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Pets are an important member of your family and your flooring needs to be able to handle mucky paw prints, claws, drool and everything else.

Written by: Yarl Christie

Published on: December 11, 2019

What is the Best Type of Flooring for Pet Owners?

Your beloved pup is an important member of your family and as such, needs a floor that's going to be able to handle mucky paw prints, claws, drool, and everything else that a fur-baby brings. If you are remodelling, or have just moved into your first home, making sure that you are getting the right floor is going to save you both time and money in the long run.

The best types of floors for dogs and cats are made of hard-wearing, durable, easy-to-clean materials. Pet owners also need to consider things like how much traction and grip the floor can give. This is especially important if you own an older dog.

Whippet in a dog bed in our article about the best flooring for pet owners

No matter what type of pet you own, check out our picks for the best type of flooring for pet owners below…

Is Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) Suitable for Pet Owners?

Luxury vinyl flooring is a great choice due to its low cost, massive range of designs, and its versatility for use around the home. You can choose between wood effect, stone effect and abstract effect LVT. It can be used in virtually any room of the house, and it's grippy enough to provide traction for your pet.

Vinyl tile flooring has had somewhat of a face lift over the last five years. It's no longer the easily scratched, flimsy, cheap material of the 80's. Luxury vinyl tile brands like Amtico, Karndean, Quick-Step Livyn and Kahrs vinyl, are all leading the way to make luxury vinyl tile floors stain-resistant, scratch-resistant and water-resistant; all whilst looking amazing.

Is Engineered Wood flooring Suitable for Pet Owners?

Easily the most popular flooring choice of the moment, engineered wood flooring is a beautiful and cost-effective alternative to solid wood flooring. It's incredibly popular with dog-owners because it is moisture-resistant. This means it is easy to clean after wet walks (or little accidents!).

One of the best thing about engineered wood is the gorgeous variety of colours and textures that add warmth to your home. It is also warm to the touch too, so your pooch will love spending their days lazing about the floor. There is also the ability to restore your engineered wood floor if the planks get a bit aged. This will bring the planks back to life and you can shoose a different shade of lacquer or oil if you fancy a change. The only negative is that although engineered wood is somewhat moisture-resistant, it's not as scratch-proof as other flooring choices. The good news, however, is that flooring professionals can easily sand scratches out of engineered wood to ensure a long-life expectancy.

Is Carpet Suitable for Pet Owners?

Carpet still reigns as champion for bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways. Although it can be a little harder to clean up spills and any messes that your dog makes, buying a low pile carpet is the best solution for warm, toasty toes for you and your pooch.

With carpet, there's no need to worry about your pet skidding around like it's on an ice-rink; this is the material that gives you the most grip whilst still looking amazing. Low pile carpet is also a winner for combatting your dog's shedding.

Is Laminate Flooring Suitable for Pet Owners?

Laminate is the best type of flooring for pets who are prone to scratching. This is because it is brilliant at resisting marks and scratches. The floors even come with an Abrasion Class (AC) score, showing you exactly how scratch-resistant your chosen laminate is. We'd recommend choosing one that's as scratch resistant as possible to protect your flooring from claw marks.

Not only is laminate great at keeping its texture and colour, it's also super-effective at reducing and limiting noise. The only thing that your dog might not love is that it is smooth underfoot; this means a slicker texture which means your dog may go skidding when running for the door.

Is Solid Wood Flooring Suitable for Pet Owners?

Solid wood is an exceptionally beautiful choice for your home. There's no doubt that real solid wood flooring looks exceptional once installed. However, the truth of the matter is that dog claws will savage solid wood flooring unless the material is an exceptionally hard wood like maple or merbau.

The one redeeming factor of solid wood flooring is its ability to be re-sanded multiple times. So, even if it does get scratched, it's not the end of the road for your floor. You can easily refurbish your solid wood flooring and bring it back to new. Solid wood flooring is also warm to the touch, which will appeal to your pup on those cold, wintery evenings.

A great advantage for both engineered and solid floors there is the ability to apply a protective oil to the wooden floors to ensure maximum protection from scuffs.

As you can see, each flooring type above can prove a great option for pet owners. However, there are some specifics you should consider based on the type of pet you own. Read on to learn more about the factors to consider when you own a cat, or a dog….

Best Flooring for Cat Owners

Cats are one of the nation's favourite pets. According to the PDSA, there are around 10.7 million pet cats in the UK. If you are one of the 24% of the population who owns a friendly feline, you'll want to pay attention to several factors before installing a new floor. Some of the main things to look out for when choosing a floor as a cat owner include:

  • Scratches
  • Traction
  • Comfort

Cats may be adorable, but they have incredibly sharp claws. This could prove disastrous for some types of flooring. Therefore, when choosing the best flooring for cats, you'll want to look out for something that is highly scratch resistant. Laminate and luxury vinyl flooring tend to be the better options for cat owners.

LVT and laminate flooring is the best type of flooring for cat owners

Unlike dogs, cats aren't prone to have toilet related accidents. However, it is still worth investing in a water-resistant floor to ensure any accidents can be cleaned up quickly and easily.

Traction is another thing to consider. Will your cat be able to walk over the floor with ease? Carpet can get stuck on your cat's claws, so it's best to choose either luxury vinyl or a wood-effect option such as laminate or engineered wood.

These are the main considerations when choosing a cat friendly floor. You'll find most flooring types are suitable for cat owners.

Best Flooring for Dog Owners

Dogs are affectionately known as man's best friend, bringing joy and unconditional love into the home. The PDSA states there are around 9.6 million pet dogs in the UK, putting them in second place as the nation's favourite pet. However, when it comes to choosing dog-friendly flooring, there are a few important factors to think about.

The key considerations you need to make when choosing dog friendly flooring include:

  • Scratches and accidents
  • Traction
  • Hygiene
  • Easy maintenance

While a dog's claws may not be as sharp as cat claws, they can still potentially damage your new flooring. They are also more prone to having little accidents around the home. Opting for a floor that offers excellent scratch and water resistance is therefore going to provide peace of mind.

Vinyl tiles are the best type of flooring for dog owners

Like cats, they also need a floor with excellent traction, and you'll need to consider hygiene too. Is the floor good at repelling dirt and debris? Dogs can shed a lot, depending on the breed, so something like luxury vinyl tile would be a great option. These floors allow you to quickly sweep or hoover up excess pet hair.

Finally, easy maintenance is something you'll need with a dog. Choose a floor that you'll be able to mop and won't need to spend hours maintaining each day.

At Stories Flooring, we have a huge selection of pet friendly floors to choose from. Browse our full range to find the right floor to fit your preferences.

View our range of luxury vinyl tiles here:https://storiesflooring.co.uk/collections/vinyl-flooring

View our range oflaminate flooring here:https://storiesflooring.co.uk/collections/laminate-flooring

View our range of engineered wood here:https://storiesflooring.co.uk/collections/engineered-wood-flooring

View our range of solid wood flooring here:https://storiesflooring.co.uk/collections/solid-wood-flooring

About The Author

Yarl Christie

Yarl is the Managing Director of Stories Flooring. started his career in the flooring industry by becoming a floor fitter at the age of 18 (2004). Yarl finally decided to move with the times and set up an online flooring store (Flooring Yorkshire, 2018). He works closely with the business managers and resource team to source new products from wholesalers, which in turn brings down the sale price. This enables Stories Flooring to be one of the leading UK flooring retailers.