4 Pet Friendly Bedroom Flooring Options

The bedroom is a place for relaxation and rejuvenation. The flooring has to be the same! When you walk barefoot in your bedroom, you want the floor to feel comfortable, plush and soft. Although carpeting meets these criteria, it is a nightmare choice if you have pets. Carpet fibres are reservoirs for germs, dust mites and pet dander. This can wreak havoc with your health and hygiene. 

So if you have pets and want a better, more softer flooring for your bedroom, consider the following floor materials: 

Natural Stone

 
This material is made from mountains. It is perhaps the strongest flooring materials around. When stone is in its original and gauged state, it is immune to cracks and scratches. Polished stones such as marble or Limestone Tiles are highly susceptible to pet clawing. So if you have pets, stones such as granite, slate and travertine are the best options for your bedroom. 

To make your bedroom feel cozier, you can install an underfloor heating system. This way you can do away with area rugs and throw rugs.

Vinyl

 
This is an extremely durable, scratch, germ and stain resistant material. Vinyl is manufactured, meaning it is not natural. It resembles a plastic coating but on your floor. Vinyl surfaces are easier to clean and tidy, especially after a pet mess. It will not cause staining or residues. Although vinyl isn’t a common choice for bedroom floors, there are many patterns and natural-looking designs that you can opt for. Combined with their inexpensiveness, vinyl floors can suit any home.

Laminates

Laminate floors consist of an invisible top wear layer atop a decorative layer. This top surface is very durable and although it does wear down with time, it is an impervious shield to pet accident stains and scratches. In addition, laminate floors can be made to mimic a wide range of natural materials such as wood, stone and ceramics. This means you can opt for sophistication without worrying about maintenance or pet damage.

Ceramic Tile

Ceramic floors are a hassle-free option for pet owners. They have a glazed surface that is hard and won’t stain, break, crack or scratch. It is also easy to mop after messes and far easier to sanitize afterwards. The only issue you might experience is your pet is over exuberant, he may quickly lose traction and skid across the tile floor. However, this can be minimized by opting for smaller sized tiles with more grout lines. 

Ceramic tiles can also be cut and printed to mimic other natural materials. The tile surface is cold, but much like natural stone, you can install radiant heating underneath to create warmth and coziness in your bedroom. 

Having a pet-friendly bedroom floor will save you money on maintenance and after care, not to mention prolong the life of your floors.

To view our extensive collection of pet-friendly floors, please visit Elegant Granites.

Top 6 Factors that Govern the Price of Indian Limestone Slab

Limestone was the go-to stone material in the medieval period. Over the course of time, Indian limestone slabs have been pushed to oblivion by easily machined marbles and quartzite stones. But even today, Indian limestone slabs are equally preferred as countertops. Limestone is a light and sturdy building material in the natural stone category.

So, if you are looking for a countertop material made of stone, give limestone slabs a shot. From the pricing point of view, here are 6 factors that determine the range in the market.

   1. Limestone variety

One of the major factor that decides the quality of limestone countertops is its age and the location of mining. The pricing can vary.

They are classified as:

• North Indian limestones
• South Indian limestones

The two varieties are distinct by virtue of their colour and texture. The South Indian limestones are comparatively costlier than their counterpart.
   
   2. Age of the stone

Older the rock, higher will be its pricing. The older limestone slabs have encountered the abrasive forces of nature, and hence are likely to be more rigid and sturdy. Indian limestone slabs used to make countertops for kitchen are exclusively quarried from deposits that are at least 2 million years old.

    3. Colour of limestone

White limestone is costlier than the greys and the beige ones. Indian limestone slabs used in countertops are usually fader shades of cream and grey. Pure white slabs are hard to extract and maintain as far as cleanliness is concerned.

    4. Purity of the stones

Limestone is subjected to corrosion and exposure to impurities in the course of its formation into a solid stone. Indian limestone slabs used in kitchen countertops have a distinct presence of impurities that give them the kind of look all designers love.

The common impurities found in the slabs are:

• Silica
• Alumina
• Iron
• Phosphorus
• Sulphur
• Arsenic
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Fluorine
• Moisture

The impurities are present in the form of oxides, hydroxides and crystalline structures which could lead to deformation of the limestone slab countertop if not checked for concentration in the beginning.

    5. Type of finish

Yes, finishing is a significant factor when limestones are put for installation. Depending on the kind of structure they are going to be cut into, the Indian limestones slabs feature the following finishes:

• Polished
• Honed
• Bush-hammered

Polished surfaces are costlier than the other two on account of higher reflection quality and glossy surface. Moreover, they are protected by a coating of sealing to prevent staining from oil, dirt, fluids and fingerprints.

    6. The packaging

Overall pricing is decided on the basis of intricate art work, uniformity of shade and thickness of the limestone slabs. Thicker the slab, higher is the quoted price. Thicker slabs are preferred because of their superior structural balance.
Ideal for modular kitchen because of buff texture, Indian limestone countertops is a non-conventional alternative to richly coloured quartzite, slates and marble varieties.