According to a study conducted by the American Pet Products Associations, a little more than 60% of American homeowners are also pet owners. Pets are great companions, but can sometimes wreak havoc on your home’s flooring. Their nails can scratch and dent your floors. Pets also track dirt into your home and shedding can be a real burden to clean up. Not to mention the occasional accident.

This purpose of today’s post isn’t to deter you from owning a pet, but to help you find the best flooring types for pets as well as give you some tips for keeping your beloved animals from hurting those beautiful new floors. Below, we’re going to outline some of the best options for flooring, as well as some of the not-so-wise choices available to you as a home and pet owner.

Tough surfaces are a pet-owner’s best bets when it comes to flooring options. Harder, more durable surfaces resist scratching and staining and are much easier to clean and maintain. These options include:

Stone/Porcelain/Ceramic Tile – Stone time is a great option for pet owners because its tough surface won’t scratch easily and when it does, they usually don’t show. Also, any mess that may befall the stone tile is easily cleaned up. Granite is one of the better stone options, as it is low maintenance compared to other stones such as marble and slate. For porcelain or ceramic tiles, you can even get a style of that looks like wood grain.

Laminate – This option, like porcelain, can be made to look like wood. It’s super strong, water resistant and very popular with pet owners.

Vinyl – Vinyl flooring is an inexpensive option that can take a beating from both pets and people alike. Like tile and laminate, it’s scratch and stain resistant and easy to maintain. It’s also low in allergens and quiet to walk on.

Bamboo – This wood-like surface is not just for pandas, but also makes a great flooring for houses with pets. It is incredibly hard, so it will stand up to all kinds of foot traffic, human and animal alike. Bamboo is a great compromise between hardwood floors (more on this in the next section) and vinyl flooring and is stain resistant. It is also completely renewable, so it’s good for the Earth.

Cork – Much like bamboo, cork is another green option, which is also antimicrobial and will reduce the growth of mold and other allergens that your pets may be responsible for. It’s scratch resistant and sound absorbent. Cork is also water resistant, but since it is a natural surface, spills should be cleaned up quickly.

A Word on Hard Wood and Carpeting
Although hard wood flooring is one of the most popular flooring types today, it’s not very compatible with pets. Urine and water can stain/warp the wood and make it smell bad, even if the mess is cleaned up quickly. In addition, pet’s nails are not very friendly to it. If your heart is set on hardwood floors though, the harder the better. Here are a few options that stand up best to pets:

  • Brazilian Walnut
  • Hard Maple
  • Oak
  • Hickory

Carpet is also not very pet-friendly as far as flooring goes. Chances are you have heard horror stories from other pet owners about the conditions of their carpets and rugs. Carpet is like a sponge for pet messes or spills and can easily ruined. If carpet is your only option, try to go with the kind without loops so your pet’s nails don’t get caught and ruin the carpet or hurt themselves.

If you’re in the market for new flooring and have pets in your home, contact us at your leisure and we can help you determine the best option for your home and your budget via our easy TruYouDesign™ process.

*image courtesy of Getty Images/Thinkstock