Wood floors and dogs do not really get along very well and there’s not really a good compromise here. You can layout as many rugs as you like: I can guarantee you that your dog won’t stay confined to them. Trimming your dog’s nails is not the best solution, either. Cut nails will still gouge your wood floor, creating nice long and shallow dents. Probably the best floor for a home with dogs is not made of wood at all. But, you want wood, I know.
3 BEST WOOD FLOOR CHOICES FOR HOMES WITH DOGS
Buying a wood floor isn’t a small investment, so if you own pets and more specifically dogs, it is really important to know which type of wood floor is the best choice here. As the rule of the thumb, you need to know that when choosing a dog-friendly floor you, should stay away from softwood such as fir or pine trees. Here are three super-hard species that will make the best wood floor for homes with dogs.
Bamboo – Strand-Woven
Technically, bamboo is a grass, not a wood. But, in the flooring industry, it’s classified as wood and is hard enough to go through Janka testing. Bamboo flooring is very durable. But it is rather the manufacturing process than natural hardness that classifies bamboo as very durable floor material and one of the best wood floors for homes with dogs. Strand-Woven Bamboo wood floor fibres are impregnated with loads of hard resins and compressed under extreme heat and pressure. U.S manufacturers sell Cali brand’s Fossilized bamboo flooring that has a Janka rating of an astronomical 5,000.
Brazilian Walnut or Ipe
Brazilian walnut also known as Ipe is hard and dense enough to the point that is often used on exterior decks. A number of years ago, ipe was sold at premium prices and was affordable only by people with deeper pockets. Today, Brazilian walnut has come down in price and can be own by more homeowners.
Hard Maple
Finding its use as a surface for basketball courts, hard maple should stand up well to dog traffic. You should not confuse hard maple with just any old maple. It is a specific type which is also called rock maple or sugar. At Janka rating, hard maple hits 1,450 and higher. However, despite its impressive hardness numbers, a heavy, very active dog with sharp claws can still leave gouges on it.