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Tips for Dog-Proof Wood Flooring

With their unconditional love and playful personalities, it’s no wonder we’re so fond of our pets! However, unfortunately, we’re not particularly fond of the scratches, stains, and spills they inflict on floors, especially hardwood flooring.

Little girl in boots with her dog and muddy tracks entering a mudroom showing how to make your flooring dog--proof

Not surprisingly, some pet owners shy away from hardwoods for that reason. Instead, they choose other options like:

Each flooring material presents a durable option known for its exceptional scratch resistance, particularly when compared to hardwoods.

But the good news is that you can enjoy your dogs and hardwood floors. Here are some tips for dog-proof wood flooring.

Trim Your Dog’s Nails Routinely

The longer your pet’s nails, the more prone they’ll be to scratch your wood flooring. So, it’s best to trim them weekly or at least every other week for better results.

When you trim their nails, you aim to prevent them from touching your floors when they stand. You can learn how to cut your dog’s toenails here.

You can also keep your dog’s nails trimmed by walking them on hard surfaces, such as asphalt or concrete. Harder surfaces wear their nails down.

Close up of a woman clipping her dog

Install Wood Flooring with a High Janka Rating for More Dog-Proof Flooring

Each wood species has a relative hardness expressed by the Janka rating. It measures the force required to create a 200 sq mm indentation on the wood’s surface. The more force a wood species can handle, the higher the Janka rating.

For example, Brazilian Cherry has one of the highest Janka ratings at 2350. On the other hand, Southern Yellow Pine rates are as low as 690. The industry median for wood flooring hardness is Red Oak at 1290.

So, if you have a home with pets, it’s advisable to select a species with a higher Janka rating. That ensures a more pet-friendly flooring option. For example, the harder surface helps resist scratches on solid hardwood floors, adding more durability.

Some readily available and popular wood flooring options include white oak (1360), maple (1450), and hickory (1820).

New Densified Wood Flooring for the Ultimate Dog-Proof Floors

Robbins® has developed an innovative solution for the ultimate dog-proof flooring, ArmorWood™. We discussed the Janka score ratings. Well, ArmorWood takes those ratings to new heights.

Robbins uses a process that densifies wood. That results in oak’s Janka rating jumping beyond 3000, nearly tripling its density rating. The wood becomes almost as hard as steel. Hickory’s score exceeds 3500.

Here’s what those improved ratings mean to you:

The net result is that you enjoy a new level of dog-friendly flooring. And there’s even more to like about this revolutionary engineered hardwood.

Dog-Pee Proof Flooring

Even the best-trained dog occasionally slips up. Dog pee can easily stain your floors, not to mention creating odors. Dare we say what cat pee can do?

But ArmorWood provides waterproof protection for virtually dog-pee-proof flooring. Engineered hardwood floors can withstand water for up to 24 hours without staining or discoloration.

Equally important, it includes an antimicrobial coating technology called Cleantivity™. It inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew. It also protects against the odor, damage, and discoloration it can cause.

To top it all off, you get a 50-year residential limited warranty. But even though ArmorWood sets the stage for dog-proof flooring, you can still do other things.

Robbins also has waterproof engineered hardwood flooring, HydroGuard®. It eliminates the worries about dog urine.

Close up of a wood floor with texture as a tip to dog-proof your flooring

Add Texture for More Dog-Friendly Flooring

Another tip for dog-friendly wood flooring is to select floors with a textured finish. For instance, a wire brush wood finish or scraped wood floors add texture that helps conceal blemishes. In addition, because the flooring is already distressed, you’ll be less daunted by scratches left behind by your furry friends.

Apart from hiding blemishes, textured wood floors add exceptional character to your home’s rustic style. Plus, there’s another side benefit. The textured surface also gives your pet better traction.

Select the Right Sheen and Floor Color

Color and sheen also play a role in selecting flooring for dogs. Wood floors with a matte or low-sheen finish show fewer scratches. Contrastingly, glossier finishes reflect light, drawing attention to imperfections in your wood flooring.

You should also consider installing lighter wood finishes if you have pets. First, they hide pet hair better than darker wood floors. Second, scratches are less evident because the marks don’t contrast against the lighter floors.

You can install wood flooring featuring heavy graining to pet-proof your floors. Hardwoods with open grains and prominent grain patterns camouflage scratches and dents. Consider red oak, hickory, ash, and other hardwood species with distinctive grain patterns.

Area Rugs Are Your Best Friend for Pets

Here’s a simple addition for dog-proofing your floors. Add area rugs.

These soft additions do more than add pops of color, pattern, and visual interest. They can also reduce wear and tear on your flooring, especially in high-traffic areas.

Lightweight floor mats at entryways help prevent pets from dragging debris throughout your house. Make sure you select mats with some weight so they don’t slide easily when your pets run over them.

Our pets have routines just like we do. Learn their favorite habits and add cozy, chic protection with area rugs.

Woman vacuuming a wood floor as part of daily wood floor care

Don’t Forget to Clean Your Wood Floors Regularly

Our pets’ activity can be unpredictable, but your cleaning routine doesn’t have to be! For example, keeping your floor’s debris reduces the risk that your pet can drag it over your hardwoods and scratch your floors.

For wood floors, use a soft-bristled broom, a microfiber dust mop, or a vacuum. You must remove loose pet dander, fallen nails, dirt, or grit that your pet can grind into the wood surface.

Cleaning regularly also helps you discover what isn’t immediately noticeable. For example, sometimes, our pets hide food, accidents, or other creatures they have caught in the nooks and crannies of our homes!

Some Additional Tips for Dog-Proof Wood Flooring

If the above tips don’t alleviate your concerns, consider the following pet-specific options to help pet-proof your wood floors.

  1. Nail Clippers: If you aren’t comfortable clipping your dog’s nails, you can purchase nail clippers to protect your floors.
  2. Pet Shoes: Many pet shoe options prevent pets from scratching your wood floors with their claws.
  3. Pet-Free Zones: Create a pet-free zone if you have hardwood floors in only a few rooms. You can train your pets to stay out of those rooms or use a barrier to keep them from entering.

Enjoy Dog-Proof Wood Flooring

Using these tips, you can have the best of both worlds – beautiful hardwood floors and pets to love that will give you love in return.

Robbins is happy to help with innovative products like ArmorWood. The flooring is available in red and white oak.

Use our dealer locator to find the nearest Robbins Flooring retailer near you. Enjoy your dogs and wood flooring!