I love hardwood floors but we have a very active young Golden Retriever and this dog can grow to be 70 pounds. What are some of the concerns that I should have for choosing the right hardwood floors for pets?
This is one of the most common questions we hear from families with pets, especially large dogs. The truth with pets urine (while it is acidic) is it is similar to spilling a glass of orange juice. This alone will not cause damage to your hardwood flooring if cleaned up promptly. Hardwood flooring is built to be lived on and slow wear and tear is not only inevitable, it should be expected.
Scratches and dents will accumulate on the surface of your wood floors over time. These slowly become a character of your home and a reminder of the experiences shared inside. With that being said, there are ways to reduce the visibility and preserve your perfect floors before and after the installation.
It is the homeowner’s responsibility to research what type of flooring is best suited for their family. When selecting hardwood flooring, it is important to consider several factors that will affect the wear of your hardwood. These include the Finish, Hardness, Color, and Texture:
Finish:
The finish serves as a protective layer over or within the hardwood. When choosing a finish, consider a matte finish which will reflect less light making small scratches nearly undetectable.
Hardness:
Hardness, also known as Janka Rating, is the most over-rated property in hardwood floors. High Janka Rating wood flooring will dramatically reduce dents created by 70+ pound dog nails, but it is far less likely to have any effect on preventing scratches on the surface.
Texture:
Wood flooring is available in hand-scraped and wire-brushed textures creating a distressed natural look. When choosing a softer wood species, texture might make the relatively lower Janka Rating irrelevant. Let’s face it, if you get a dent on a rough-looking floor it will blend right in.
Color:
Natural-colored flooring will hide scratches more than stained hardwood. When deep scratches occur, they may get through the finish into the bare wood. If your stain is a dramatically different color than the natural wood color, it will stick out like a sore thumb.
After 15-20 years of residential use, your wood flooring might be beginning to show its age. The good news is that most quality hardwood floors offer sand-able wear layers so you will be able to restore your wood floors to brand new. Just call your local hardwood flooring store and they will be able to sand and finish your flooring to make it look brand new.
For additional information on protecting your hardwood floors check out our Maintenance Hacks.