Choosing the right flooring for your home requires more consideration when the household has pets. Whether you’re a cat family or a dog family, finding flooring that suits the needs of everyone in the home, including your furry friends, is important.
Features to Consider When Choosing Pet-friendly Flooring
Here are the main features to consider when choosing pet-friendly flooring.
Durability – Pets with claws can scratch and damage certain flooring materials, especially if they regularly run around the home or jump on and off the furniture. It can be beneficial to select flooring with good scratch resistance, and slip-resistant flooring can help stop your pets from sliding and slipping.
Ease of cleaning – Pets can be messy, whether that’s from dribbling water out of their bowl, knocking drinks off of surfaces, or dragging mud in from outside. Flooring that is resistant to stains and moisture, and is easy to clean and maintain, is recommended for homes with pets.
Noise reduction – For homes with big dogs, or apartments with downstairs neighbors, flooring with good noise absorption can help reduce the noise that your pet makes underfoot.
Budget – How much you’re willing to spend is often a big factor when choosing new flooring. Luckily, most pet-friendly flooring types are available at various price points, so budget shouldn’t restrict you from opting for your preferred flooring.
Now, let’s compare laminate and vinyl flooring and their suitability for homes with pets.
Is Laminate Flooring Pet-friendly?
Laminate is a long-lasting, durable flooring choice for homes with pets. The planks are usually composed of four layers, with a moisture barrier and an uppermost protective layer, which resists abrasion and prevents scratches, dents, and stains.
Laminate has relatively poor water resistance, and the boards can swell, warp, crack or lift if exposed to water for too long. Cleaning up any fluids promptly will reduce the risk of damaging the boards. Laminate is smooth underfoot, making it a comfortable choice for pets, and is easy to clean by simply vacuuming and mopping. However, it can be somewhat slippery.
There are water-resistant, waterproof, and non-slip laminate variants available, so if you’re sold on laminate flooring but these qualities are a priority, look into the alternative laminate options that are available.
Vinyl Flooring for Homes With Pets
Vinyl planks have a similar composition to laminate, being long-lasting and durable, even for homes with pets. The planks are resistant to staining, scratching and moisture, being able to withstand small spills. Many vinyl flooring products are water-resistant and even waterproof, so keep an eye out for these variants if water damage is a concern.
Vinyl flooring tends to be softer and warmer than other hard flooring options, including laminate. They’re anti-slip, but can pose a slip risk when wet, and are easy to clean with a similar process to laminate.
A big selling point for vinyl flooring is the level of noise reduction. The material is very soft underfoot, absorbing lots of the sounds from people and pets moving around.
Laminate Vs Vinyl Flooring
Both flooring types are very suited for homes with pets due to their properties. Vinyl is often the more obvious choice since most variations of vinyl plank (if not all) tick the majority of boxes for pet owners. Despite this, certain variations of laminate are available with little price difference that achieve the same goals, you just may need to spend a bit more time shopping around for the right product.
Vinyl and laminate flooring are durable and resistant, causing little concern with boisterous or messy pets. Both materials range in price but have affordable options for most budgets. The overall aesthetic of laminate and vinyl flooring is relatively similar, and they both come in a variety of styles and finishes to suit most interiors.
Wrapping Up
Any type of flooring can cause safety concerns for you and your pets if installed incorrectly. Always have the flooring installed by a professional to ensure maximum safety, as well as increase the lifespan of the floors.
Powerhouse is a full-service home and commercial services company based in Texas.
