Find the perfect floor for you and your pet at Lifestyle Flooring
According to Lifestyle Flooring UK, having a pet doesn't have to mean compromising on style if you pick a floor type that can handle paw prints, claw marks, drool and everything else man’s best friend can bring.
“If you’re remodelling or have just moved into your first home, making sure that you're getting the right product for your project is going to save you both time and money in the long run,” explains sales manager Gareth Murchie.
“The best types of floors for dogs are made of hard-wearing, durable, easy-to-clean materials that suit your home and your personal style.
“Pet owners also need to consider things like how much traction and grip that a floor can give: this is especially important if your dog is older.”
The company, which has been based in Leeds for more than 35 years, specialises in premium quality flooring at unbeatable low prices and has become the UK's top destination for high-quality flooring supplies.
Here are some of the options pet owners should consider if you’re looking for flooring that’s ideal for you and your four-legged friend:
Vinyl tile flooring has had something of a facelift in recent years: forget about the flimsy material of the 1980s, these days luxury vinyl tiles are stain-resistant, scratch-resistant and water-resistant, AND they look great.
According to Gareth, “vinyl flooring is a great choice for covering your floor because of its low cost, the massive range of available designs and colours and its versatility for use around the house. It can be used in virtually any room of your home and it’s grippy enough to provide traction for your dog.”
“Easily the most popular flooring choice of the moment, engineered wood flooring is a beautiful and cost-effective alternative to solid wood flooring,” says Gareth. “It’s incredibly popular with dog-owners because it’s moisture-resistant, making it perfect for cleaning after wet walks (or little accidents!).”
Engineered wood comes in a huge variety of colours and textures that add warmth to your home; however, it’s not as scratch-proof as other flooring choices, though flooring professionals can easily sand scratches out of engineered wood to ensure a long life expectancy.
There’s no doubt that real solid wood flooring looks stunning once it’s installed, but dog claws will savage solid wood flooring unless it’s an exceptionally hard wood like maple or merbau.
However, it can be re-sanded multiple times so, if it does get scratched, it's not the end of the road for your floor; solid wood flooring is also warm to the touch which will appeal to your pup on cold, wintery evenings.
Ideal for bedrooms, living rooms, conservatories and hallways, a low pile carpet is the best solution for warm toes for you and your pooch without a hard job cleaning up.
There’s no need to worry about your dog sliding around like it’s on an ice-rink, and easy-to-hoover low pile carpet is also a winner for combatting your dog’s shedding.
“Laminate is the best type of flooring for dogs if your bundle of fluff is prone to scratching: it is brilliant at resisting marks and scratches and even comes with an Abrasion Class (AC) score to show you exactly how scratch-resistant your chosen laminate is – we’d recommend choosing one that’s as scratch-resistant as possible to protect your flooring from claws,” says Gareth.
As well as keeping its texture and colour, laminate is also extremely effective at reducing and limiting noise, though it is smooth underfoot which means your dog may go skidding when they’re running for the door.
See the full range of floor types for all animal lovers at lifestyleflooringuk.co.uk.