Flooring is one of the essential parts of a house. When choosing a good flooring option, you need to ensure that it looks good and comfortable to walk. However, you also need to consider if it is pet-friendly if you have any pets in your home.
When considering if the flooring is pet-friendly, you need to look at how easy it is for them to walk on if it is comfortable to lie on, scratch-resistant, and easy to clean and maintain. Concrete is the best choice for pets because you can customize it to any slope and texture.
It is also perfect to use both indoors and outdoors. You can use polished concrete inside and exposed aggregate outdoors.
Why Is Concrete Pet-Friendly?
- Easy to Clean
With pets, it is hard to avoid muddy paws around the house. It is easy to clean off any mud or stains surface with polished concrete or even aggregate. The sealant on the floor makes it impossible for any substances and stains to sip through, eliminating any chances of stains.
- Resistant to Hairs, Pet Dander, and Pet Odours
With pets in your house, it is common to have hairs and dander (skin and flakes). Other flooring materials like carpets and wood easily trap them, making the house hard to clean and problematic for people with allergies.
With a concrete floor, however, especially one that is sealed properly, the fur and dander hardly stick to the surface, and it is easy for you to clean them off.
When installing your concrete floor, consider having it sealed with a high-quality sealer. That way, the pet odours will not penetrate through the flooring. Also, other materials like pet urine will remain on the surface, making it easy for you to wipe them off.
- Low Maintenance
Compared to other types of flooring like wood, concrete is low maintenance. When installed correctly, you only have to clean it with a mop or brush, and the flooring will remain new for a long time. All you need to do is deep clean it often and reseal it when necessary.
- Scratch-resistant and Easy to Repair
Pets could cause scratches on surfaces, especially when they get excited. Their claws could scratch and scrape surfaces like wood and carpet.
Concrete floors, however, are scratch-resistant ad perfect for any number and size of pets. When installed and sealed correctly, pet claws cannot get into your concrete flooring.
Over time, when your concrete floor looks old or gets cracks, it is easy to repair by deep cleaning, resealing, or re-honing.
- Pest Free
Your pests often have pests like fleas, which they may drop around the house. With a concrete floor, it is hard for those pests to find somewhere to hold on to or hide, unlike other flooring materials.
- Sterile and Non-toxic
When properly sealed, it is hard for concrete floors to emit any chemicals or fumes harmful to your pets and family members. While some chemicals might be used in the concrete-making process, those chemicals remain contained in the concrete and do not leak once they are cured.
That is unlike some other flooring materials that could release chemicals and toxins over time. It would help if you also used toxic-free sealant for increased safety.
- Customizable
One of the reasons people love concrete floors is that they can customize them to suit the design of their home booth indoors and outdoors. You can also customize concrete floors to be comfortable for your pets to walk on and sleep on.
Depending on the finishing, concrete floors can be slippery. However, you can add slip resistance to the floor during the finishing or honing process to make it easier for the pets to walk on.
Areas of Concerns
While concrete is the most pet-friendly flooring material, there are some areas that you need to consider to make it the most comfortable.
- Heat
Concrete absorbs heat fast and stores it for an extended period. Therefore, if your concrete floor is exposed to sunlight, you should monitor it and ensure that your pet does not sleep or walk on scorching spots.
You can also reduce this problem by going for lighter colours on the concrete floors because they do not absorb much heat like the dark surfaces. Have a shady spot where your pets can play and sleep for outdoor concrete surfaces.
Concrete also gets very cold during cold weather, making your pet uncomfortable to walk or sleep on. Consider installing underfoot heating or warm bedding for your pet on the floor during cold times.
- Hardness
Concrete floors are hard, making it uncomfortable for pets to sleep on. Therefore, you should have a warm and comfortable place for your pets to sleep when they are not in their beds.
- Toileting
When pets are young, they will urinate anywhere in the home. If not sealed correctly, your concrete floor might have some places where the moisture could leak. Therefore, you need to train your pets as early as possible where to potty, either outside on a grassy patch or in the house in a bowl with sand.
Types Of Pet-Friendly Concrete
- Limecrete
Concrete flooring made from limecrete is perfect for indoors and outdoors to help give you a seamless and sleek look. The ranges of limecrete flooring designs include ash, coral, amber, platinum, Kajaani, limestone, and dark finishes.
- Holcim
Holcim concrete range is made using natural raw materials, and you can get polished or exposed concrete. Some of the designs you can choose from include acacia, bluegum, boab, myrtle, karri, jarrah, wandoo, tuart, mallee, eucalyptus, cypress black, and tingle.
Concrete is the most pet-friendly flooring material, especially if you have dogs. With numerous design options and their durability, you can use concrete indoors and outdoors. For indoors, polished concrete is the best.
It can withstand stains, scratches, odours, and fur from your pets. Not only is it safe for your pets, but it ensures that your house remains clean no matter how many pets you have. You can also customize it to make it comfortable for your pets and repair any cracks quickly by resealing it.
