Is laminate flooring suitable for your home if you have pets? This is the question that is often asked by many when choosing a new floor. Whether it be because you have a dog or a cat, or even a rabbit, you want pet friendly flooring. Below are five reasons why you might choose laminate flooring for your new home if you have a pet.
Will my dog like laminate flooring?
Just because laminate flooring is not fluffy like a carpet, it doesn’t mean it isn’t warm. The underlay required when fitting laminate floors allows for an extra layer of insulation! Why wouldn’t you want something like this? Your dog will love it. One concern for pet owners is that laminate is slippery. Whilst this is true, if you protect your laminate floors with the right flooring accessories, your pets won’t be as prone to falls as you may think. Just make sure you dry it after cleaning it with a cloth and your dog will fall in love with your floor!
Choosing your floor
When choosing your flooring it is important that you know your pet, as well as your floor, will be safe. Dogs and cats can be allergic to dust mites and carpet fibres. You should always check that your pet will be happy. You will also want to ensure that your pet is safe as well. Like humans, pets can have an intolerance to many natural items. As a result, you will want a flooring that is easy to clean and doesn’t collect dust. Although you can never stop dust mites settling, you can get rid of them. Cleaning, wiping and hoovering your floor does the job. You can’t wipe a carpet though. An old carpet is heaven for dust mites. Sometimes, you just need to acknowledge that you need to bring your home into the 21st century with some stylish and modern laminate flooring direct to your door.
Why else wouldn’t your floor be pet friendly?
If you have pets yourself then you will know they like to scratch at furniture and flooring. If you are considering getting pets, you need to be aware that they scratch at everything and anything! Despite pets being loved so much by their owners, pets can cause damage. They cause more wear and tear to your sofas and flooring. Scratches are the main concern. The good thing about laminate flooring is that it looks nice and stylish. However, it also is easily repairable! A laminate floor is easy to clean with a wipe or simply run the vacuum over it. What’s more, if you have a pup that loves playing outside, laminate floors are also resistant to odours and scratches. No floors are perfect for your pets, but a laminate floor would come close.
If my pet would choose a floor, what would they prefer?
Of course, this is a hypothetical question, but one that sometimes an owner asks themselves. Put yourself in your dog’s shoes (paws). Would they want a dusty old carpet that they could pick and scratch at? In truth, they would absolutely love it. Think of what your dog or cat is like with a bit of wool or a tennis ball. Now imagine them playing on a threadbare carpet. It would be ruined! Their personal preference would be a carpet for warmth and to scratch, but it may not be practical for your home. Laminate flooring is easy to clean and stain-resistant, as mentioned earlier. But also, a laminate floor requires underlay, meaning keeping the heat in is not a problem! Your dog called Poppy can still lay on the floor and feel warm and fluffy, and comfortable!
Laminate flooring is also stain-resistant
It is well known that, although they improve our well-being, pets can make a mess. Whether it is traipsing in mud from the garden or slobbering their water all over the place. However, there’s an added bonus for laminate flooring. You can clean stains away easily. This is why people also opt for a laminate floor in their kitchen. With your dog or cat normally eating in the kitchen, you will want to keep it clean. It also works as two in one though. Whilst your pet will be happy, your own health kick doesn’t have to be dented by the stains! If you are preparing your dog’s dinner whilst also cooking one of your own healthy recipes, why wouldn’t you want a floor that would be resistant to stains!
Which flooring option should I go for?
For a living room space, laminate flooring will really bring a modern feel to your home. With the underlay underneath, it will also keep your home warm. Aesthetically pleasing as well as practical for yourself and your pets, pet friendly flooring like laminate or engineered wood is where you should be looking. However, although it is usually considered to be pet-friendly for people’s gardens, there has been a recent trend of people using artificial grass as a pet-friendly flooring for their dog. In the corner of their room, families have started to designate a section of their home to their pets. Not many people will go this far though! It is probably still seen as laminate flooring would be your best pet (bet).
