Do you own a pet? If you do, you can relate to the joy of coming home to an eager furry friend. The soft meows and wagging tails can have your heart melting in an instant. But that’s until you walk into the living room and find that your furry friend has destroyed your pillows. Or worse- they have spent the whole day scratching at the floor surface, and your once treasured floor is now ruined. As much as you love your pet, you cannot deny that this would be infuriating. But the pet does not know any better, and no amount of training can keep their claws off the floor. What do you do in this case? You get pet-friendly flooring, with tiles taking the win!
Benefits of Using Tiles in Homes with Pets
What makes tiling better than any other flooring option?
Low Maintenance
If you own a cat or a dog, you know that they cannot help but scratch at surfaces. Even with training, there’s no way you can keep their claws off the floor. How else would they walk? Even dogs and cats that get groomed almost every other week will still have sharp claws. These nails clanking on the surface will leave marks all over the floor. And no matter how much manufacturers tout their flooring surfaces as scratch-proof, very few can live up to these standards. What you need is a scratch-resistant option that will allow your pet to run around the house without ruining your aesthetic. Oh, and tiles do not need rebuffing or polishing to maintain their allure. How’s that for a win? You can spend this saved money on getting your pet a treat!
Hygiene
No matter how you train your pet to keep the dirt out and avoid puddles in the backyard, you cannot control what gets underneath their claws. They eventually dirty the home by running around with dirt-filled claws. With carpets and hardwood floors, this dirt ends up stuck on the floors, giving you yet another cleaning task. How are tiles different? The dirt remains on the surface and does not get absorbed. A simple swipe or surface mopping should be enough to get your tiles looking as good as new. That’s crucial for homes with pets. You always want to keep the dander and dirt out, not just for allergies but for general hygiene standards.
Allergy Resistance
Do your pets suffer from allergies? The choice of flooring could worsen the situation! Animals produce proteins from their bodies that fall on the surfaces they use. People who use carpets often find that their pets get sick regularly. Even when you wash carpets regularly, these proteins remain in the fibers and can still trigger allergic reactions. Tiles, on the other hand, are easy to clean. With a few swipes at the surface, you are sure to get rid of all the mites and dirt on the surface—no allergies for you and no allergies for your furry friend.
Temperature Regulation
Ever noticed how cool tiles feel during summer? What an excellent way for your pet to cool off when the temperatures become unbearable. They can lay on the tiles and wick off the extra heat. It’s also an easy way to make the pet less aggressive during the hot summer days. But won’t the tiles feel cold in the winter? That’s a common concern among pet owners- but there’s nothing you cannot fix with some underfloor heating!
Odor Resistance
We all love our pets, but we must admit that they can be a tad messy. Has your furry friend ever made a mess on your carpet? Getting the dirt and odor out of the fibers can be harder than you may think. Even with bleach and several rounds of cleaning later, you may still get a whiff of the odor when you are in the room. Sometimes, the discoloration is permanent and remains but a reminder of the accident. People with carpeted floors often result to changing the rugs, which is an avoidable cost. Are tiles any different? Sure! Nothing gets into the tiles, and nothing gets under them. The spill remains at the top, and you can get rid of all the mess, leaving you with a clean surface. Besides, the tiles do not stain! (Ensure that you seal natural stone tiles to benefit from stain resistance).
Camouflage Effect
Tired of seeing paw prints and pet dander everywhere you look? How about investing in a camouflaging flooring material? Tiles hide pet hair, especially tiles with patterned designs that make it hard to notice the tiny streaks of hair and prints on the surface. There’s also another way to look at this- you can use the tiles to highlight the paw prints and hair. Use solid colors that will show you whenever your pet has made some art on the floor. You can clean up the tiles immediately you notice something is amiss.
Best Tiling Options
Okay, we can all agree that tiles have a lot to offer pet owners. But are all tiles the same? Not quite. You can choose between:
- Porcelain Tiles: Hardwood is beautiful, but it scratches easily. Porcelain is the best alternative to this aesthetically appealing flooring material- but with the benefit of scratch resistance. Besides, you get these tiles in tons of designs, and you can even choose one that looks like hardwood!
- Laminate Tiles: Here is another option that looks like hardwood. What makes it a great choice- low maintenance and water resistance. Anyone with a pet that’s yet to understand that the floor is not a loo will appreciate this flooring.
- Natural Stone Tiles: How about leaning on the natural stone route? You’ve got the options of granite, marble, slate; you name it! It’s a fantastic aesthetic with the benefit of damage resistance. Pro tip- seal natural stone tiles to ensure that they do not stain.
- Vinyl Tiles: Some tiles do not provide enough traction, which puts your pet at risk of injuries. Vinyl has impressive traction and is an excellent choice for homes with older pets. It’s also sound absorbent.
- Carpet Tiles: Not ready to let go of the classic rugged look in the home? Not a problem- invest in carpet tiling, which looks like the classic carpet flooring. The added twist- less maintenance!
See? You can have your cake and eat it by having both a pet and a fantastic floor aesthetic! Drop us a message, and together, let’s find the ideal tiling solutions for your pet-friendly home. Whether you're tiling a floor in a kitchen or bathroom, our expert designers are ready to help.
