Choosing the right flooring as a dog owner means making both your life and your furry friend's life better. Vinyl and laminate floors are both affordable and good for dog owners, striking a balance between cost, maintenance burden, and style. Vinyl is our top choice, but laminate is also an excellent option.
Vinyl has been around for a long time and is quite resilient as a flooring type. It is also water-resistance and budget-friendly too. This makes it a good choice for dog owners.
Scratch-resistant flooring is an ideal option for pet owners. Laminate, tile, and vinyl floors are all great options that can withstand scratching and denting. Laminate floors are a great choice, as they offer the look of hardwood but with added protection against claw marks.
Affordable and animal-friendly, vinyl flooring often nabs the number one spot for pet-friendly flooring. Not only is it inexpensive and suitable for anywhere in your house, but vinyl flooring is also resistant to scratches and stains caused by mucky pups and playful felines.
Flooring like treated hardwood, ceramic floor tile, porcelain flooring, vinyl, and laminate are perfect for pets—their texture keeps paws from slipping, they are water resistant to prevent damage from accidents, and they protect against scratches and dents from long nails.
Vinyl is a favorite flooring option for kitchens and bathrooms and also makes great flooring for dogs that pee, as it's very resistant to liquids and easy to clean.
As for keeping your vinyl-like floor free from pet messes, BISSELL's Pet Inspired line of products and the formulas used with their carpet cleaners are all "purr-fectly safe" for your pets. Additionally, BISSELL's Steam Mop is fabulous because it simply uses steam for cleaning.
Most dog owners forgo hardwood flooring because it can be easily damaged by dogs' nails. If you're set on hardwood, consider a hard wood variety or engineered hardwood planks, which tend to hold up better. Laminate, vinyl, tile, and carpet have excellent scratch resistance to hold up to the click-clack of claws.
Dogs remember past experiences of slipping
In many cases, fear of slipping from a prior bad experience is the “why” behind your dog's fear of hardwood floors and other slick surfaces. So, how can you help your dog in a way that supports his natural reflexes and abilities?
To ensure that your dog has proper shelter, include the following provisions: Complete Waterproofing The shelter must be watertight and have a solid roof, enclosed sides, a doorway, and a solid, level floor raised at least 2 inches from the ground on a pallet or on blocks to prevent floor rot.
The outer layer of vinyl flooring is typically scratch-resistant, which means their claws can't scratch it up and their nails won't leave scratches when they get the zoomies. And, scratch-resistant flooring or not, it's always a good idea to trim your pet's nails so they stay comfortable.
Luxury Vinyl
Vinyl flooring is durable, cost-effective and waterproof, making it an excellent choice for dog owners.
Vinyl is our top choice, but laminate is also an excellent option. If you have a bit more money to spend, you can consider tile, which is more expensive than vinyl or laminate flooring but offers similar dog-friendly characteristics like water and scratch resistance.
Due to the materials used in the production process of vinyl, it will sometimes emit various levels of VOCs into the air for a short amount of time after installation. These toxic chemicals can be harmful to air quality of the immediate environment it's installed in and may cause respiratory problems over time.
So is vinyl flooring toxic? Toxicity levels of vinyl flooring were once a major concern dating back to the study discussed above which was conducted in 2015. It's now 2022 and most floor manufacturers have eliminated the use of this chemical and now provide 'phthalates-free' vinyl flooring.
Unless you are a quick draw on the mop; dog urine will damage laminate flooring, real wood flooring, engineered wood and tile grout. Unfortunately with a lot of flooring the pee will be absorbed into the floor itself or underneath and this is what can make the issue very difficult and expensive.
Pet Friendly Flooring at Floor & Decor
Flooring like treated hardwood, ceramic floor tile, porcelain flooring, vinyl, and laminate are perfect for pets—their texture keeps paws from slipping, they are water resistant to prevent damage from accidents, and they protect against scratches and dents from long nails.
Laminate flooring should become the winner when selecting the finest flooring for dogs because it's hard, resilient, and stain-resistant. While laminate is ideal for pet owners, it can be highly slippery for their pets. Scraped or textured laminate flooring is the best for dogs, especially if they're active or older.
Laminate flooring is much cheaper than vinyl, even though it has a higher ROI when it comes to home value. Laminate flooring costs about $0.70 to $2 per square foot, with installation costing about the same as vinyl flooring.
Durability. Laminate and LVT/LVP flooring are both extremely durable, but they have their weaknesses. Laminate is prone to scratches and chipped corners over time, so vinyl is probably a better choice for your home if you have pets. LVT/LVP is scratch-resistant, but it's more vulnerable to denting and tearing.
Vinyl flooring is an excellent option since it's a durable, easy-to-clean flooring type that's comfortable for both pets and humans. It's usually made of four layers: foam or cork backing, waterproof plastic, a design layer printed with an image of wood or stone, and a wear layer to protect the surface.
Note: Disinfecting wipes that contain bleach are acceptable on vinyl. 7.5 to 9 is the recommended pH for bleach.
Swiffer wet cloths are designed to be used on most floor surfaces, such as: vinyl.
The best way to clean and maintain vinyl floors is to mop your floors regularly using just water. When you want to disinfect your floors or do a deeper cleaning, you can mix your own gentle solution using some general household products.