Howdy Ags...

Looking for recommendations for wood floors that would survive a couple of dogs. I have a 100 lb lab (she's big boned) and a little mini dauchshund. I'm worried about scratches, etc...

I've been using the google to see what is the consensus is and it seems that I should not do wood floors. But I'm a rebel. I've looked into mesquite and acacia. Has anyone had those installed or have an opinion on them? Other recommendations?

I've had three houses with Oak and several dogs. The biggest at 50 lbs. There's many pro's and con's to a wood floors and dogs. Generally what happens is their toe nails will scratch the polyurethane off of the finish over time - doesn't matter what hardness the wood is. Generally when this happens, I just refinish the floor. The thing I like about real wood is it wears well and I think actually looks better over the years. I've actually done "spot refinishing" on stairs that got worn down - stand and re-poly.

Also - their toe nails will also somewhat over the years wear down the wood as well if you don't refinish it. Mesquite is a great choice for wear as it looks awesome and is really hard.

The biggest issue with wood floors and dogs is when they get old - wood floors make it really hard for dogs to stand up - specially for bigger dogs. When they lose their leg strength they slip and can't get up. That's the only thing wrong with dogs is they just don't stay 5 years old long enough. : (

Going with an oil finish instead of poly will help a lot. Scratches buff out instead of having to be refinished.

+1 on old dogs and wood floors.

We have hand-scraped engineered acacia floors with three dogs. Almost five years in and we have quite a few scratches in the main living area. We see them because we know they're there. Hoping to be able to minimize them with wax or something when we sell in 5-8 years.

Ours gouge the wood more than scratch it. You can just see indentions without removal of the finish. It's annoying as hell to me.

If you insist on having dogs and wood floors, there is only one good answer. Get floors that are pre-distressed. Anything your dog does to the floor just blends in.

We have the wood tile as well. 2 GSDs at 75 and 90lbs. They don't slip, they can take corners at some speed, they can't damage it. Go look at AZ tile for options. Not just big box stores.

Vinyl plank. We have 3 dogs, including a 170 lb. Great Dane, and our floors don't show any wear after over a year.

We buy "Soft Paws" from Amazon. Plastic nail covers (with nail glue) and work great on our lab. You have to reapply them every month or so but just do it when you trim their nails.

We always let our customers know that dogs can and will scratch wood floors. As "aggiedent" stated, pre-finished distressed hardwoods are the best when it comes to scratches. Although dings, dents and scratches are not a covered item under wood manufacturers' warranties, they will in fact help hide the "character" your dogs add to the flooring. Wood manufacturers suggest keeping your dogs' nails not only trimmed but filed/rounded too.

Something to keep in mind is dark glossy floors will show scratches much more than would a light to medium stain. The acacia species is usually light to medium and has a great amount of variation to help hide "life" that happens on wood flooring.

Check out Cali bamboo https://www.calibamboo.com/bamboo-flooring.html

I have actually been told not to use bamboo floors if you have dogs. The reason being is that bamboo is actually a grass and the dogs tend to dig at it.

I have 3 35-70 lb cattle dogs that have been trekking across my oak floors for 11 years. The wood is a mid grade so it has knots and imperfections already. It's scratched and gouged and that's ok because when my dogs are gone I can sand it down and it'll look like it did when it was installed.

And yes..for old dogs...it's a *****. Nothing like hearing my old hound trying to get up off the floor for 10 seconds with a torn acl...can't always get in quick enough. He always gets up but that's because he has created enough rough surface in his favorite spots for traction. There will come a time when he cannot do it though....like before I put him on Gallaprant.

I'm currently in market for new floors and considering bamboo.

I like that you install bamboo by floating it but the planks are through thickness and not just a printed picture on the surface.

Anybody luck with cali bamboo?

Also looking for recs on places that will sell and install.

Just purchased bamboo floors myself. Looked at Cali Bamboo but after reading reviews opted to go with these people. A lot of good information about bamboo on their site.

https://www.ambientbp.com