Pets and Flooring

Many potential flooring customers come in the store looking for something that hold up well with their pets. Asking a few questions will help determine what the best flooring is for their personal situation.

What type of pets?
Dogs? If so, what size and how active are they?
Cats?
What are the concerns?
Scratching?
Accidents?
How long would the customers like the floor to last?
Are the customers looking for a cheap/inexpensive floor?
What type of sub-floor are they going over?

The good news is there are flooring options for pets in all categories... Here is some of our best flooring for pets and why one choice may be made over another:
Solid Hardwood - Although the finish on all hardwood can be scratched by pets, the wood hardness (Janka) varies per species. The harder species will still allow the finish to scratch, but will not be as easy to actually scratch/dig into the wood. Solid hardwood can be re-finished multiple times over the life of your flooring. Most of the solid hardwoods must be nailed down, our Reclamation Plank can also be floated.

Engineered Hardwood - Although the finish on all hardwood can be scratched by pets, the wood hardness (Janka) varies per species. The harder species will still allow the finish to scratch, but will not be as easy to actually scratch/dig into the wood. Engineered hardwood is typically less expensive than solid hardwood, and due to the multiple layers has less expansion and contraction, which is a better fit for many climates. Easy to install - can be nailed, glued or floated. May be able to be re-finished depending on the wear layer.

Handscraped Hardwood - Although the finish on all hardwood can be scratched by pets, the wood hardness (Janka) varies per species. The harder species will still allow the finish to scratch, but will not be as easy to actually scratch/dig into the wood. Due to the handscraped features on this product, scratches by pets can be filled in with a color-fil pen, just adding to the already "distressed" look of the flooring. Small dings/dents typically go un-noticed on this type of flooring.

Solid Bamboo - Although the finish can be scratched, this is an eco-friendly and inexpensive option vs. solid hardwood. It can be re-finished multiple times over the life of your flooring. This must be nailed or glued down.
Handscraped Bamboo - Due to the handscraped features on this product, scratches by pets can be filled in with a color-fil pen, just adding to the already "distressed" look of the flooring.

Strand Woven Bamboo - Our current favorite! Super hard and very difficult to scratch. Solid, so it can be refinished multiple times over the life of your flooring. 1/2" thickness allows the Strand bamboo to be nailed, glued down, or floated. The nature of bamboo vs. other flooring products makes it the best for "accidents" as well, being essentially a grass it is incredibly stable with spills/moisture.

Cork - This is a great option for an eco-friendly product, with a softer feel and special look. If your pet has a lot of accidents, we would recommend applying another coat of varnish so that it would be "seamless". Because of the varying pattern of most cork flooring small scratches/dents are difficult to notice.

Laminate - Great flooring for no-scratch marks from pets. Comes in various collections, colors and styles to suit different tastes. Not the best if the pet has a lot of accidents because there are seams in the flooring - but replacing planks is an option because it is a click-together product.