Here are 7 different types of flooring materials and an evaluation of how they will fare if your home has a pooch. Your dog will also love the cool surface during the summer and the warmth during the winter. Most importantly, your dog’s slick pads and claws won’t ice-skate across vinyl flooring. The material has just enough grip for your dog to feel comfortable and safe when trotting across the surface. But be aware that active dogs with untrimmed toenails can still damage most forms of vinyl flooring, especially sheet vinyl. And luxury vinyl flooring does have seams. While the material itself is impervious to stains, it’s possible for liquids to seep down to the underlayment.
A floor rated AC 1 and AC 2 may be too light and not well suited for dogs.A floor rated AC 3 stands up well in a room with moderate traffic and it’s dog-friendly.Floors rated above AC 3 are designed for use in commercial settings; though they’ll resist scratches, you may not find as many design options.
That said, don’t expect any laminate floor to be entirely impervious to damage from the toenails of a very active dog that likes to race around the house. And remember that laminate floors are slippery; a racing hound may well loose its traction and go careening into tables or floor lamps. While laminate surfaces are fairly impervious to stains and are easy to clean, spills and liquid “accidents” can seep down between the cracks to soak into the underlayment—where odors are almost impossible to eradicate. Unless cleaned up immediately, water or urine can badly damage laminate flooring if it seeps down between planks. While it is still possible for dogs to scratch bamboo, it holds up better than most hardwood floors. But while bamboo floors are relatively easy to clean, it’s possible for liquids to seep down through cracks between boards, soaking into the underlayment. Keeping the floors well-sealed will help prevent this. Consider using epoxy grout on your new tile floor. Its up-front cost is higher than that of traditional grouts, but you may save money on grout repair in the long run. Epoxy grout is particularly good at keeping stains and surface scratches to a minimum. Remember that ceramic and porcelain tile is generally a cool surface unless it is installed over a radiant heating system. The coolness of tile can be much appreciated by dogs in warmer climates, but in the North, it may cause older dogs to experience arthritic pain.
That ends the list of advantages, though, as you will likely find yourself vacuuming up pet hair on a daily basis. And cleaning up after incontinent younger or older dogs is a genuine nightmare on a carpeted floor. Once urine seeps down into padding and underlayment, odors are very hard to eradicate. If you do choose to carpet, look for a dense, cut-pile version. Looped fiber carpets are readily snagged by pet claws and will quickly develop a shabby look. Always opt for synthetic fibers, such as nylon or Triexta, which will be much easier to clean than natural fibers such as wool or cotton. . Solid hardwood floors can be sanded down to refurbish them, but generally, this can be done only two or three times over the lifetime of the floor. And don’t expect sanding to erase the deepest claw scratches, or to eliminate water or urine stains that have penetrated deep into the wood. If you choose solid hardwood for flooring, make sure to keep it well sealed with a good, hard polyurethane varnish. Lightly abrading and then recoating the floors every few years will minimize pet damage. But a couple of years after installation, your dog may create deep scratches on the floor and you’ll need to contact a flooring pro to lightly sand and fix the problem. Your dog will find engineered wood to be as warm and comfortable as solid hardwood but don’t expect these floors to hold up as well as other hard-surface flooring materials. As with solid hardwood, you can minimize pet damage by keeping engineered wood floors protected with a fresh finish applied every few years.
Level of house-training: Well-trained, healthy dogs can adapt to almost any flooring, but dogs prone to incontinence require flooring with few or no seams, made from materials that are easy to clean and resistant to stains. Such animals will do best on ceramic/porcelain tile or vinyl floors.Activity level: Extremely active dogs are likely to race around the house and will almost certainly be slipping and sliding on hard, glossy floors—making plenty of noise as they do it. A floor with some texture will be safer for everyone concerned. Carpet or embossed vinyl are good choices for dogs that like to run indoors.Age and health: Older dogs and those with joint issues will appreciate carpet, hardwood, or bamboo floors, which are inherently warm and softer than ceramic tile or laminate flooring. These are good choices if your pet’s comfort is a primary concern.
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