If you’re an experienced dog owner, chances are you’ve run into the issues with carpet during your time cleaning up after your beloved pet. Dogs may be fun, but accidents happen when it comes to this kind of companionship, so you should keep this in mind when you’re considering putting down new flooring. Whether you’re running around with a rottweiler or a poodle, it’s worth talking about the advantages and disadvantages of loose lay flooring for dog owners.
Necessary Context
The first question most people without much knowledge of the intricacies of flooring will ask is what loose lay flooring is. A lot of the time, houses that are built properly will have a basic floor, concrete or some other similarly hardy material, for use as a buffer against the elements that the homeowner can then place an actual floor onto. This can be anything from hardwood to carpet, and so a question then arises: What method do you use to put a finished floor down so that it is properly anchored?
A lot of types of flooring use adhesive. Glue is mostly safe and makes for a big ugly job of placing the new floor down but can be very solid when finished. Loose lay is the other major alternative and describes a method of simply placing the planks down so that their cooperative friction holds the floor in place. For dog owners that might seem rather suspect, considering the force with which your dog bounds around, so let’s go over the pros and cons. If you want a very comprehensive comparison, click here for a great summary.
Poochy Pros
For people with dogs, possibly the biggest pro of this kind of flooring is its ease-of-instalment. If you have to bother with adhesive, contractors, as well as ventilation to dry the whole thing, keeping track of everything can make the entire process a pain. The advantage of loose lay vinyl flooring is that it combines vinyl hardiness with the fact that you are literally just placing the floor where it is going to be. Once it is installed, there is usually very little if any waiting period before use.
A lot of the time people underestimate just how sturdy a friction-based floor can be. If installed properly, friction can be a powerful force for anything. For your average floor, glue might not be totally necessary since constant movement on top of the floor will only increase the total force of friction on the planks. This may end with damage to weak points in walls, but it will not be the floor that fails first, and in that case is it really the floor’s fault?
For dog owners especially, it can seem like the total force of a dog’s energy can know no end, but when it comes to flooring, the biggest pro for our canine companions is likely that should they ruin the floor, the repair will take a single day. Breaks in routine aren’t great for dogs, so getting back on track ASAP is essential.
Cons For Canines
Of course, if you end up with a broken floor, a matter that cannot be underestimated is cost. Floors cost a lot, since depending on the material, the hardiness of flooring is directly equivalent to the quality which is usually determined by cost. If your dog routinely destroys floors either by going for an impromptu bathroom break or via another similarly destructive tendency, chances are you will be racking up some bills anyway.
I’m not saying that the total cost of loose lay replacements is worth it, but for many people, it will be a lot easier to simply train your pooch not to destroy your home than to dedicate to floors that need glue. Don’t let old doggy minds lay dormant; any dog can be trained!
Conclusions For Everyone
Dogs are lovable yet highly chaotic. If you want to buy a floor based on the idea that your dog will live in that generational house for a long time, and walk on that floor for a long time, consider loose lay. For a lot of people, the matter isn’t whether or not the house is destroyed, but when it is, most people think about how best to fix it cheaply, efficiently, and with minimum disruption to your life. Should you want some extra knowledge on the best varieties of floors, click this link: https://www.thespruce.com/best-floors-for-dogs-4045349 for a good overview.
If your furry companion isn’t making a mess, it can also be comforting knowing that any future additions to the home will be easy to account for. Regardless of the reason though, contact a contractor or professional to find the best floors for you. Sometimes, when the chips are down, calling someone is the best thing you can do. Home maintenance is a pro’s job, even if you’d rather that wasn’t true, and any good dog would rather take on the hardship of a move with you than with you injured from a silly mistake. Stay safe out there!
Image Credits: Pixabay, Helena Lopes
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