Hardwood Flooring & Pets

Q. Is hardwood flooring a good choice for a home with pets?

A. A lot of homeowners with pets want to have a flawless floor but worry about their furry companions ruining the floor with permanent marks. Luckily, being a pet owner doesn’t mean you cannot have hardwood floors.

Pets can damage almost any style of flooring from urine stains, scratches to dander. The two primary factors that every homeowner should consider are:

• Ease to clean and repair
• Health of your family 

With comparison to carpet and laminate, hardwood floors are resistant to allergies, hair, dust and odor. Moreover, hardwood floors are one the types in which damage from moisture and scratches can be refinished to look fresh and new again, making them an ideal choice for families with pets.

So what type of hardwood floors should you choose?

Hard woods, such as cherry, maple, balsa, mahogany, oak and sycamore are considered to be most durable. Soft woods, such as cedar, redwood and birch are more prone to denting.

While hardness of the wood may seem like the most important factor, in reality, finish is the most important factor to keep your hardwood floor away from wear and tear. A soft floor with a good finish will work extremely well for homes with pets.

Here are some additional tips for maintaining your hardwood floors:

●      Clip your pet’s nails regularly.

●      Wipe off the urine as soon as possible.

●      Use rugs to keep the water bowls.

●      Place area rugs in the places used most by your pets.

●      Place an area rug or oversized bed where your pets play.

●      Have the top layer of your high trafficked hardwood floor sanded, stained and refinished once in every ten years or so.

●      If you discover a pet stain which has been there for more than 4 hours, use mild acid like vinegar, which will help to neutralize any ammonia that may have formed due to the stain.