How To Select the Best Hardwood Floors for Dogs and Families
Choose a Less Shiny Sheen will Help
“We recommend our dog-friendly finish for families with dogs and traffic,” says Greg Gaylord, owner at Gaylord Hardwood Flooring. “It has a lower sheen so it helps to hide the dents and scratches that pets and dogs can put on your floor.” The combination of today’s high-power pot lights and a glossy floor can magnify every dent and scratch.
Because the dog-friendly finish isn’t as shiny as a normal finish, it helps to visually hide the fine marks that dogs claws can leave on wood flooring over time. The lower sheen of the dog-friendly finish has another important benefit – it can reduce the time you spend cleaning your new floor. A lower-gloss finish makes pet hair and dirt less visible. If you can’t see it, you don’t have to clean it. Right?
If you dream of having dark hardwood floors, you probably know that they can make dirt, scratches and dog hair more obvious. Tone down these issues by choosing the dog-friendly finish. “If you are going to go with a dark floor, choosing a lower-gloss finish can reduce the appearance of scratches and dents,” notes Gaylord. There is no such thing as "scratch proof wood flooring", however, choosing a lower gloss will definitely get you a wood floor that appears scratch resistant.
Purchase Hard Flooring on the Janka Scale
When choosing the best hardwood floors for dogs, you should also look for hardwood flooring with a high Janka rating. The Janka Hardness Scale measures a wood’s resistance to dents. In other words, the higher the Janka rating, the more the wood will handle high pressure, such as a high heal shoe. Another option when seeking the best hardwood floors for dogs is distressed wood.
“Distressed wood is great for pet owners because a dent or a scratch doesn’t detract from its beauty,” says Gaylord. “Before the hardwood is stained and finished, we distress it with a steel brush. We scrape out the softer fibres of the wood grain, leaving the textured, harder grain. Paired with the dog-friendly finish, it makes dents and scratches almost disappear.”
Choose our Dog Friendly Finish Flooring
Gaylord Hardwood Flooring’s dog-friendly finish is covered by the same finish guarantee as our regular-gloss finish. We guarantee to the original purchaser that the finish won’t wear through or separate from the wood for a full 40 years under normal residential traffic conditions. We also guarantee the finish against manufacturing defects and flaws in the applications. When visiting our showroom, be sure to ask our sales experts about choosing the best hardwood floors for dogs.
