Pet Friendly

If you have indoor pets, or if they spend time inside the house, it’s important to think about how your flooring can help you keep your spaces clean and allergen free. Even if you don’t have allergies, the dirt that dogs and cats track into your home can cause respiratory irritation and low air quality.

Plus, accidents happen. The right flooring solution can help you prevent stains and damage to your floor from pets who love to run in the mud, and who sometimes just can’t wait to “go.”

What flooring should you buy if you have pets?

The ideal flooring options for pet owners are hard surfaces like luxury vinyl, ceramic tile, laminate flooring or top-quality sheet vinyl. These are the easiest to clean and the least susceptible to scratches and scuffs from pets’ paws.

Hardwood is also a great option for pet owners, but if you have dogs or cats with long nails, these could scratch the surface of the wood, making it necessary to refinish your floors more often.

Does color matter?

When you are selecting new flooring, be sure to consider colors that will blend with (and minimize the appearance of) your pet’s hair. For instance, if you have a dog with a very dark coat, white or tan carpet may not be the best option for your home, as it will be very apparent in contrast to the carpet fibers. The same goes for lighter hardwood or laminate flooring options.

If your pet has long hair, that hair is more likely to visibly accumulate between vacuums or clean-ups. For this reason, it’s a great idea to establish a consistent maintenance schedule for your floors, no matter what kind of flooring you choose.

You don’t have to refloor the whole floor!

One way to help alleviate the wet and muddy paw problem, especially if you have carpet, is to install a hard surface flooring area in front of exterior doors. This allows for quick and easy clean-up when a pet comes in out of the rain and saves you a full carpet cleaning.

Pet-friendly carpet brands and styles

If you’re thinking about installing carpet in your pet-friendly home or rental property, Shaw brand Lifeguard carpet is a fantastic solution.* With its waterproof backing, Lifeguard carpet keeps pet accidents in the carpet layer until you can clean them up, instead of soaking into the carpet pad and subfloor. When it comes to stains, this carpet is also your best bet, as a stain repellent is built into the fibers.

It’s a good idea to avoid carpets with loops if you have pets with claws or nails. These can catch the loops and pull, creating unsightly runs. If claws aren’t a problem, Textured, Frieze, and Cut Pile Berbers are great carpet styles to help minimize paw prints.

* Lifeguard carpet is warrantied against pet vomit, urine and feces.

Pet-friendly carpet pads

Di’s Floor Centre offers carpet pads with a moisture barrier on top. These are great options for when your dream carpet isn’t waterproof.

Hardwood-look pet-friendly flooring

If you’re into more of a hardwood look without the scratches or stains, luxury vinyl products and sheet vinyl are excellent options, thanks to their waterproof and scratch-resistant surfaces.

All flooring solutions at Di’s Floor Centre have a green certification and have low or no VOC emissions. We also offer hypoallergenic and all-natural products for customers who experience allergies or chemical sensitivities.

Free Samples!

It’s tough to decide whether a floor is right for you when you are stuck in a showroom. Di’s Floor Centre has samples available for each of our flooring options so that you can take them home and consider them in your space for free, for up to 48 hours.

Questions?

We are your local flooring specialists in Eugene and Springfield. If you have any lingering questions about pet-friendly flooring, feel free to contact us or visit our showroom. You may also find out more about this and other flooring products on our FAQ page.