Pet friendly floor

Carole2 · Old Hand

Pet friendly floor

JENNY · Big Cheese

I'm planning on getting vinyl in my hallway as my carpet has been ruined with Vernon's pee. He doesn't always tell you when he needs out so squirts on his way in from the kitchen!!
Something washable is best I reckon. Some vinyl is lovely and quite warm underfoot.

FAJ · Enlightened One

We have vinyl in our hall because we were worried about the dogs hurtling down the stairs and slipping. It's very, very good. It looks like oak wooden flooring and everyone who has seen it is amazed when we tell them that it's vinyl. Plus it's treated with some kind of anti-slippage coating. Nice and warm underfoot too. We got it from a wee place in North Berwick called McNeil's Flooring.

We thought about having it laid in the living-room too but decided against it - the drawback is that if your floor isn't very even (despite laying plywood as a base) then the irregularities can show up. We laid some textured laminate, the stuff with v-grooves that look like actual floorboards. It's still quite slippy though, but we have a massive rug in the centre of the room which is nice and insulating and, most importantly, non-slip.

emma · Guru

My kitchen is tiled as is the utility room Tig hated it and used to walk in from outside backwards! We got some mats which are natural sea grass or something similar, no more problems. Our hall is also laminate wood and we got a piece of the stair and landing carpet 6ft by 3ft edged like a mat no problems there either except when we take it up if it is raining and easy to keep clean if the weather is bad! Em X

Jennifer · Big Cheese

I too have laminate thru the house, but in the living room have a large rug in the center so the dogs dont have trouble walking. It actually teaches them to walk, and not run through the house

I llike the laminate coz its easy to clean up if there are accidents. Mine don't find it a problem to walk on though.

Sunny girl · Master

I have laminate throughout Sunny has never had a problem with it, but two of our foster dogs did find it really hard, one in particular looked like he was walking on ice. I read a good tip in the book Adopting a Racing Greyhound. It said to lay bits of carpet or mats in a path between rooms, but ever day remove a one mat per room until you have none. I did this and after 4 days this dog was walking easily from room to room. The trick with laminate is to watch what you clean it with. I've sent the kids skating across the room before now.

My friend has also just put good quality lino/vinyl in her sittingroom and you would never know, it looks like tiles. She got it professionally laid and it still cost less than laminate. You need to have a good look round......great excuse to go shopping

Landess.

-- Edited by Sunny girl at 22:54, 2006-07-20

Gail · Big Cheese

My whole house is carpeted throughout because its gentler on little knees since my baby is learning to crawl but Sassy is so scared to go out, when i managed to persuade her she doesn't do anything outside and comes back and does her "business" in the house so i have just put down a few plastic mats. Because they are not used to them they are sliding every time they step on them so i'm having to re-think that idea too!!

Carole2 · Old Hand

Well thank you everyone for your ideas, certainly a lot of suggestions and lots to think about and a good excuse to go shopping.

Carole x

Anyanka · Master

What do you have underneath your laminate? I pulled up all the carpets downstairs a year ago - they had a busy pattern in bogey green, pus yellow and puke beige - and scrubbed the old floorbards underneath until they looked like wood again. As the floor is not varnished or polished, the dogs don't slip, and their beds conveniently cover up areas where the boards have been cut or damaged. Easy to clean with a broom, and really doesn't show the dirt

Carole2 · Old Hand

Anyanka wrote:

What do you have underneath your laminate? I pulled up all the carpets downstairs a year ago - they had a busy pattern in bogey green, pus yellow and puke beige - and scrubbed the old floorbards underneath until they looked like wood again. As the floor is not varnished or polished, the dogs don't slip, and their beds conveniently cover up areas where the boards have been cut or damaged. Easy to clean with a broom, and really doesn't show the dirt

I only moved in at the begining of June, and the laminate is glued down so not sure how the floorboards underneath are looking, but certainly another option.

Cheers