If you are in the process of choosing new flooring for your home, there are lots of factors to initially consider, such as the colour, style, ease of maintenance, affordability, durability and practicality, especially when our furry 4-legged friends are involved.
So many home owners have dogs, and a very common question asked by a lot of you is ‘what is the best flooring for dogs?’. In this guide, we will exactly answer that question for you.
It can be overwhelming picking the right option for your needs, but hopefully with the use of our guide below, we can help you get one step closer to finding the perfect floor for your home.
What to consider when choosing the best flooring for dogs
Now that you have started your search for the ideal flooring option for you and your dog, it is important to understand the different factors that need to be considered when choosing.
- Slip Resistance: Whether your dog has the late night zoomies, or is older and finds it difficult to stand, a non-slip floor is really important to consider for your dog’s safety.
- Ease of Cleaning: Mucky paws, shedding coats and accidents will mean that a floor that doesn’t stain or absorb mess is important.
- Durability: Dogs claws can lead to scratches on your flooring, so a scratch-resistant flooring is imperative in your search.
Good Flooring For Dogs
There are a number of options that all have pros and cons when it comes to deciding on the best flooring for dogs which we have broken down below for you:
Pros: Waterproof, durable, easy to clean, comfortable, comes in lots of different styles such as wood, stone, and tile effects
Cons: May show paw prints (lighter colours only)
Laminate Flooring
Pros: Affordable, durable, easy to install
Cons: Not entirely waterproof, can be slippery, less durable than LVT/tile
Ceramic Tile
Pros: Extremely durable, waterproof, easy to clean
Cons: Cold, can be slippery
Solid Wood Flooring
Pros: Beautiful, refinishable
Cons: Expensive, susceptible to scratches, damaged by moisture
Based on the pros and cons above, our clear winner for the best flooring for dogs would have to be LVT flooring. Let’s dive deeper into this floor buying guide so you can see for yourself.
Is LVT Flooring Good for Dogs?
The short answer to this question for dog lovers is yes, J2 Flooring LVT is suitable for homes with dogs. There are many reasons behind this answer and we will explain more below:
- Durability – LVT flooring is good for dogs as it is extremely durable, so if you have a crazy canine who races up and down the house, then you can be assured that the hardened wear layer is as tough as old boots and will take decades upon decades to be worn out from our excitable furry friends.
- Scratch Resistant – Unlike other flooring options such as hardwood flooring, LVT is as tough as it comes with a PU (Polyurethane) coating. This coating helps to protect the flooring from fine scratches. We would recommend that this is reapplied periodically to ensure your LVT flooring is protected. Also be sure to keep those claws trimmed!
- Not as slippy – Unlike ceramic and porcelain tiles which are slippy, LVT has some texture to it which makes it good for dogs gripping, especially when running.
- Waterproof – LVT flooring is fully impervious, which means it is 100% waterproof. Obviously, against floods and prolonged periods of large surface water ingress, the subfloor can be affected, but the actual flooring itself is waterproof. This means that for dogs with bad drinking habits, those who like to shake around after a wet walk, or who have the odd accident, our LVT flooring will have no issues.
- Easy to Clean – As a dog owner, you will know that you need to clean your floors more regularly. Cleaning up hair, muddy paw prints and water bowl dribbles are an everyday occurrence. LVT flooring is good for dogs as you can literally vacuum, brush and mop your floors as regularly as you need to and it will not affect the floor. As long as you use the correct mop and cleaning solutions, the LVT will last a long time and maintain its day 1 appearance. To find out more about caring for your LVT flooring, you can read our LVT cleaning and care guide here.
- Hygienic – For homes with dogs, we know they can be unhygienic at times, which is where LVT excels. Being a customised form of vinyl, LVT flooring cannot harbour bacteria, meaning bacteria cannot live on the surface. Unlike wood and laminate flooring, where germs can remain for a long time in your home – on LVT they can’t.
- Warmer Underfoot – If your dog likes to sprawl out on the floor, LVT is warmer than natural stone floors, which makes it a cozier place to rest their heads after a long walk.
- Quieter Underfoot – as well as being warmer underfoot, LVT flooring is quieter. Unlike wood and laminate, luxury vinyl flooring is far better at reducing bounding paws.
Best LVT Flooring for Dogs
The best LVT flooring for dogs will mainly be based on the style and thickness of the flooring option you choose.
For homes with dogs, we recommend opting for a product which has more grain variation and also a surface texture to disguise hairs and finer scratches.
Solid darker colours and very pale colours can show imperfections more, and for doggy homes, this is not the most practical.
So consider the choice of colour, texture and variation of planks before purchasing as this will make your LVT flooring good for dogs.
Our top picks would be the following flooring options:
Fumed Oak Light Parquet
Our first recommendation would be the Fumed Oak Light Parquet from J2 Flooring’s Natural Timbers Parquet Range. This style and colour combo is one of our most popular options for customers with dogs.
Carpenters Oak Basket Weave
Next up is Carpenters Oak in a classic basket weave pattern reminiscent of traditional carpentry techniques. This intricate pattern is not only a stylish option but great at hiding any light scratches or scuffs.
Weathered Timber Parquet
Weathered Timber Parquet is another great choice for homeowners with dogs as this flooring option is great at hiding any mucky paw prints that might be lingering.
Blonde Oak Parquet
Blonde Oak Parquet combines timeless beauty with modern durability – perfect for our furry canine friends this flooring offers easy maintenance.
