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Choosing the right flooring for your home or investment property is especially important if you have kids or pets or it’s likely your tenants will at some point in the future. Kids and furry family members are the things that make a house a home but they can also be quite punishing when it comes to wear, tear and soiling of household floors. It can have a costly outcome if you don’t choose flooring that’s durable and resistant to the kind of wear and tear you can expect from a busy family household.
Some important criteria for choosing family (and pet) friendly flooring:
Safety
Durability
Comfort
Easy clean/maintenance
Stain resistance
Wear resistance
Scratch resistance
Water resistance
These are some of the best, most durable and family-friendly flooring products especially suited to busy households with little feet and paws.
Carpet
The cushioning properties of carpet, it’s softness underfoot and it’s natural sound-absorbing & insulating qualities make it a great choice if you have kids running around the house. It will keep little ones warm, it’s cosy and soft underfoot and when it comes to the inevitable spills and falls kids have around the home from time to time, it also offers more padding to help prevent injury. It’s a particularly good option for staircases where slip and fall accidents can be more common, as well as for kids’ bedrooms – providing the softness, warmth and insulation that are ideal for kids’ sleeping spaces.
Remember that lighter toned carpet will show up dirt more quickly and easily so you may prefer to choose a darker, more forgiving colour. That said, carpets like the Eco Plus Carpet Collection are truly worry free, family friendly options, proving incredible durability, stain protection, wear and fade resistance, with a Lifetime Pet Guarantee and Lifetime Wear Resistance Warranty for complete peace of mind. Explore the Eco Plus Carpet Collection here.
Carpet can harbour dust and allergens so if you have children that suffer from asthma or allergies, you might consider other, low-allergy flooring options. Ideally carpet should be vacuumed weekly to keep dust and dirt at bay, with a deep carpet cleaning every 12–18 months.
More> Find out more about how to care for carpet?
Vinyl Tile and Plank
Vinyl is another great family-friendly flooring choice. It’s incredibly durable, easy to clean and maintain, taking the worry out of the inevitable spills, marks and accidents that happen on a routine basis when you have kids and pets. Some of the characteristics of vinyl that make it so suitable for busy family households are its water and stain resistance combined with its extreme durability. It’s very difficult to rip, tear, or damage vinyl flooring. Vinyl plank flooring is also very stylish, comes in a wide range of textures, colours and tones and is much more affordable than timber flooring.
Vinyl doesn’t quite have the same cushioning properties of carpet but it still offers a much softer surface underfoot than hardwood, concrete or tile floors. Vinyl Plank & Tile flooring is extremely popular because of its impressive timber-like appearance that comes with all the practical benefits of vinyl at a fraction of the cost. It’s also a great option for children who suffer from asthma or allergens.
More > How do I care for vinyl?
Laminate
Water and scratch resistant laminate, with the warm, timbered look of hardwood flooring but without the price tag, is another great flooring option for families with kids. Laminate floors are easy to clean and their scratch resistance makes them especially suitable and appealing if you share your home with furry friends.
Laminate is another good option for children who suffer from allergies – dirt, pollen, dust and hair can’t penetrate the surface and it’s easy-clean properties mean it’s easier and quicker to clean away surface allergens. Explore laminate flooring options and styles. Laminate flooring is also relatively easy to install – it’s a floating floor so it can be installed over most sub-floors.
More > The top 6 benefits of laminate flooring
Environmentally Friendly Cork
Cork is a very sustainable flooring option that’s kinder to the environment than other types of flooring can be. Unlike all other trees, the stripping of this bark does not kill the tree: it continues to grow back. Cork is also soft underfoot, has a warm, organic look and feel and it also has anti-microbial properties, naturally repelling mold growth. Dirt and dust won’t accumulate on cork either – it’s anti-static, making it an allergy-friendly flooring choice all round.
Installation should be left to the professionals – a polyurethane topcoat will protect the floors from minor spills and the floor should be resealed every few years to protect against moisture.
Carpet One’s engineered cork flooring options come with a generous 25 year wear warranty and Microban Antibacterial Treatment.
More > Make your home more eco-friendly
Considering new flooring options for your home, office or rental property? Contact your local Carpet One store to get expert flooring advice tailored to your needs.
