Why is your Floor so important to Dogs?

If your head was a foot away from the floor at all times you’d be pretty interested in it too!

As you know Dogs rely on scents to navigate, to rest and to play. As we understand the needs of our greatest companions more and more we realise that we can help them by providing them with a clean, safe environment.

Flooring is a huge part of that environment; While they love to find unsavoury elements hidden deep in our carpets we know that this is not healthy for them. Allergens that can become stored in soft furnishings such as rugs, carpets and curtains can cause them symptoms that include regular ear infections, sneezing, itching and skin inflammation.

Another element to consider is slippery floors such as polished ceramic, laminate and smooth tiles. This type of flooring has kept Animal physios busy for the last 15 years. Strains, concussion, sprains and ligament damage are common injuries for dogs slipping on floors.

Then there is the little accidents; Although our beloved woofers amaze us with what they will actually put into their mouth when out on walks, just like us they do not like the scent of ones and twos in their home. Carpeting and rugs can retain the nastiness in their fibres and linger to the chagrin of humans and dogs.

‘Hey; that’s a lot about our Dogs; What about us?’

Well said; What do we want? Personally I want a safe flooring for my dogs, but your damn sure I want it to be easy to maintain and I don’t want my dog to ruin it! Mrs FFP and
I have had wooden flooring in the past which we love the look of, however it became stained, scratched and scuffed very quickly thanks to our Dogs. As you know; not cheap to replace!
So hopefully something to bear in mind for dog owners when choosing your next floor covering.

M

Floors For Paws Luxury planks are Hypo-allergenic, wipe clean, non-absorbent and Anti-slip, and Anti-scuff, and with its realistic wood effect finish it really is the World’s Best flooring For Dogs’

Is Vinyl Click good for homes with pets?

The introduction of vinyl click flooring has offered a convenient, cheap and easy to install flooring options for home owners. A good quality click flooring system can last years in a dry, cool environment. But is it good for pet owners?

While click flooring can resist some spills it is not 100% water tight like a glue down system, which means that those little Pet accidents that happen from time to time can seep underneath the flooring and start to rot the underside and leave an unsavoury smell.

High humidity and spills may cause the click system to warp over time creating trip hazards for you and your pets.

Floors For Paws glue down system is the ideal choice for homes with pets; once down your flooring will be waterproof as no liquid can get underneath to cause any problems. It is worth the extra effort to have your flooring permanently fixed as it will last years longer than a click alternative, saving you valuable money over a life time.

Order your free samples of Floors For Paws today for a future of hassle free, low maintenance flooring you and your pets!

Is Vinyl Flooring Pet Friendly?

Most luxury vinyl is water resistant and some varieties are even waterproof. It is easy to maintain, and easy to clean. Plus, it is soft underfoot. … So, if you are looking for a budget-friendly flooring that you and your pets will enjoy, luxury vinyl is an excellent choice.

Vinyl flooring is a popular flooring option for families with pets. Luxury vinyl tile and vinyl sheet are highly durable, long-lasting, and resistant to moisture, scratches and dents. They are also easy to maintain.

This makes it the ideal flooring solution for spaces such as living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. In addition, vinyl plank flooring is very durable with commercial grade wear layers and fiberglass reinforcement. Vinyl can be installed on nearly any subfloor, with the thicker floors being forgiving to imperfect subfloors.

Top of the list for dogs and cats must surely be vinyl flooring. … New luxury vinyl sheet, tile or plank flooring is an even better option thanks to its added thickness. Installed properly vinyl will wear well, with no scratches or tears, and with its water resistant qualities is a cinch to clean.

Floors for paws has all the attributes of normal luxury vinyl plus the added advantage of an unique micro-ridged design that ensures safe footing for 2 and 4 legs. Designed with the whole family in mind it is the perfect option for your home.

How does LVT compare with Laminate?

LUXURY vinyl tiles (LVTs) and planks have sometimes been compared with laminate flooring. So what’s the difference?

Laminate flooring is considered to be easy to install, but moisture or high humidity can easily affect the product if not controlled. The key point is successful control of relative humidity. The core of a laminate has been described as acting like a sponge, absorbing moisture causing it to expand. If there is not enough expansion in a room, the floor will buckle, or the joints of the laminate will squeak as you walk across it.

The biggest issue is when water is repeatedly applied to the seams they swell and lift, causing one ugly looking floor and permanent damage.

LVT, on the other hand, is a heavy duty vinyl floor, produced in individual tiles or planks. Think of it as a laminate floor without the major issues that water and moisture cause.

LVT products are generally made of highly moisture resistant PVC or virgin vinyl. This results in a floor that is easy to maintain and clean, highly durable and easy to install. An LVT can be fully glued down, or installed with glue less self-locking edge just like a laminate.

Laminate flooring and LVT are similar in that both have cost and durability advantages over such other solid-surface flooring choices as hardwood, ceramic or stone. Both imitate natural surfaces like wood or stone – or other flooring types for that matter.

Both are easier to maintain than wood or tile. For example, hardwood or engineered-wood floors may need refinishing, and some tile types may need resealing or re-grouting. Both can allow for repair by replacement of a damaged plank or tile. Both have wear layers. LVT may have a clear-vinyl and urethane coating to protect it.

LVT and laminate flooring: The differences:
They’re made out of different materials. Laminate flooring is made of layers.

The primary layer (the core) is made of high-density fibreboard (HFD). This gives laminate flooring its rigidity and strength. LVT is made in layers as well; its primary component is PVC vinyl, which makes LVT dimensionally stable and flexible.

They install differently. Laminate flooring is a floating-floor system that should never be nailed or glued to the subfloor. Some LVT products now offer a floating-floor approach to installation.

LVT installs traditionally as a glue-down system by the application of a separate adhesive or the use of peel-and-stick tiles or planks. They feel different. Because laminate flooring is made primarily from wood, it feels like wood. LVT is made out of vinyl and it feels like plastic.

They handle stains and flame differently. Laminate flooring is highly stain-resistant and will not be damaged by limited flame exposure, like a hot ember tossed through a fireplace screen. Some LVT is very susceptible to staining and will be damaged by limited flame exposure.

Contract Flooring Journal


Simple Steps to Toilet Train Your Puppy

Toilet training your puppy should be quite a simple process, as long as you take the time and trouble to get into a good routine. Initially, you will have to build your routine around your puppy’s needs, and these are reliably predictable when they are very young. Puppies need to urinate immediately after waking up, so you need to be there to take your puppy straight into the garden without any delay.

Eating its meal stimulates its digestive system, and puppies normally urinate within fifteen minutes of eating, and defecate within half an hour of eating (although this might vary slightly with each individual). Puppies have very poor bladder control, and need to urinate at least every hour or two. They can urinate spontaneously when they get excited, so take your puppy out frequently if it has been active, playing or exploring.

You may find it useful to keep a record of when your puppy eats sleeps, urinates and defecates. A simple diary list will do. Repeat cue words like ‘wee wees’ and ‘poo poos’ or ‘be busy’ and ‘be clean’ while the puppy is actually urinating or defecating. Use different words for each action so that you will be able to prompt the puppy later on.

Always go with your puppy into the garden so you are there to reward and attach the cue words to the successful actions! Fortunately, puppies are creatures of habit, so as long as you introduce the garden to your puppy as its toilet area early on, you should be able to avoid most of the common pitfalls.

Unfortunately there are many reasons why ‘toilet training’ might not go as smoothly as it could, so make sure you do not make any of the following mistakes:

  • Over-feeding.
  • Feeding an unsuitable diet or giving a variety of foods.
  • Not feeding at regular times.
  • Feeding at the wrong times (which could cause overnight defecation).
  • Punishing the puppy for its indoor accidents (which can make it scared of toileting in front of you – even outside).
  • Feeding salty foods (e.g. stock from cubes) which makes them drink more.
  • Using ammonia based cleaning compounds (which smell similar to urine).
  • Expecting the puppy to tell you when it needs to go out; this is unrealistic, so it is better to take them out at regular intervals.
  • Leaving the back door open for the puppy to come and go as it pleases (a puppy will think that the garden is an adventure playground, rather than a toilet area. Also, what is a puppy meant to
  • do when the weather gets cold, and it is faced with a closed back door?).
  • Leaving the puppy on its own too long, so that it is forced to go indoors (which sets a bad precedent, or even a habit of going indoors).
  • Mistakenly associating the words ‘good girl’ or ‘good boy’ when they toilet, as opposed to the specific cue words. Guess what could happen the next time you praise your dog?
  • Access to rugs or carpet (which are nice and absorbent – just like grass).
  • Laziness on your part, resulting in more wees indoors than outdoors.
  • Leaving the puppy alone in the garden, so you are not there to reward it for going outdoors… how is it meant to learn that it is more popular and advantageous going outdoors, if you are not there to show your approval?
  • It is unfair to expect your puppy to go right through the night when it is very young.
  • Sleeping the puppy in a crate or puppy pen can help with house training but you should let it out in the garden to relieve itself during the night.

Watch The BBC series 10 Puppies and Us to find out how new puppy Maple gets on with toilet training!

Having a flooring which easy to clean and does not absorb moisture due to the double laminated wear layer is of great benefit during these times. Fortunately ‘Floors for Paws’ offers all of this along with style and durability.

Flooring Safety for your Dog

Flooring Safety for your dog and home

It might sound crazy but it’s not uncommon for dogs to require major surgery following an injury caused by simply slipping on smooth flooring at home. The most common injuries are bruises, pulled muscles and torn ligaments however serious bone and hip injuries can also occur. If your dog is young and excitable they are more likely to receive injuries many of which can affect them throughout their lives and cause problems such as arthritis in later years.

Fortunately there are several things we can do to ensure our homes are as safe as possible for our four legged family members:

1. Keep your dogs nails short – overgrown nails and toe fur can contribute to a dogs difficulty maintaining good contact with smooth surfaces and increase the likelihood of slipping

2. Keep your dog in shape – if your dog is a healthy weight there will be less pressure on his joints and walking will be easier. Feeding your dog a healthy diet of wholesome
nutritious food and taking them for regular exercise is essential for your dogs well being

3. Dry paw pads are often a cause for dogs having traction and slipping issues, unprotected contact with hot pavements, snow and sand can lead to the development of dry paw pads. When
the skin is overly dry it lacks the capability to grip and causes paws to slide across smooth surfaces. There are many pad moisturisers specifically designed for dried out paws now
on the market.

4. There are a number of products on the market which can make it easier for your pet to walk on slippery surfaces. Non-slip dog socks are an idea solution; they provide traction to
prevent slipping and ideal for older dogs who suffer from arthritis or hip dysplasia. If your dog will not keep socks on then there are self adhesive traction pads which can be
stuck directly onto your dogs paws.

5. Adding carpet runners or rugs to areas where your dogs spend a lot of time could be another solution; however please make sure rugs and runners are secured properly to avoid an
entirely new form of slipping!

Which Flooring do I choose ?

Flooring not only takes the brunt of our everyday activities they are also the starting place of our interior scheme; flooring can dictate the entire decor of a room. There is a lot of pressure to find the right flooring for your house this coupled with the vast amount of choice on the market can make it a minefield. Below we have listed some pros and cons of different flooring types.

Hardwood Flooring: Easy to maintain, long lasting, adds value to property — Noisy, expensive, prone to water damage, needs refinishing periodically, slippery

Carpet Flooring: Warm, non-slip, absorbs noise, soft, lots of design options — High level of maintenance (especially with pets), susceptible to allergens (dust mites, pet dander), prone to wear and tear

Bamboo Flooring: Durable, more affordable than hardwood, very sustainable product — Scratches easily, prone to water damage

Cork Flooring: Soft and warm underfoot, absorbs sound, very sustainable product — Discolours when exposed to sunlight, absorbs water, can be indented by heavy furniture

Laminate Flooring: Easy to install, affordable, easy to maintain, snap together — Slippery, short life, susceptible to water

Stone: East to maintain, long lasting, extremely durable, doesn’t date — Cold and Hard, unforgiving, slippery (especially when wet)

Vinyl: Affordable, good choice of designs, easy to install and clean — Colour fades in sunlight, made from non renewable materials, water spills can cause mildew

Floors for Paws – Pros

  • 25 year domestic warranty
  • 15 year commercial warranty
  • Exclusive scratch resistant double wear layer
  • Factory finished (no polish needed after installation)
  • Easy to clean and maintain
  • Free of harmful phthalate plasticizers: DOP, BBP, DBP, DnOP, DINP, DIDP
  • Deep grain anti-slip texture
  • Affordable
  • Child and Dog Friendly
  • 10% of every sale donated to the Dogs Trust

Cons

  • You may not stop at one room!