As much as we love our furry friends there’s nothing more annoying than a lovely big scratch in our wood flooring or clicks and stains in the middle of our carpets. Not to mention the creative chew marks and finishing touches they love to decorate with – forget scotia and beading teeth impressions seem to be the latest trend! We can take precautions such as replant sprays, regular clipping of claws, prohibiting the over excitable word ‘walkies’, storing leads in a claw safe area and regular training, however it seems regardless of our efforts certain areas of our flooring have become accustomed to pet destruction. Knowing the best flooring range for pets is key to avoiding those costly replacements. So, what's the best flooring for pets? In our opinion you can’t go wrong with wood flooring and here’s why…
Best Flooring for Pets Odour
As one of the most hygienic flooring ranges, wood flooring is great for eliminating pet odour. Say goodbye to that lingering wet dog smell as loose hairs and drips are easily mopped up. Unlike carpet, there’s no fibres to hold the smell so no need to follow your dogs path with your hoover and trusty Fabreze spray. The removal of fibres is also great for pet and dust allergies as there’s nowhere for the particles to accumulate – no more sending your guests into a sneezing frenzy!
TIP: Don’t use a hoover on your wood flooring to clean up dog hair, use a dry microfibre mop instead. Hoovers tend to just blow the hair around the house as opposed to cleaning it up and can cause scratching.
Best Flooring for Pets Damage
So far we’ve had a lot to say about dogs so here we’ll focus on our feline friends - Yes cats and their love of scratching! Those with carpets on their stairs know exactly what we mean when we refer to them as ‘scratching grounds’. Cats love to flex their claws and show us how much damage they really can do; with the bottom step being one of their favourite areas for shredding our carpets. If you’re lucky you’ll get away with a few clicks or pulls, which you can try and disguise with a strategically placed rug. However, in general, these guys mean business and a new carpet can be costly to replace.
Wood flooring not only looks amazing but the robust nature of solid wood and the protection from a lacquered finish provides ample shielding from serious scratching. We’re not saying it’s scratch proof, wood is a softer material than LVT for example however the additional lacquer layer means you can prevent damage to the actual wood. The flooring can also be re-surfaced to repair it back to its original state if the scratching persists, unlike flooring such as laminate.
Oiled wood flooring is great for scratches too as it does not show as readily as lacquered. However it will need resurfacing more often to keep it looking fabulous. Either way wood flooring is much easier to repair compared to carpet. In extreme cases individual planks can be lifted and replaced whereas carpet would need a full replacement to avoid any unsightly joining lines or shade variations.
TIP: A scratching post or rug is known to help prevent pets using your flooring to scratch at.
Best Flooring for Pets Urine
So time to tackle the decision maker… Which flooring range can withstand the effects of urine? The real answer is none of them; no flooring range is designed specifically to cater for pet urine. The chemical it carries will have a direct impact on all flooring ranges. The tip we have here is to clean all accidents as quickly as possible and pick a flooring that has a minimal effect.
Wood Flooring - The chemicals can attack the wood flooring causing a defect in colouring.
Carpet - Deposits can cause discolouring, staining and lingering odour. It is also more difficult to clean due to the carpet fibres.
Cost Efficient Flooring for Pets
Whilst wood flooring is on the higher end of the scale in terms of functionality and practicality for pets, it's also on the higher end of the scale in terms of price points.
One flooring option that doesn't have to break the bank and offers great functionality when it comes to pets is vinyl. It is durable, waterproof, as well as scratch and stain resistant. Not to mention it's one of the more inexpensive flooring options.
TIP: One thing to be cautious of is urine. Whilst vinyl is waterproof, lighter vinyls could potentially discolour after repeated contact with urine, so ensure your clean up any messes immediately, and go for darker vinyls where possible.
Whether you choose wood flooring, carpet, tiles or vinyl, there’s pros and cons to all flooring ranges. We advise you take as many precautions as you can to avoid any lasting damage; keeping pets claws trimmed, dry them when they come in from the wet and as previously mentioned, cleaning up accidents as quickly as possible.
