scratch Resistant: Dogs and cats have nails, and depending on a number of variables (size and quantity of animals, how often nails are trimmed, how active they are), scratch resistance may require the absolute toughest of the tough or it may just be something reasonably durable.
Durability: Animals can mark up flooring even if they don’t have long nails. Cats jump and climb, dogs get excited, and — especially if you have children — they’ll simply run around. For a home that will have pets over many years, it’s smart to think about long-term durability more than low-traffic homes with just one or two people.
Solid Flooring Choices with Animals
With that in mind, consider the different materials and types of flooring available to pet owners — not all flooring is created equal.
Vinyl Flooring: Vinyl flooring is a good choice for pet owners, as they are generally durable while also providing a softness to each step that also sustains well against pet nails. In particular, vinyl sheet flooring can provide the look of tile without grout and seams.
Laminates and Rigid Core Type Flooring: A wide range exists for laminates and engineered flooring, and these are generally your best choices for life with pets. Because products are engineered to maximize specific traits, this flooring can be selected to cater to the unique needs of animal owners.
Our Flooring Recommendations
Having been in the business for generations now, the team at Professional Installed Floors has worked with many animal lovers in the Atlanta region. Based on experience, here is what we personally recommend when it comes to the latest product lines:
- Coretec, Armstrong Prizm, Palmetto Road Tidewater and Barrier 20, along with Home Legend Ridgecore and Syncorex. They are fantastic pet-friendly products in that they are scratch-resistant and waterproof.
- Palmetto Road, Armstrong, Home Legend and Kronoswiss laminates are good for scratch resistance but lack waterproofing.
- While we understand that some people really prefer natural hardwoods, they aren’t the most pet friendly. That said, if you’re going to pick one, go for high-performance products for maximum scratch resistance.
- Similarly, we don’t recommend tiling for dog owners, particularly of large dogs. Grout can be chipped and dug up by dog nails, so that’s an issue you simply should avoid. If you have smaller dogs or cats, it can be considered and we can discuss it during a free initial consultation.
Get Pet Friendly Flooring in Atlanta
Every home is unique, just as every animal is unique. Not sure what’s best for your situation? Come visit our Marietta showroom or get in touch for a free consultation. We love flooring and we love animals, so we’re confident we’ll find the right solution for you.
