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A significant number of people keep pets in their homes. After all, who doesn’t love pets? Pets are a part of your family. Therefore, before making any decisions, you also have to consider them.
Pets may make it a little hard if you want to install a hardwood floor. More often than not, people ask if pets and hardwood floors can co-exist. They fear that their dog or cat may scratch the floor, giving it an awkward appearance.
The answer is yes; you can have pets and still have hardwood flooring in your home.
Hardwood is one of the most popular types of flooring. However, it may not be the best choice for your home if you have pets. Why? If your pet urinates on the floor often, the urine may stain the hardwood, leaving a dark spot and a foul smell.
Despite this, you can manage to have a hardwood floor for your home and still keep a pet or two. How? You can choose dense woods.
The more durable your hardwood flooring is, the better the chances of being resistant to stains and scratches.
Some of the best and most durable hardwoods include mahogany, hickory, maple, elm, and cherry. The hardness of wood is assessed according to its rating on the Janka Hardness Scale.
The higher the wood’s rating, the better it is for installing in your home if you have pets. Most experts would recommend installing wood that has a rating of 1,250 and above on the scale.
Homeowners, however, have to keep in mind that even if the hardwood is durable, they are supposed to protect it. One of the most common ways of preserving hardwood is by coating it with urethane.
Choosing the Best Hardwood Floors for Your Home
If you have a pet in your home, you cannot just settle for any hardwood. You need to make a few considerations to ensure that the floor suits you and your pet.
It would be disappointing if you have to keep changing your floor time and again. To increase your hardwood floor’s durability, you have to select flooring that features the best characteristics.
When you are choosing your hardwood floor, make sure you select one that has a less shiny sheen. A floor that has lower sheen could help to conceal the scratches that your pets cause.
A floor that is very shiny will barely hide the dents and scratches caused by your pets. Moreover, selecting a pet-friendly sheen will reduce the trouble you have cleaning your floor. Not to mention, the floor will minimize the visibility of your pet’s hair and dirt stains.
There is no hardwood floor resistant to stains or scratches, but selecting a floor with a less shiny sheen will tone down their visibility.
Moreover, you can select a hardwood floor that has a high rating on the Janka Hardness Scale. Such wood is resistant to scratches, dent, and wear, making it ideal for homeowners that have pets.
Alternatively, distressed wood can serve as an ideal hardwood flooring material for your home. How so? The softer fibers of the wood are abraded using a steel brush to leave the wood’s harder grains. As a result, any scratches or dents made by your pet barely compromise the appearance of your floor.
In addition, you should select hardwood flooring that is resistant to stains. The floor’s finish is what contributes to its stain resistance.
Imagine a scenario where you just got your hardwood flooring installed. Within the same week, you head to the pet store to get yourself a bulldog. There is a high likelihood that the dog is not house trained, and it may urinate on your floor a couple of times.
If you installed a floor that is not resistant, you’ll need to replace part of it or the entire floor sooner than you expected. However, if your hardwood flooring features quality coating and or finish, your floor is guaranteed to last longer.
How to Maintain Your Hardwood Floor With Pets
Undoubtedly, prevention is better than cure. So, if you have pets and hardwood floor, you should consider keeping your pet nails trimmed.
After all, the most common damage on hardwood floors hails from scratches. Trimming your dog’s nails could be easier than trimming a cat’s claws because cats don’t walk with their claws out. However, they can still be trimmed because cats scratch the floor often.
You can also consider adding texture to your hardwood floor to maintain its appearance. Some of the ways that texture is added to hardwood is through wire brushing, scraping, and distressing.
These methods ensure that the scratches from your pets are disguised. Alternatively, your hardwood floor may be made from reclaimed wood. Scratches will be less visible when such wood is used.
You can also increase the longevity of your hardwood floor by putting rugs in areas that your pets loves staying. Rugs will not only protect your floor from pet scratches but also add to the aesthetic value of your home.
If you are a pet owner, you know that urine is one of the most surefire ways to ruin hardwood floors. Therefore, if you recently had your house fitted with hardwood flooring, make sure to watch out for pet urine, and clean the mess instantly.
If you let the urine stay for longer periods, it will probably leave dark spots on your floor. Quick action will mitigate the damage.
Furthermore, the durability of your hardwood floor is dependent on the color you choose. It is advisable to select a hardwood floor that has a light to medium color.
If you’re wondering why experts advise this, here’s your answer: A light or medium color will disguise the scratches and pet hair on your hardwood floor.
On the other hand, a darker shade will make them more visible, which may call for replacement sooner rather than later.
