The Best Types of Floors for People with Pets

Are you a dog mommy? How about a cat dad? We all love our animals. They’re our family and bring big smiles to our faces with every tail waggle and purr. But they can also cause quite a bit of damage to the flooring of your home. Choosing the right flooring when you’re looking to change up your home is critical for pet owners.
Animals can cause a lot of wear and tear on the flooring so knowing what to look for in floor material is important. As a leading Ottawa flooring company we want to help you choose the best flooring option for your home, which is why we’re sharing the pros and cons of these flooring options with you. After All, you’ve worked so hard to keep your home beautiful, you don’t deserve a floor that’s going to show signs of wear and tear after just a few years.
Bamboo
Hardwood isn’t always the best option for pet owners. Certain types of hardwood flooring are easily prone to scratch marks and water damage. However, if you are looking to install hardwood the materials we highly recommend bamboo. You want to avoid softwoods like pine and chestnut because harder woods are less likely to have scratch marks and water stains especially when coated in urethane.
Bamboo has a natural hardness that makes it more scratch and stain-resistant. It is also known for being high sustainable and durable which is necessary when you have a four-legged friend living with you. Not only can bamboo withstand a lot of foot traffic but it’s also actually eco-friendly.
Hardwood is a good option if you’re looking for a sleek, classic look in your home. It cleans easily, so if you have a dog that sheds heavily cleanup is easy. However, you should be aware that hardwood like bamboo could be on a pricey side.
Vinyl
Vinyl flooring is a great choice for pet owners. Not only is it affordable but vinyl also has a lot of style options that you don’t have to compromise on. Vinyl also makes it easy for your pets to walk around because of its great traction for pets-no slipping and sliding. You also don’t have to worry too much about scratch marks because it’s pretty scratch and stain-resistant. With vinyl you don’t have to worry about cumbersome cleaning either. Cleaning up mess on vinyl is quite easy. However, it’s important to note that vinyl is susceptible to mildew and lifting if water gets on it too much.
Laminate
Laminate has a similar look to hardwood but is much more slippery when walked on. If you’re a pet owner getting laminate you should consider getting a smooth, high gloss kind of laminate flooring in order to increase traction. The great thing about laminate is that scratches are significantly less noticeable on it than hardwood because it is very durable. It’s also really easy to clean and water-resistant. However, laminate isn’t as long-lasting and timeless as it’s lookalike, hardwood flooring.
If you have any questions about which type of flooring is good for your home and your pets. Contact our hardwood flooring team in Ottawa today.