Let’s face it, having a dog is a joy but it has its hardships too! A dog can destroy your house!
My friend has a very active German shepherd. She just did her floors. She was so excited to get prefinished wood floors in charcoal gray. I told her it was not a good idea because the wood would not hold up to the wear of her dog. She decided not to listen to me. Within a month there were visible dents on her wood floors. Dogs have claws no matter how small they are! They will almost always show on a wood floor!
Homeowners often don’t take their pets or small children into account when doing renovations and end up paying for their mistakes down the road. Even if your heart is set on a particular floor, it may not be a good idea. Similarly, you get the wrong couch and it looks awful really fast if it is used a scratching post by your cats!
Flooring Options
When thinking of what type of floor to do when you have furry friend, hardwood floors are ok in areas where they will be less likely to be. In a living room and dining room, your dog may probably be there less so hardwood floors will be ok.
In places like a hallway or foyer, it is best to have tile, vinyl or linoleum. Tiles, linoleum and vinyl will not get scratched or scuffed like wood floors. Dog claws are harmless to these types of floors. Some dogs get excited when the doorbell rings. You want to make sure that any of the areas where your dog will spend time and run around should not be hardwood floors.
When I told my friend not to get prefinished hardwood floors, she went on and on about how the finish on prefinished floors is very indestructible. This is entirely true. But, the wood is not very durable at all. It is soft and prone to dents.
She is angry now that she has dents and gouges in her new wood floors. The wood is just too soft. Now her wood floors look really old even though they are new and she cannot do anything about it unless she wants to rip up her floors and put down tile or get rid of her dog. Not only that, her prefinished floors will be very tricky to touch up.
Continue reading on if you have a dog and really want a wood floor!