Our cats are jerks. They’ve destroyed the black and white striped rugs in the basement.
Violet pees on them, Mabel poops, and Kili throws up. It’s quite the trio we have! (Jerks.) Mercifully, they’ve left the rest of the house alone. I assume that because their litter boxes are down there, they view the entire basement as free reign. We tried our best to salvage the rugs, cleaning them and dousing them in dubious pet stain removers, but they’re a lost cause at this point. We considered having them professionally cleaned as a last resort, but the rugs were cheap, the cleaning would cost nearly as much as new ones, and it would be a lost cause anyway.
The basement floor is painted concrete, so I’d like to still have rugs down there, but we need something indestructible. Either carpet tiles that can be removed for washing (or replaced), or an outdoor rug that can be scrubbed and hosed down every so often. Here are some that I’m considering.
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Parallel Beauty Carpet Tiles
Probably my favorite of the bunch, especially for the play room side of the basement. They’re graded for contract use, so they should hold up, but I’m not sure. I may need to go check these out in person. -
Trimaran Stripe Indoor/Outdoor Rug
Neutral, safe. Not bad, but not terribly exiting or inspired. -
Chevron Stripe Indoor/Outdoor Rug
The lease expensive option, but I wonder if I’m over bringing more chevron into the house. We already have a zigzag rug in the living room. -
Kitchen Sink Indoor/Outdoor Rug
I like this one a lot, up close, but I’m not sure about it from farther back. -
Negril Indoor/Outdoor Rug
I like that the pink is so prominent, but I don’t think the colors would play well with the basement’s olive green floor.
I have #2, i waited months for the largest size to become available. We have two jerky cats that are pissed (can’t resist a bad pun) about our newest baby, a 6 mo old boy, and any stray cat they see walk by a window.
We too have tried everything, but some cats are just pissy (sorry). But we had to get at least one big rug for tummy time etc. So far we love the rug, my boy just barfed up at least 3 ounces on it the other day and it wiped right up, I didn’t even have to get out my Bissell Little Green (which is great for hairballs on furniture and the gallons of coffee my husband manages to spill all over the car seats).
You’re right, the grey and white one is not inspiring, but I think I’m so overwhelmed with all the bright primary color toys that have invaded our home i needed a neutral, but your other Dash and Ablert options seem more your style.
One more thing, I ordered my rug from http://rugs.rugstudio.com/nav/br/Dash%20and%20Albert/0 and had a good experience, it’s free shipping vs Dash and Albert’s home site. Can’t wait to see what you pick!
Thanks, the free shipping is a good deal. And yeah, I tend to go for the more colorful, patterned options, but the neutral stripes are so nice.
Sorry to hear about the kitty rug retaliation, seems to be the case all too often for cat parents, eh? I love the options you’ve put together, especially #1.
In my own quest for a cat-proof floor covering, I ended up with a massive Chilewich rug which has been great for the last few years. I have hardwood floors and the rubber non-slip back is great especially for late night acrobatic kitty crazies. In the unusual event of cat sickness or more frequently, clumsy house guests who spill their wine of coffee, the rug is super easy to clean up!
Really looking forward to seeing what you guys pick out as a new floor covering for the basement!
I love Chilewich — it’s just a little more than we can spend on the basement right now. Good to know that it has held up well for you though!
OOOH love these choices! Hmmm, they’re all so lovely. I also love the chevron but wonder how much is too much you know? Oh fun. Can’t wait to see what you choose.
Oh, those Flor tiles are divine! I’ve had Flor down at my shop and it’s sadly seen puppy accidents, candle wax spills, walked on gum and much more. I’ve been able to get all of that out simply and easily and I’d buy their products again in a heartbeat. Can’t wait to see what you pick.
We have Flor in the dining room and like it. I just wonder if it’s the best choice for a rug that we don’t really check up on everyday, since we’re not down there everyday.
I really like your selection! Especially on #1, the association of colours looks great.
Love the first one! The colors are so fun and carpet tiles are easy to clean. Great choice!
While I love rug #3, I want to share with you a cat tip.
We had the same problem with our cat, Molly. Her litter box was tucked away in the basement corner but anywhere in that same room she liked to “claim her territory” it seemed. One day we tried something new. We cleaned the rug, but then we got spray cat nip, and it became her favorite spot to just lounge instead of pee on. And she on went potty in her liter box.
Maybe something for you to try with your new rug, so then you won’t have to clean it as much.
It’s worth a shot. I think that may be the only thing we haven’t tried yet.
I think a chevron stripe rug in grey or blue would look great! Good luck!
Why does it “kill” me that you call $200 cheap??? Please do NOT insult your readers!!
Not that $200 is nothing, but for a 100% wool rug, that is cheap.
I don’t think that is an insulting comment, just reality
i soooooo feel your pain. we spent $1000 to FLOR tile our basement only to have the floor become a giant litterbox. i really truly think it’s something about the rubber backing on the FLOR tiles that is enticing for cats to pee on … we had the same problem with the FLOR tiles we used by our front/back doors and the kitchen. booo. they DID clean up really well the first 10 or so times, but eventually all the vinegar baths and enzyme solutions ended up breaking down the rubber backing and then the scent really clung on. they just weren’t the same. we finally threw all the affected ones out and are trying to plan our next rug move, too … i’ll wait to see what you do! ;)
My niece also had this problem with her cat. The vet suggested prozac. My niece said “putting a cat on prozac is ridiculous”, then she and her husband bought a new house, and the cat was peeing everywhere…so they put him on prozac. Ta DA! problem solved. Cat no longer pees anywhere except the litter box.
In my house, our two jerks totally ruined a hooked carpet within 2 hours of its arrival in our living room. I kid you not. Sigh. We do love our boys…but really?
I second the prozac. I think for some cats, its a great solution! It stopped my cat from peeing immediately.
Also? try “Cat Attract” kitty litter. It’s a litter that is scented with something enticing so that your cats won’t want to go anywhere else.
I happened to see this online and thought it was kind of good looking….i like the black one. Walmart is not the most acceptable store but for another possible throw away rug……
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Safavieh-Courtyard-Sutton-Outdoor-Rug/16652290
I love the parallel carpet, and misread: instead of “I may need to go check these out in person,” I saw, “I may need to go check these out in PRISON.” Which is an interesting thought, actually. Whatever works in prison would certainly survive kitty abuse, right?
After reading all the cat troubles people have I had to give my 17 year old Starbuck a hug. She is a litter box using champ! I do wake up occasionally to her hacking up a fur ball though. But bonus! The dog thinks the fur balls are a special delicacy just for him and he cleans them up before any staining occurs.
I just bought a polypropylene black and white chevron rug for the living room with the thought that it will be easy to keep clean. I was surprised that it looked OK (obviously not wool but like one of the nylon ones you’d get at a big box store). The dog got into something and has diarrhea this week (a situation I would not wish on my worst enemy) and I rolled up the rug and put it away instead of chancing it.
Good luck in your rug/pet balancing quest!
beautiful design
These are a lot of great rugs. I really like the idea of the stripes and colors. remodeling my home like this will be great.
I love #1. Seems very you :-)
I love #1 the colors would look great with your floor. I’ve had a black and white striped rug before and both of
my kids said it hurt their eyes and made them feel sick. I wish my cat would use the floor or rug, instead she always goes in my bed when she’s in a “mood”. If you haven’t tried Pureayre yet give it a try, it is the ONLY product I have found that actually gets the smell of cat urine out. In your case sometimes multiple cats do better with multiple litter boxes. You may like the design of the new Modkat litter box, it’s pricey but attractive and so far my cat hasn’t used the bed since I bought it. Can’t wait to see your new floor.
We have carpet tiles in our living room and a dog who thought pottying on it once the baby came was a good idea.
Here is why I wouldn’t go the carpet tile route. If they pee on the corner, you’re forced to pull up 4 titles instead of just one. And if the pee gets between where the two tiles meet, you risk it getting to the concrete and staining the paint (I’m sure you know pee will take away color of your basement paint). We also made the mistake of getting a dark color and finding the pee randomly because we couldn’t see it. Ew.
We have dash and albert in front of our kitchen sink and spray it off every so often. Love that idea for the basement.
Just my 2 cents!
Oh yeah, we used Flor.
My dog has done the same thing to the rug in my living room (annoying!). Thank god it was a cheap one from Ikea – even though I really did love it. It’s so embarrassing though! But you totally gave me the great idea of replacing it with an outdoor rug. Brilliant!
I was just wondering what it would actually cost to have the rugs cleaned? I just had our giant 9×12 PB rug cleaned for $60. He hauled it away and got it back to me a week later. Now, we do live in the sticks (temporarily, I hope), and it would be more in Chicago, but those rugs are $299 at Ikea right now, and it can’t be equal to that.
But if you really need to replace them, No. 1 is awesome!