What kind of flooring for a flat with animals?

More than half of Poles (52%) have pets. However, apart from the cute side of pet ownership, there is also the dark side - namely the damage that is done by our cuddly pets. When choosing hard floors such as laminate, we often wonder: will they scratch? If we opt for carpets, we wonder whether it will be easy to clean up pet dirt. So what to choose?

Carpeting

Well, this is the type of product that always raises the most objections. Because what about dirt? What about the smell? You see, in our opinion, there is one sensational product on the Polish market. It's called SmartStrand. SmartStrand are carpets that have been around since 2005 and entered the Polish market in 2017. They are carpets with a new fibre technology. SmartStrand is manufactured from renewable, non-petroleum-based raw materials, thus saving water and greenhouse gas emissions in production.  SmartStrand carpet is the first carpet with permanently built-in stain resistance and zero absorption of moisture, liquids and odours. It is ideal for homes with children and pets, as it is very simple to remove common stains. The manufacturer's secret is to encapsulate the fibre during the manufacturing process, so it behaves like glass - preventing dirt from penetrating it. Several years ago, a test was conducted in the states. Two carpets were installed in a rhino box, for a period of two weeks. Half of the box was a classic nylon carpet, the other half a SmartStrand carpet. After two weeks, the carpets were professionally cleaned. What was the result? I encourage you to watch the video below:

In addition, I send you a video for the red wine test:

Laminate panels

These are what we see in most Polish homes. In TV adverts we hear about different abrasion classes and various assurances, but this does not really say much. In reality, the protective coating is also very important. Of the laminate panels available on the market, I can in good conscience point to Pergo laminate panels. Why?

Pergo laminate panels have a patented TitanX™ protective layer. This layer, guarantees an elegant floor finish for many years. TitanX™ is a multi-layer technology that includes protective coatings with the addition of aluminium oxide particles.  This solution guarantees the best resistance to wear and scratches. The TitanX™ surface in combination with the high-density base material additionally guarantees very high impact resistance, thanks to which PERGO laminate panels are not intimidated by dropped objects or high heels.

Below I present to you a video of the manufacturer. It presents a test of classic market panels and PERGO laminated panels. For the test, a classic wire was used. Drawing on the first model, the top coating of the panel is damaged and crumbling. A dusting is visible as a result of the abrasion (we get a similar dusting when we rub our nails with a file). When rubbing the PERGO panel with a wire brush, we see that the grated pollen is not the pollen coming from the panel, but the pollen that has rubbed off from the wire brush.

I think the choice is clear?

LVT

Here I will tell you from autopsy. I used to rent a flat - classic market laminate panels in the flat. I put food and water bowls on a modest rug, and the rug on the panels. My dog (I don't know if it's because of his backbite or if it's normal) when drinking water spills half of what he drinks around the bowl. A regular puddle forms. The carpet absorbed, the panels absorbed too. Eventually the panels swelled up and the effects could not be reversed with any home remedies. Today, in my own flat, I have had LVT vinyl panels installed for over two years. The story is the same, bowls, rug, puddle. However, a different ending - nothing swells. The water can stand and nothing happens to it. I come home, wipe it off with a dry cloth and it's gone.

Plus, the vinyl panels are resistant to pet claws, so running after a ball around the flat doesn't end up with scratches (my dog has to sprawl out first).