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Hubby and kids really want a new dog. We have engineered wood floors throughout the first floor. Can you have dogs and hardwood floors? We had laminate in our last home and it easily withstood the nails of a dog and urine wasn't a big deal if it wasn't allowed to seep through. Since engineered floors can be refinished only once or twice in a lifetime, I don't want them going to crap any time soon. If I keep the nails super short will that work??
Hubby and kids really want a new dog. We have engineered wood floors throughout the first floor. Can you have dogs and hardwood floors? We had laminate in our last home and it easily withstood the nails of a dog and urine wasn't a big deal if it wasn't allowed to seep through. Since engineered floors can be refinished only once or twice in a lifetime, I don't want them going to crap any time soon. If I keep the nails super short will that work??
I put in HW in my living/dining room this Winter and I have a 75# pit-mix. I also have the neighbor Samoyeds in from next door to visit sometimes. Anyway, I have not had any problems with scratches or abuse to my floors, at least not so far. It's probably going to depend on the kind of wood though. Mine are white oak and also a bit rustic, so if a scratch was to occur, I don't think it would be such a big deal (they are matte, with plenty of variation). Pine often doesn't work well with dogs as it is very soft. Do you know what kind of wood that you have?
Engineered can only be SANDED once or twice, they can be refinished (taking off the poly/water based top protective layer) pretty much indefinitely.
The scratches I see are all in the top coat and appear as fine scratches (I have runners/chasers who slide with nails out all the time), there is zero damage to the wood. If it bothered me, I could easily do a light scuff sanding and reapply the poly finish for a perfectly smooth and scratch free floor again.
Are you getting a puppy or an adult dog? If you get an already socialized adult dog that's potty-trained and keep its nails trimmed, I don't think you'll have any floor problems.
If you're going to get a puppy, you might consider keeping it in something like the mudroom (if you have such a thing) until its older and potty-trained, and then it can have the run of the house.
My opinion? Get the adult dog and carefully evaluate its personality.
I'd be getting an adult (preferably middle aged/senior dog).
Wood is prefinished Brazilian cherry that scratches with the drop of a hat. I guess it's the finish, not the actual wood that's scratched. I dropped a broom and the handle dented/scratched the floor. sigh. i really liked our old laminate floors...they withstood our (now deceased) dog's nails no problem.
I guess trimming the nails once a month will do the trick, then?
Wood is prefinished Brazilian cherry that scratches with the drop of a hat. I guess it's the finish, not the actual wood that's scratched.
You might also want to talk to a professional flooring rep if you have a shop nearby. Scratches from dropping a broom handle are not normal. Maybe another coat of poly would help or maybe it wasn't coated properly in the first place. It would be worth knowing for sure before you bring a dog home. Trimmed claws shouldn't be an issue, normally.
For me, animals take priority over floors and furniture. I have oak hardwood floors that I wash once a year (spot clean as needed) and sweep every other day. They are 60 years old and look great. I hate the new laminates. None of them wear like the old hardwood floors. I don't have wall-to-wall carpeting because sweeping with a janitor's broom is fast and cheap.
We have a lab and have engineered hardwood floors throughout the house. When she is excited she will go sliding around and no amount of nail trimming will keep her from digging in to keep from sliding, we had her nails pretty short.
The floor never really scratches but you can if you look at it right see the intentions in the wood where she has scrapped it but the finish is still on the floor. If something ever gets too bad I just take a wood pin and "paint" the little area and you cant see that anything is wrong.
We've had two big dogs on lovely old oak hardwood. Never an issue. I'm sure they put scratches here and there, but they just blended in with 60 years worth of living. Nothing they did ever stuck out as damage, anyway.
Yes, trimming the dog's nails will make a big difference.
Brazilian cherry, bamboo and some of the other exotic woods are very soft, and as you found just dropping a broom damages the wood. Hard woods with Red Oak being the hardest to damage that dropping a broom handle would not have indented it.
Engineered wood hardwood floors are simply plywood with a thin layer of real wood as top layer.
We recently had 46 square feet of red oak installed in our living room. So after about half a year there are no problems showing. In our kitchen with a family room combination and the 1/2 bath guest bath there has been a red oak hardwood floor for 25 years and never been sanded, and still looks real good without scratches and dents. We have lived in this house for over 10 years, and there had only 2 previous owners. The contractor that built it, and a young couple.
I didn't want plywood floors (that is what engineered floors really are). Ours are solid hardwood floors and if needed can be sanded and refinished many times if ever needed.
I got the solid hardwood flooring and installed, for less than an engineered plywood floor would cost.
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