Flooring can be a challenge when you live with pets. The floor needs to be durable and attractive. In my business, people think pets tend to be the downfall when creating a beautiful space. After raising seven Seeing Eye puppies, our own dogs, bunnies, reptiles and rodent type animals I have learned there are easy ways to decorate and not sacrifice beauty and what you want in your spaces.
Flooring choices
Flooring can take a real beating; think hard verse soft. The obvious choice with pets would be tile, next laminate. These are all pet-friendly, but carpeting not so. If carpeting is something that you love the feel of think area rugs, indoor/outdoor types. A client of mine has wonderful Corgis’ and the hair- oh my! But she wanted a carpet in her living and dining area that would pull the room together. Solution?… Hardwood flooring with an indoor/outdoor area rug. It gave her the look and feel that we wanted to create with the practical ease of taking it outside and hosing down if needed. The beauty of an area rug is that if it is indoor/outdoor it can be hosed and cleaned. A rug of made of other fibers can be easily brought to the cleaners to have it taken care of. If you choose to do carpet tiles the one spot that cannot be cleaned can be replaced.
Another solution to consider if you want an area rug or a wall to wall feel is to consider carpet tiles. You might see them in many industrial settings like hospitals, child care centers, businesses. They come in squares that you apply similarly to tiles. The cool thing is if one gets stained or dirty you can remove, rinse and place down again. You can do patterns similar to this or go wall to wall. It will give you peace of mind if Fido has a “mistake” it can be easily cleaned up.
As I mentioned tile, a laminate is both easy choices or clean up. Hardwood is fine too, just make sure you are on top of cleaning up the accident when it happens or the finish can get ruined. I have found pre-engineered hardwood not so great with dog claws or with excessive wetness if it sits for a period. I recommend go with the hardest and easiest to clean surface i.e. tile first then hardwood then laminate hardwood; that you can afford.
Now many manufacturers create tiles that look like wood which are extremely beautiful, along with being practical for pets. The good thing is you can find them at the big box stores now.
So if you keep in mind practicality first, then incorporate the beauty you can achieve a beautifully decorated room that the entire family can enjoy together.
