What Is The Best Hardwood Flooring For Dogs And Other House Pets?

One of the most common questions experts get asked is, “What hardwood flooring is best for dogs and pets?” As anyone with a furry friend can tell you, dogs and cats can do a lot of damage with their nails. 

Of course, if your pup isn’t potty trained yet, or if your adult dog is still prone to accidents, stains are another concern for pet owners who are considering hardwood floors.

Fortunately, best hardwood flooring Van Nuys is still a great option for homes with four-legged residents; you just need to know what to look for. To help you make the right decision, we have put together a guide to buying pet-friendly hardwood flooring

Wood With A High Janka Score

When you choose your engineered floors, you will want to pick a wood with a high Janka score. The Janka hardness test measures the resistance of various species of wood to denting and wear.

 Janka scores indicate the force required to embed a 0.444-inch steel ball into half its diameter in wood. White oak and hickory both have high Janka scores. To research a wood species that you’re considering, check out the Janka hardness test for hardwoods.

Wood With A Rustic Look

Another thing to consider when selecting the best hardwood flooring for dogs and pets is the style of the floor. If your furry pal is prone to scratching, you may want to choose engineered flooring with a rustic look. 

This can be a floor with a delustered finish that already has some texture or “stressing” on it. When you pick a floor with a rustic style, any scratch marks your pets make will blend in, because your hardwood already appears worn.

If You Absolutely Must Have Hardwood Floors

Pets don’t have to dash your dreams of a hardwood-filled home. If you’re willing to live with the real thing, you still have options.

The best Hardwood flooring Van Nuys and dogs can live in harmony, with a few rules. The experts recommend making sure dog nails are trimmed frequently and messes are wiped up immediately. Consider engineered hardwood with the most scratch-resistant finish available. 

Go for the hardest wood you can find, such as teak, mesquite, or hard maple. Wood with a matte or low-gloss look will do a better job at hiding scratches. And be sure to finish your floor with a scratch-resistant finish.

Engineered Hardwood Floors

If you have a dog or a cat, we suggest adding engineered hardwood floors to your home. Engineered wood floors are made with three to nine layers of different wood veneers. 

The grain of each layer runs in different directions, which makes engineered floors much more stable than solid floors. The sub-layers of the best hardwood flooring Van Nuys can be of the same species or of different species, while the top layer is always high-quality wood.

The durability of engineered floors means that they can better withstand scratches from your pet’s nails. To make your floors even more scratch-resistant, we recommend having a tough finish applied to the hardwood.