When choosing new flooring for your kitchen, your four legged friends are likely to be a consideration. Fed up with the scratched wooden floor boards and stained carpets which absorb all the smells you don’t want to, it’s time to take a stand against the wrong type of flooring.

So is vinyl flooring, carpet, hardwood or tiles the way to go?

The Problem

There are three main problems which pet owners are likely to encounter with their flooring:

• Marks scratches, scuffs and stains
• Smell
• Need to clean frequently

Man’s best friend is certainly not the best friend of your antique hard wood floors. Even if you regularly trim your dog’s claws, there is still a high chance that in running around they’re likely to scratch the boards. It can be a problem regardless of size and intention so, as an owner, you’ll need to pick a flooring which can resist these marks.

Dogs also have a bit of a tendency to smell a little bit. Particularly after walks, your canine pal is going to be more than a touch muddy, probably a big soggy, and definitely excitable. They’ll often run into your house without a thought for your cream carpets, and roll around until they’ve made a royal mess.

Not only is smell an issue, but dirt is as well. The chances are you’re going to have to select something like vinyl flooring which is easy and fast to clean, and which will look good as new again when you run a mop over it, or break out the vacuum cleaner.

The Solution

In order to conquer all three of these issues effectively, it’s important to consider the best value and longer lasting floor types. While stone is a lovely choice in a kitchen, it can be very expensive, and it’s also very hard. Anything that you drop on it is highly likely to shatter.

If you find stone too hard but like the appearance, choose vinyl flooring tiles or sheet. There are plenty of different varieties available, including ones which resemble stone or wooden floorboards. It’s much cheaper, quick to lay, and also considerably softer. You can even choose to have an extra thick underlay to pad your floor a bit more. Not only will crockery be much safer, you’ll also find that it’s much quieter to walk on than stone or hardwood.

In fact, for pet owners in general, vinyl flooring is one of the best choices. It is easy to clean, using warm soapy water and a mop and a vacuum cleaner. Unlike carpet, it won’t absorb any unpleasant smells. Carpet is a particularly unsuitable kitchen flooring, as the humidity can cause mould to form.

Vinyl flooring is also water resistant, so if your dog loves a puddle you won’t need to dry them off outside before letting them into your newly decorated kitchen. Remember to dry off the floor when it does get wet though, as it can still cause damage in the long run.