Having A Pet At Home? Have A Perfect Wooden Flooring As Well!

Almost 60% of British adults own a dog. Additionally, almost one-third of these people own more than one four-pawed friend. Keeping in mind the data, there is no surprise that the demand for wooden flooring is ever-rising and constant. The reason is that it is an eco-friendly, natural and hygienic choice, functional and durable option. Another benefit is that is practical, highly long-lasting and hard-wearing.

Let’s not forget the fact that is beautiful, elegant and versatile as well. A real wood floor can simply match every style and interior design. It is easy to maintain and does not require a difficult, time-consuming or expensive cleaning and maintenance routine. Finally, it can be effortlessly restored and brought back to its initial beauty and glory. Sanding and refinishing are very popular services that can be performed a few times in the floor’s lifespan, which is some great news for all those families with enthusiastic, happy, four-pawed fellows.

In case you are a pet owner, or you are simply curious to learn more about the benefits and advantages of a wooden floor.  Make sure to keep reading because, in today’s article, we will provide you with some helpful hints about how to choose a flooring that will survive even the most enthusiastic four paws!

So how to choose the right wood flooring type for your pet-friendly house and how to make sure that both your family and your pets feel great with the choice? 

Choose naturally harder wood species instead of evergreens

Make sure to avoid purchasing flooring boards built out of softer wood species, such as walnut, pine and birch. Instead, make sure to take your time and do research on harder species. In general, flooring products, no matter if solid or engineered wood, come in a great variety of species and each of them has its beauty, charm and ability to create a specific, very distinctive atmosphere. However, softer timber species are certainly not a good choice for a house, where there are pets as members of the family. In case you are highly into the appearance of the above what we have mentioned before about the soft species.

We recommend you look for other alternatives instead since it is guaranteed that you will find something very at least very similar looking in the harder wood species spectrum. Oak, Brazilian cherry and ash are highly recommended options by professionals for families owning a dog or a cat. Why is that? As easy as you can guess, the harder the wood, the higher the chance to minimise the risk of scuffs and scratches left by the non-trimmed nails of your pets.

Wooden Flooring Picture With Dog And Kids

Choose flooring with a distinctive natural texture

For example, white oak has a naturally rich and interesting texture that will contribute not only to your interior design. The more your wooden floor is textured, the better it will be at camouflaging all sorts of scuffs, scratches and stains that your pets may cause. In case your dog or cat leaves some scratches on the floor (and this is most probably going to happen). The scratches won’t show that much and will leave as a part of the natural pattern of the wood.

Choose a distinctive man-made texture

That is right, wooden flooring is made of real wood, but this does not mean that its look cannot be additionally transformed and changed. There are many products and professional techniques used for changing the texture and natural colour of the boards, some of them can make a very dramatic change, while other techniques are simply highlighting the natural beauty, colour and texture. If you want to make sure that you’re your wooden floor still looks amazing, even if your dog or cat leaves some scratches on its surface, or your flooring is experiencing high traffic and heavy footfall, then you should make sure to go for a textured surface.

When the wooden surface is well polished, sleek and uniform, even the finest scratches will be impossible to hide. All scratches and scuffs left by the nails of your pets, as well as all signs of wear and tear. It will look very dramatic on a sleek surface and prime-grade wood, so going for natural patterns and man-made finish effects is a good option, in case you don’t want to find yourself in need of refinishing more often than you expect.

Choose natural colours

Natural colour flooring stains, such as light or darker browns, beiges, yellows and reds are a better choice for homes with pets. The main reason for keeping up to a bit more colour spectrum is the dog’s and cat’s shedding period when natural tinted shades will be good at camouflaging the hair fall.

Choose a matt finish

As you probably know, there is a relatively broad spectrum of wood flooring finishes, starting from complete matt to high gloss. Many people are going for highly glossy floors because they look very stylish, elegant and put together. However, if you own a dog or cat, this is not the best idea, go for a matt finish instead, as it will be the best at camouflaging scratches, scuffs and dents, stains, and even dirt and dust. Wax and oil finishes are highly recommended for pet-friendly households.

The reason is that both finish options guarantee a very natural look and texture for your wooden floor and hard-wearing and durable protection on the surface, without leaving a heavy film. While also penetrating the texture and ensuring additional protection and preservation of wood from within. In addition, oil-finished floors are less slippery, which will ensure more comfort for your dog and cat.


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