Many times, homeowners who are also pet owners may be wary of having hardwood floors in their homes. However, if you choose the right wood species and finish, you’ll be able to enjoy hardwood flooring and your pets without stress. If you’re thinking about wood floors, we recommend starting with a hard-species wood then following with a durable finish. This will help your floors stay in great shape. Here are some of our recommendations for pet owners.
Wood Species
Hardwood flooring is available in many different species. Various trees, or wood species, have different characteristics. The two most important ones to consider if you have pets are the hardness of the wood and the grain pattern. These are important because the harder the wood, the less likely the pet will be able to scratch the wood. The reason the grain pattern is important because when flooring does get scratched, wood with higher grain will show fewer scratches.
Wood species are rated on the Janka scale of hardness. A few of the harder woods we recommend for hardwood floors in homes with pets or in high-wear environments include:
- Brazilian Walnut
- Oak
- Santos Mahogany
- Maple
- Hickory
Some flooring companies may also recommend bamboo; however, we’re not fans of bamboo for many reasons. If you’d like to read more about why, click here.
Finish
Once you have decided on a wood species for your flooring, you will want to consider the color stain and the finish of your flooring. We remind homeowners that the darker the stain you choose, the more easily scratches (and pet hair) will show. When it comes to a topcoat, or finish, you may want to consider an oil-based polyurethane for durability. This type of finish does give off a lot of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), so you’ll want to be out of your home for a few days while the finish cures. If you prefer a water-based polyurethane finish instead, you may want to plan for four or five coats with appropriate drying time in between.
Are There Other Options?
If you truly want hardwood flooring but want to bypass the time involved in allowing a finish to dry, consider a pre-finished hardwood floor instead. If the look is more important to you than the material of the flooring, we often recommend luxury vinyl plank (LVP). Today’s LVP comes in many different finishes and is virtually scratch resistant. As an added bonus, it’s also highly water resistant which makes cleaning up pet messes easy.
Trust Seer Flooring with Your Flooring Needs
As a locally owned and operated flooring company, we have the expertise to help you choose the right material and finish for your family and lifestyle, pet or no pet. Call us today for your free in-home estimate at (941) 242-7337. We offer our services from Sarasota through Pinellas County.