Should people with dogs have handscraped hardwood floors?

Question

We were told by our realtor that it is not recommended that people with dogs have handscraped hardwood floors. I would like to get some more opinions on this before I let him talk us out of this type of floor.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

Any wood floor will suffer damage from dog toenails. Scraped wood floors are no exception. I think the reasoning behind this is hand scraped floors are difficult to refinish as the uneven surface cannot be sanded using traditional refinishing methods. 
Bamboo flooring is best with dogs as it is extremely hard and difficult to scratch and damage. Higher end bamboo also can be refinished when the time comes. 
The bigger issue is also the wood floors can be slippery on dogs feet. So if you have an aging dog and decide on wood, regardless of type, put down area rugs and runners for the dog to walk on.

Lily White · Answer

my darling children/adults just gave us a lab/rottie pup for Christmas. The finish on my recently sanded and poly floors are trashed from his nails. He literally skids to a stop on the floor. Sooooooo bummed.

KMS Woodworks · Answer

A lot of this has to do with how the wood is finished...and the specie of the wood it self. I have about 650 sq feet of Jatoba ( Brazilian Cherry) in my master suite. It is a bit over ten years old and is finished with just a basic linseed oil. We have had dogs this whole time and the floor still looks new. Surface finishes are much more prone to damage than a penetrating finish. In a penetrating finish the durability comes from the wood itself, and is varible based on the specie of wood. Jatoba is one of the better wood due to its density (about twice that of oak) check out this article I wrote on floor finishes. http://www.networx.com/article/exotic-wood-floor-finishes-you-havent-s As far as bamboo...I avoid it. It is a greenwashed product that does not hold up well compared to other materials. http://kmswoodworks.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/the-great-green-washing-of-bamboo-flooring/

Marie Sanderson · Answer

Thank you for your responses.  We had our hearts set on the handscraped hardwood floors.  We currently have laminated which do scratch and warp.  I think that we may  look into the linseed oil as the finish on the floor.

Amy Rohde · Answer

We paid a small fortune to have hand-scraped walnut wood installed on the first floor of our home. We have golden retrievers.. the floor plus the dogs equal - I'm an idiot. I could show you pictures.... It was a huge costly mistake that we won't make in our next home.

Marie Sanderson · Answer

We ended up going with manufactured hand scraped hardwood floors that are mainly in the front entry, office and diningroom and have no problems with the floor so far.  It has been installed for a year.

Should people with dogs have handscraped hardwood floors?

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Should people with dogs have handscraped hardwood floors?

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