There are many considerations that need to be weighed when choosing new flooring for your home. Among the most important are the four-legged furry family members. Pets shed, track dirt in the house, have “accidents” and scratch certain surfaces with their nails. You add children to the mix and you are going to need a floor than can hold up to the abuse. Each situation is different depending on home location, what kind of pets you have and what you are personally looking for in style and design. Metro Atl. Floors will work with your family to find the perfect pet safe floors for your home. To spark your imaginations, here are some pet friendly flooring options we would advise.
Carpet is a No-No
The first thing you should know is that in a house with pets, carpet will not stand up to shedding, dirty paws, and pet accidents. Stay away from using carpet in the areas your pets will be most. Even if your dog is potty trained, they have a knack of getting into things they shouldn’t, which usually ends with a steaming brown pile in the corner of the room. Yuck!
Laminate is Cost Efficient
If you are looking for an economical choice, laminate flooring can be an affordable route. It will hold up to scratches, dents and in some cases moisture. However, laminate won’t last you very long or add any value to your home. Similarly, urine can still be a problem. Some laminates can also be too slippery for elderly dogs. There are plenty of horror stories of dogs blowing out hips or knees from trying to run on this surface. Best to go with one of our following choices.
Hardwood
If you are really keen on installing hardwood in your house but worry about the damage pet’s cause, you CAN have it both ways. Solid woods are a great investment for homes with dogs or cats. You are going to want to avoid engineered hardwood though. Engineered wood is a superior product of laminated wood with a real wood veneer on top, but trouble will come from scratches and engineered woods can be sanded and refinished at most two times. Solid woods like Brazilian walnut, Ipe or even hard maple are solid choices. When finished with a low luster natural look, scratches are less visible and can be removed with a refinishing. It also has the advantage of being easy to clean. The drawbacks of hardwood floors stem from their susceptibility to moisture. Dog urine is especially brutal on hardwoods and, if not cleaned quickly, can seep in-between planks and warp wood. If living in humid conditions similar to here in Atlanta, you should have hardwood professionally installed so to avoid warping issues. Metro Atl. Floors enjoys a challenge and will do your install for you upon request.
Ceramic Tile with Epoxy Grout takes the cake
Ceramic tile with epoxy grout is the juggernaut of all pet friendly floors. Porcelain is the popular choice for tile because it is hard enough to withstand claw scratches while sacrificing no style. Tile wont do you much good if you don’t use a non-absorbent epoxy grout that can withstand urine and even the warmest of brown presents your dogs will leave you. Ceramic tile is also easy to clean when accidents do happen. Ceramic tile is great for those living in the humid conditions of the South and lasts longer than it takes the energizer bunny to run out of power. Some will complain about the “cold” nature of ceramic tile, and for those people there are a couple easy compromises. You can always put throw rugs down on the tile. This has a double feature of warming up the surface wile making it less slippery. You can also go with vinyl tile. Vinyl is warmer to the feet, non-slippery and can mimic other types of flooring while providing the similar protection as ceramic.
Whichever pet friendly flooring surface you choose for your home, Metro Atl. Floors would be delighted to do a quality install for you. Metro Atl. Floors always aims to provide its customers with the highest quality install and personal customer service.