Author: Adam Zielinski

We all love our furry friends, there’s no doubt about that. But as homeowners, we all love our beautiful hardwood floors too! In fact, they’re more than likely your favourite part of your home. Whether they were the feature that sold you on the home in the first place, or whether you had them recently installed to give your home a facelift, don’t fret. There are steps you can take in order to prevent dog scratches and keep your hardwood flooring look good as new.

5 Ways To Protect Hardwood Floors: Dog Ownership Guide

When you hear your dog’s claws on the hardwood floors, you’re probably cringing in the other room hoping they didn’t leave a scratch. While little accidents are bound to happen at times, there are some preventative steps you can take to keep your wood floors in mint condition, especially in high-traffic areas.

1. Add Carpets & Area Rugs

Just remember that always walking across hardwood floors or doing down hardwood stairs can be tough for your dog too. They can’t grip the wood underneath them as easily as other floor materials. The perfect solution is to provide them with extra grip while also protecting your hardwood floors and adding a little extra comfort and style to the room.
Placing rugs strategically in key areas will help prevent dog’s nails from digging into the floor, and also collect dust and fur (a perk if you have dark hardwood floors that, oftentimes, make it obvious that you have to vacuum).

2. Trim Your Dog’s Nails

This is often something that many homeowners forget to do, we’re all guilty of it. But remembering to keep your dog’s nails trimmed can help prevent scratch marks, especially if your dog runs around frequently and likes to play. When it comes time to trim their claws, just ensure you’re doing so correctly as cutting them too short can actually hurt them.

3. Use Pet Gates

If there are certain areas you’d like blocked off to prevent any accidents at all, pet gates act as the perfect stopper. When shopping around for a gate, you’ll need to purchase the proper one for your dog’s size so they can’t just conveniently jump over it!

4. Keep Dog Toys In A Different Area

If you don’t want to get a pet gate because you like giving your dog free roam, make sure to at least keep their dog toys in a different room, perhaps one that is carpeted where they can run and play until their heart’s content. Somewhere on the hardwood floor, place a dog bed so they can begin to resonate that with being their relaxing/sleeping spot and the carpeted area where they play.

5. Add A Protective Coating

Polyurethane is a hardwood flooring protectant that comes in a few different varieties. A water-based one will not alter the colour of the wood floor and it also dries more quickly, but you should typically avoid walking on it for 8-12 hours. However, because it’s not as strong, you’ll need to apply a few coats for it to act as the perfect barrier between dog nails and scratches.

Oil-based polyurethane does a great job in preventing wear and tear and scratches, but it will take longer to dry and because of the fumes, a mask should be worn during application. It will also help enhance the colour of the wood floor, something homeowners may not want if they have old, natural wood floors. In order for the protective coating to remain as durable as possible, it’s best to reapply it every 2-3 years depending on what is suggested on the product.

Ask A Professional For Tips

In order to prevent dogs from accidentally scratching your hardwood floors, following tips from an actual hardwood flooring installation expert is a sure way of keeping them protected.

Based in Mississauga, Ontario, we’re flooring experts with over 25 years of experience helping homeowners install and protect their beautiful hardwood floors. If you have any questions about your floor and how to protect it, or want to know what protective product is best for you, feel free to contact our team. Dogs run around, it’s only natural. But it’s also natural to want to preserve the state of your hardwood floor. We can help you do just that.

Solid hardwood flooring is a stunning addition to any space, but it can be incredibly expensive. As more people are looking for ways to have stunning hardwood flooring in their homes, engineered hardwood has gained immense popularity.

In this blog post, we will explain what engineered hardwood flooring is, what its benefits are and why you should choose this engineered hardwood for your home.

Engineered Wood Flooring: What Is It Made of?

Unlike hardwood, engineered hardwood is not a solid piece of wood. The top layers of engineered wood planks are a thick veneer of solid wood covered in a high-gloss clear acrylic. Underneath the solid wood is a plywood base that acts as the core layer of each plank. The premium quality plywood layer makes each piece of engineered hardwood cheaper to be installed because the pieces are not made entirely of solid hardwood. The construction of this material is much like that of laminate flooring.

The Benefits of Engineered Hardwood Flooring

While engineered and solid hardwood looks alike, there are many differences between them. We’ll discuss why you should choose engineered hardwood over solid hardwood flooring.

Durability

Engineered hardwood flooring is incredibly strong. The top layer of the wood floor is the only area that is susceptible to scratches, dents and expansion; however, most engineered hardwoods have a relatively thin layer of semi-gloss to protect them from such wear and tear.

If an engineered wood floor does become scratched, chipped or dented, it can easily be fixed. The wear layer can be sanded and refinished, allowing home or business owners to have spotless flooring.

Cost

While traditional hardwood is beautiful, it can cost an exorbitant amount. Home and business owners that don’t want to pay a great deal to have a new floor installed should choose engineered hardwood. Engineered hardwood looks like solid hardwood flooring and is relatively affordable.

The price of engineered hardwood varies depending on the hardwood veneer used. You can expect to pay more per plank if the wood layer is thick, a unique style or a popular species like birch. Nevertheless, this is a much more affordable option.

Water Resistance

Let’s face it, spills happen. Solid hardwood floor is not resistant to water; the tight seams between the planks will become warped if any water sits on solid wood flooring for too long. Engineered wood flooring is a more durable type of flooring.

Thanks to its unique construction, engineered wood floors will not expand or contract in humid spaces. And, if water rests on the surface of engineered hardwood floors, it will have fewer damages than solid hardwood. This water resistance makes engineered flooring the best type of flooring for busy areas of your home.

Easy Installation

Engineered flooring promises easy installation. Much like laminate flooring, engineered hardwood can be a floating floor; this means that the flooring does not need to be nailed or glued to a concrete subfloor. Instead, the hardwood flooring pieces lock together using a tongue and groove system.

Engineered hardwood construction makes it easy to install. Hardwood engineered floors can be installed as quickly as laminate. This easy installation allows professional floorers to cover a large area in a short period of time.

Customize the Appearance

You can customize the appearance of your engineered floor to your preferences. Engineered wood has nearly as many styles as laminate.

Various materials like oak, maple and hickory are available. You can also choose between a thin or wide plank. The tongue and groove system makes it easy to run your floor in a different direction than the surface subfloor. No matter what your vision is, you can make it a reality with engineered hardwood.

Choose an Engineered Hardwood Floor

Overall, engineered hardwood is the best option if you want a solid hardwood appearance with all of the benefits of laminate flooring. This type of flooring boasts a durable surface, a lower cost per square foot and a real wood appearance.

Instead of choosing a laminate floor for your home or business, choose a more affordable and beautiful option—engineered hardwood is a fantastic option. Contact us today to learn more about how we can install new floors in your home or business.