
Animal House: The Best Pet-Friendly Flooring | #Blog Post #25
What kind of flooring is best for you and your pet? Today, we discuss what you should consider when choosing an interior surfacing material for a pet-friendly household to maximise your peace of mind and your furry friend’s comfort.

Vetting Your Floors
While every pet has its quirks, there are some good general rules that you can consider when choosing a floor that is comfortable for your pet and will last a long time.

Scratch Resistance
Skittering claws and rough-housing will scuff up your floors really quickly without a high level of scratch resistance.

Stain/Chemical Resistance
Toilet-trained cats and dogs are great – they rarely have accidents when going number one or two. However, on the occasion that they do, you’d want a stain-resistant floor that cleans up well, and a chemical-resistant floor that will tolerate cleansers. Spilled food or drool are also potential hazards.

Slip Resistance
Recall having nightmares where you’re trying to run but you just don’t move? Don’t subject your fur babies to the same horror! A floor that provides good traction allows your pet to move with more comfort and safely land from higher surfaces.

Porosity
With pets around the house, it is even more important to clean your floors regularly. Materials with fewer pores trap less dirt and organic debris, making it easier to keep your floors clean.

A Bone To Pick
With the above considerations in mind, here is how some of the most common flooring types hold up in a fur-friendly household.

Vinyl/Linoleum: 4/5
Scratch Resistance: 2/5
Stain/Chemical Resistance: 4/5
Slip Resistance: 5/5
Porosity: 5/5
Tends to scratch easily, even with a wear-resistant layer. However, vinyl and linoleum provide a softer flooring that reduces the noise of pets running around. Vinyl will permanently stain when exposed to natural rubber products, such as non-slip food dishes or water bowls.

Ceramic/Porcelain: 2.5/5
Scratch Resistance: 2/5
Stain/Chemical Resistance: 3/5
Slip Resistance: 2/5
Porosity: 1-3/5
Ceramic and porcelain tend to scratch easily and generally do not provide good traction. While matte tiles give more grip, most pets still slip on ceramic tiles. The porosity of ceramic and grout also contribute to dirtier floors. Some types of ceramic and porcelain tiles can be permanently stained by pet urine as well.

Marble: 1.5-2/5
Scratch Resistance: 1/5
Stain/Chemical Resistance: 1/5
Slip Resistance: 2/5
Porosity: 2/5; 4/5
Marble is not pet-friendly. It scratches and stains easily, provides poor traction, and is highly porous. Even if sealed to mitigate porosity, the sealed layer is easily scratched off by active pets. Urine, spilled food, and pet drool are big hazards when considering staining. A small pro is that many pets enjoy lying on its cool surface.

Hardwood: 2.3/5
Scratch Resistance: 2/5
Stain/Chemical Resistance: 3/5
Slip Resistance: 1/5
Porosity: 3/5
Even when sealed by a protective layer, hardwood is prone to scratches from active pets. Any breaches in the protective layer exposes the wood.

Metallic Epoxy: 4.5/5
Scratch Resistance: 4/5
Stain/Chemical Resistance: 5/5
Slip Resistance: 4/5
Porosity: 5/5
In all regards, epoxy is a perfect material for a pet-friendly household. Besides providing good traction and wear resistance, the material’s slight ductility absorbs impact well and reduces noises produced by playful pets. Vigorous scrubbing with any household cleanser also allows you to keep your floors clean.

Fluffy, Furry and… Scaly?
Reviewing our choices, your best bet for a pet-friendly flooring is indisputably vinyl, linoleum, and metallic epoxy. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, vinyl and linoleum are cheap to install or replace. However, they are far less durable than metallic epoxy.

Metallic epoxy also offers a drastically larger range of designs, considering that you’re able to customise the colour, pattern, and pigment used during the installation. In contrast, vinyl and linoleum are limited by commercially printed designs.
While the remaining flooring types are still viable, you will be subject to the costs and hassle of regular maintenance, as well as the expense of your furry friend’s comfort.
Here are some interesting posts we think you may like as well!
“The Three Best Materials For Your Kitchen | Blog Post #20“
“The Three Best Materials For Your Bathroom | Blog Post #21“
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