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When you are choosing flooring, you need to think about your whole family, including the furry four legged members. Not all flooring types are ideal for families with small children or pets. Flooring is a major investment, so you want to avoid having buyer’s remorse and needing to replace your floor prematurely. As a family-owned business, we are very in touch with family life: spilled drinks, accidents, and an abundance of crumbs. Our team at Kemp’s Dalton West Flooring wants to help you find a floor that will survive and thrive in your busy home. We compiled a list of important considerations if you have littles and pets in your home.
-    Is the Floor Resistant to Water?—From juice being spilled to potty training a puppy, a waterproof floor will give you peace of mind.
-    Is the Floor Resistant to Damage?—Choose a tough scratch resistant floor to avoid having it wrecked by dog toenail scratches or a race of matchbox cars zooming on the floor.
-    Is the Floor Easy to Maintain?—When you have children and pets in your home, keeping up with cleaning can be nearly impossible. Choosing a high maintenance floor will only add to your stress. Since messes are bound to happen multiple times a day, having a floor that is easy to clean up seriously matters.
-    Is the Floor Durable?—Replacing flooring is expensive and a pain, especially if you must get your kids out of the way for an installation. Select a floor with a long lifespan to avoid the hassle of replacing your floor in a couple of years.
-    Is the Floor Comfortable?—Your floor could be a nap spot for your furry friend or a whole world to explore for your crawling toddler. If you would be uncomfortable laying, sitting, or crawling on your floor, you should consider other options.
-    Is the Floor Attractive?—Just because you are in the phase of life that requires durability does not mean that you cannot have a visually pleasing floor. There are plenty of choices that will be attractive and fit your decor without losing their child and pet friendly quality.
Flooring Choices for Families
-    Laminate—Coming in a variety of color choices, laminate is a durable and affordable choice for families with children and pets. Although the floor is not 100% waterproof, it is fairly waterproof, resistant to scratching, and easy to clean. An active pet could scratch the floor running around, but it should not happen easily. Laminate is a smooth and comfortable surface.
-    Luxury Vinyl Plank— If you have not seen LVP for yourself, you may not know how convincing vinyl has become at mimicking wood. This is not your mother’s vinyl. Luxury vinyl plank has many life-proof qualities, including being waterproof and resistant to scratching. The surface is smooth even at the seams, so your family and pets should be comfortable enjoying life on the floor together. LVP delivers the appearance of wood without some of the drawbacks and the high price tag.
-    Tile—Stone, ceramic, marble, and porcelain tile can be a good flooring choice for a busy family. Tile is highly resistant to water and scratches, so it will endure well against your babies and fur babies. One downside would be that grout can be a pain to clean out. Tile could be a little hard for your pet to lay on or your toddler to fall on. You may be surprised by the diverse styles available, including tiles that look like real wood planks.
-    Carpet—The softness of carpet cannot be beat in terms of comfort. Carpet can be a problem when housebreaking a pet or when your kids try to eat snacks on it though. Carpet will require consistent vacuuming, especially if you have a pet who sheds. Some families choose to put carpet in rooms that no food or pets will be in, such as bedrooms or a playroom. Depending on the quality you choose, carpet can be a comfy and affordable choice for a family.
-    Hardwood—Ideally, hardwoods work better for families with older children. Although hardwood flooring is not as scratch resistant or waterproof as some of the other choices, they can be sanded and refinished multiple times. The ability to refinish means that you can buff out a few scratches here and there or blend them into the natural grain of the wood.
Whether you are planning for Fido or a four-year-old, choose a quality flooring that will last. Call Kemp’s Dalton West Flooring for help!