If we have four-legged tenants at home, it is worth taking it into account while decorating the interior. Proper selection of flooring in such case will allow us to enjoy its good condition for longer time and will save us unnecessary problems. Pets may scratch the floor with their claws or leave hair. See what flooring is best for a house with a dog or cat.
Panels, tiles or a wooden floor? What to choose so that our pet does not scratch the floor with its claws? Some materials will be more noticeable than others when your cat or dog loses its hair. What to look for when choosing a floor?
This is a popular solution, which allows you to finish the floor in an aesthetic way for a small cost. As for the cost, however, we should not choose cheap panels for the apartment in which there is a pet – poor quality material can result in visible scratches in a very short time. Panels for a house with a dog or cat should be characterized by higher resistance. In the case of large dogs, it is best that the wear class of the panels is not lower than A4, and preferably A5. For smaller pets, A3 may work well.
Wood is associated with durability and rather high resistance to mechanical damage. However, if the floor is used by a dog, especially a larger one, not all types of wood are suitable. Delicate birch or pine parquets should rather be excluded from the considered options
For our floor to be truly resistant, let’s bet on exotic woods – e.g. bamboo, wenge, merbau or teak. Such species contain in themselves oils, gum-resins, tannins and other substances, which form a natural impregnator and thus provide high resistance and durability of the wood.
Among the native species can check oak – hard and solid. Remember, however, that such a floor must be regularly impregnated, for example by oiling or varnishing.
>> See also: Wooden floors – how to care for them?
Hard ceramic, stone, stoneware or other tiles will undoubtedly provide solid protection for our floors. It is a practical solution both in terms of protection against scratches or scrapes from your pets and in terms of cleaning. Washing any dirt from tiles is much easier thanks to the possibility of using various chemical agents (not all of them will be suitable in case of wood, for example). This solution, however, deprives us of the feeling of cosiness and warmth
This option would be extremely difficult to keep clean with a pet. It is more difficult to remove not only hair, but also any other dirt, which can appear quite often. So the carpet would have to be eliminated altogether. However, in the case of carpets, if they are short pile carpets, then cleaning them will be a bit easier. However, you still have to take into account the need for regular carpet washing. Here, the purchase of a vacuum cleaner with a washing function can be a helpful solution – it will allow us to easily get rid of the dirt ourselves.
Regarding the color of the floor, no matter what kind of material you decide on, you can try to match the color of the floor to the color of your pet’s fur. Then, the lost hair will not be so visible on a background of a similar shade. However, if this would be difficult to implement, then it would be a good idea to simply choose a darker floor for a pet with darker hair, and a lighter floor for a pet with light coloring
With your pet’s comfort in mind, it’s a good idea to equip the floors in your apartment with non-slip mats or rugs. Especially in the case of large and medium-sized dogs, which like to move – on a slippery floor could get injured
