5 Ideas for Pet-Friendly Floors Change your flooring before you think about getting rid of Fido.

Sharing your home with a pet doesn’t have to mean settling for stained and trampled carpets or scratched up wood floors. According to the experts at Empiertoday.com, your pooch or kitty can live in harmony with stylish flooring. Read this before you start your next remodel. Here’s how:

1. Use an Oil or Wax Finish (Wood Floors)

Polyurethane finishes can be slippery for paws, which may inspire a tendency for furry friends to use their claws for traction. Oil finishes work just as hard for your floor with less slippage-potential for your pet. Waxing floors also works well, providing a nice sheen with minimal slickness. This trick is great for pets and in high traffic areas of the home.

2. Try High-End Linoleum Tiles

If you think the word “linoleum” is synonymous with “tacky,” you’re in for a pleasant surprise. You will no longer think to yourself that linoleum is ugly and old. Just as durable and essentially scratch-proof, today’s linoleum options have little else in common with those in your childhood home’s basement. Look for sustainable, design-conscious brands like Armstrong Flooring for sturdy, pet-proof tiles attractive enough for literally any room. Say goodbye to tacky and let’s start looking luxury. Most places you have been this last month have linoleum and you didn’t even know it.

3. Never Underestimate an Area Rug

Pets and carpeting can be a disastrous (or at the very least, messy) combination. But well-placed rugs in highly trafficked areas can extend the life of a newly refinished floor. Keep area rugs in place with carpet matting, and consider customizable options like FLOR carpet tiles, which come in a wide variety of colors and patterns and adhere to each other to stay in place.

4. Scratch-Proof the Stairs

It’s nearly impossible to keep carpeting on stairs from showing its wear and tear. Instead, forgo the wall-to-wall for attractive stair treads—you can even get them in prefinished hardwood. ReadyMade suggests stairtread.com for a selection of styles and installation instructions.

5. Keep Furry Companions’ Claws Clipped

It may sound obvious, but the best way to prevent your favorite canine or feline from scratching up your floors is to make frequent use of the nail clippers. If your pet finds pedicures to be more torture than pampering, most vets and groomers will perform the service on a regular basis quickly, safely and inexpensively.