The right flooring is a significant aspect of the building of your home. If you are a pet owner it concerns you more, like shedding, scratching on the floor’s surface, tracking dirt from the outdoors by your furry friends will make you crazy.

More than 6 in 10 households in the US are having pets and to select suitable hardwood flooring for them needs a lot of research. While searching for the pet-friendly flooring options, the major aspects one must keep in their minds are:

• Resistance to scratches from the sharp nails of the pets
• Resistance to damage which depends on their size, weight and nail length
• Pet comfort
• Pet traction

What kind of flooring is best for my pets? Simply, there is no flooring which is always perfect. 

Based on different preferences of the owner and his pets, one has to go through different options like hardwood flooring, carpet or carpet tiles, bamboo flooring, cork flooring, laminate flooring, stone tile flooring, etc. Each one of them has pros and cons and will depend on the nature of the place as well as the pets.

Pet-friendly Flooring Options In Utah

1. Hardwood flooring Utah

Being one of the most reliable, popular and time-tested floorings, hardware flooring is a favorite in the houses all over Utah. Though it is known for its clean and classy look, hardwood floors and pets do not mix well. Hence if you are set on a beautiful hardwood floor, take these tips into account:

• Avoid soft woods – for homes with large breed dogs, softwoods like pine, chestnut, hemlock, etc. are not ideal. Harder the wood, the more likely it will resist the scratches. Suggested hardwood materials are oak, walnut, mahogany, bamboo, etc.
• Consider distressed hardwoods– Wood flooring Utah is mainly of two types which is most suitable to the place. It includes:

2. Solid Wood Flooring

Solid hardwood flooring is known for its authenticity, timelessness, and durability. It is scratch-resistant and is more reliable. Since it is solid through and through, it can be refinished multiple times.

The durability of solid hardwood depends upon wear-resistance of the wood species. Harder woods like oak, hickory and maple are most suitable for this because of their lively feature as well as resistance.

3. Engineered Wood Flooring 

Engineered wood floors are made up of layers. The top and bottom layer is wood. In the middle, 5 to 7 layers of plywood are built that crisscross in several directions.

While comparing with solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring is more stable as it is less likely to expand or contract when exposed to moisture, humidity, and temperature.

The layered construction protects it from environmental changes. In this flooring, we can choose multiple kinds of species even including softer species like cherry and birch.

Pros of Hardwood flooring

• Available in various colors
• Easy to sweep

Cons of Hardwood flooring

• Expensive
• More exposed to water damage and scratches

4. Tile flooring

The texture of the surface and the combination of the grout between the tiles provide easy traction for the pets. Known for durability and is easy to clean up accidents and spills. Some materials softer materials like marble require more maintenance.

Pros:

• More scratch resistant
• Easy to clean

Cons:

• Cold and hard surface
• Slippery in nature

5. Laminate Flooring

Looks like hardwood flooring but provides an easy clean-up. Strong, durable and also stylish quality of laminate flooring attracts people. However smooth laminated floors are not suitable for the traction of pets.

Pros:

• Water-resistant
• Easy maintenance
• Less noticeable scratches

Cons:

• Slippery surface
• Not long-lasting as hardwood