At our house, like most, kids stand as number one in importance followed closely by their partners in crime – the family pet(s). (poor Dad comes a distant third and Mom is the lowly score keeper).
Over the years we have housed five dogs, three cats, two birds, a guinea pig and the school’s white rat. We dearly love all of our furry or feathered household members but with the joys of pet ownership comes many challenges.
The biggest problem comes from our children’s insistence on a “free range” pet policy. Anything with four legs is allowed on all surfaces of the home. All upholstery, bedding, area rugs or hardwood flooring are open to dining, sleeping, running, jumping, digging or chasing balls. If you suffer the same chaos and want to maintain harmony in the house let me suggest a few design solutions that stand up to both man and beast.
Photo: Farm Pecan from Gerflor.
When it comes to upholstery check out recycled leather, it has a vinyl based finish so it stands up to most scratches and is easily wiped clean. Accidental spills or liquids won’t penetrate keeping your upholstery smelling fresh. If you prefer fabric, ask your retailer if they carry Sunbrella or other outdoor fabrics. Water beads up, it dries quickly and since it stands up to outdoor conditions it weathers well inside.
Area rugs and bed spreads can be chew toys or bathroom targets for puppies. An easy solution is to roll up the rugs temporarily and keep the bedroom doors shut until the puppies grows up.
But the biggest challenge is finding a pet friendly hard surface floor. As much as we love our pets we also want to protect and build the equity in our home. Hardwood and stone flooring are timeless classics. However genuine hardwood or porous stone floors can absorb liquids, odors and germs. The result can be stained floors with nasty residual odors that are unpleasant and unhealthy.
But don’t worry there is a flooring solution that is pet friendly yet still maintains the natural beauty of wood or stone – it`s called luxury vinyl tile.
Gerflor offers a great assortment of wood plank and stone patterned vinyl floors in a wide range of beautiful colours. This high performance floor is resistant to water, fading and denting. Gerflor vinyl is fast growing in popularity since it will not crack like ceramic and it is mould and mildew resistant.
Gerflor’s new generation Vinyl is a worry free floor that will resist the demands of any member of your household – furry or otherwise.
Interior Views by Cheryl Grant
Blog courtesy of Gerfloor Canada