Hello DIY buffs and decorating professionals! Welcome to May’s edition of The Daily Grind – your place to pick up smart flooring ideas, inspiration and tips from the Mr Sander®.

This month: discover some truly “out there” flooring designs, take a closer look at ebony wood, get inspired by contemporary designs and find out which forms of flooring are truly “Fido-friendly”.

15 Mindblowing Creative Floors

A professionally finished real wood floor may look drop dead gorgeous, but there’s a whole world of “off the wall” flooring out there, turning everyday surfaces into works of kooky art.

This amazing blog from Web Urbanist shares 15 of the most striking, mind-bending and just plain amazing floors the web has to offer; from optical illusion flooring, to interactive, illuminated floors.

Which one of these weird and wonderful floors could you handle in your home, or do you prefer a more traditional approach? Share your opinion with other readers in the comments section below.

The 4 Best Floors for Homes With Pets

They may be fluffy, adorable and win you lots of likes on Instagram, but your pets aren’t always best friends with your flooring. From scratching it up and covering it with fur, to leaving a mess of muddy footprints – pets are bad news for most floors.

If you’re looking for a surface which will cope will with the stress of a house pet, this blog from Crafty Modster has some ideas and tips well worth considering.

Contemporary Design to Inspire Your Flooring

Whether you’re planning to strip back your real wood flooring, apply a brand new stain or try a totally new look, this fabulous post from Armstrong‘s Floor Board Blog is full of cool, contemporary design ideas, seen through the eyes of a flooring expert! From mixing your mediums, to using light and dark features to create contrast; there’s lots of inspiration you can take from this post and apply to your revamp. Which is your favourite look?

Ebony Wood: A Closer Look

Searching for something a little bit special for your new flooring? If you want to do more than sand back and re-varnish, this blog all about ebony wood could give you all the inspiration you need to create a completely unique living space. This very dark real wood is a serious style statement. Wood N’ Beyond‘s blog will explain all of its pros, cons and characteristics for you.

Do you like the ebony wood look? Which is your favourite contemporary flooring style? Share your picks and opinions with other readers below.

Some Useful Links:

• Floor Sanding Services
• School Floor Sanding
• Wood Floor Restorations
• Wood Floor Repairs
• Wood Floor Polishing

More from our Blog:

Daily Grind – June: Eco-Friendly Varnish & Stunning Parquet Daily Grind – July: Walnut Floors & Flooring Mistakes

Daily Grind – August: Vintage Wood & Chevron Floors Daily Grind – September: Dementia-Friendly Design & Kitchen Floors Daily Grind – October: Rustic Wood & Family-Friendly Floors

Daily Grind – December: Festive Floors & Crucial Questions