By: Peter Demmon
One should never question whether or not to get hardwood floors if they have a dog. Hardwood floors require a heightened level of vigilance and diligence. If a dog owner is able to embrace this heightened floor consciousness, there really shouldn't be too much of a problem. The issues that a dog owner/hardwood floor owner needs to address are rather simple. The main one being, "If there is a dog in the house, how are you going to be able to maintain a decent looking hardwood floor?" The answer for a hardwood floored house with a dog is attention to detail. The hardwood floor will take damage, by both dogs and humans. There are many, many different angles to consider on this subject. Hopefully this post will shed some light on more than a few of them.
The first point to consider is the size and temperament level of the dog. If the dog is big or heavy and likes to run through the house, hardwood floor damage will be a regular thing. Similarly, a high strung dog that is smaller can also damage to your floors too. Most people think that smaller dogs won't be able to seriously damage a hardwood floor. But a smaller dog can bring its own "scratchy damage" to the floor. In short, the floor is going to get damaged no matter what size dog you have. Your best bet is to consider what brings out the hyperactivity in your dog and act accordingly. A great example of this is when someone knocks on the door. Dogs historically have been known to spring into action when someone is at the door, and that makes the front doorway area a place that will sustain damage.
There are several solutions for this type of damage. One obvious, yet simple solution is to place a throw rug in active areas. Placing mats and rugs in areas that get lots of traffic is logical. This logic holds even if there is no dog in the household. Another method is to keep the dog off of the hardwood floors period. If this isn't an option, well-placed floor mats should suffice. Another issue to consider is if your dog slobbers, and where he slobbers. There should be a mat for this behavior as well.
Probably the most important thing for a potential hardwood floor owner to consider is the length of his dog's nails. Regular nail clipping for a dog is going to really put a damper on potential floor damage. Also, if your dog grows an excess amount of hair between the pads of his paws, he is going to find the floor to be slippery use his nails to compensate. Another thing to watch out for with dogs that slip on the floor is that the dog himself might get hurt. Simply put, the installation of a hardwood floor means that you will have to pay closer attention to your dog's paws.
Some owners with a lot of time on their hands choose to put dog booties on their dogs when indoors. This is a tedious method of dealing with dogs potentially tearing into the hardwood flooring. Another solution that some dog owners use is dog nail covers. If you look at the picture at the top of this post, you will see that these are plastic caps that you can buy for your dog's nails that stay in place with the glue that they come with. They can be purchased in an array of colors and even come transparent. These caps stay in place for about 8 weeks. One issue that some dog owners have cited with the use of such caps is that sometimes the nail grows within the cap and the cap needs to be cut off. Dog nails have nerves, unlike human nails. If the nail gets too compacted, the dog could begin to limp.
A dog's fur is another part of this puzzle to consider. If the household dog is particularly hairy, it is now officially time to stay on top of your dog grooming practices. Regular bathing and the use of stripping combs like the Mars Coat King are perfect for this. Also, it is time for the hardwood floor owner to focus on daily rituals of sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping regularly. A hardwood floor doesn't hide the daily dust and grime that a carpet might.
Dog hair can also get in between the boards and catch on most surfaces on the household. One of the bonuses of keeping your dog's coat regularly groomed is the fact that the hair won't be constantly building up in corners of the hardwood floor. The hair of your dog should also help you decide the kind of hardwood flooring that you plan to install. Some types of pre-fabricated tongue-and-groove flooring feature gaps between the pieces. Sometimes the gaps are subtle, but there is a gap nonetheless. These gaps will eventually be filled with doggie dirt and grime. One report that I read was from a woman who said that once grime gets into these cracks, it would never completely come out. The solution to this is to get hardwood with the smallest gaps possible between the boards.
Another item that isn't too high on the list, but should be considered is the potential for urine stains. If your housebroken dog manages to "sneak" a urine puddle past you, this can be extremely damaging to the floor. The damage is twofold. The first aspect of a dog's urine stain is olfactory. The wood is going to stink. The urine will sink deep into the wood because it is porous. The second is that the stain will be dark, possibly black. If the hardwood you have is darker in color, then the smell aspect will be the biggest worry. However, if your hardwood floor is light in color, there will be a visible dark stain. There are several products available for this kind of issue. One of the most reliable is Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor remover. There are home remedies as well, an example of this would be used if the floor coloring is really light. Drops of hydrogen peroxide can be left overnight on the stain. The hydrogen peroxide should be used sparingly though because a large amount of it will give bleach-like results. The key is to pay attention. Sometimes those rugs and mats that you have left around high traffic areas have absorbed liquids (possibly even urine), and it is good to check them regularly.
The fact of the matter is that maintaining a hardwood floor with a dog in the household is a lot of work. The hardwood floor owner has to embrace a newer, more vigilant level of floor consciousness. The floor will definitely take some damage as a result of your dog, but it will also take damage as a result of you too. Hardwood floors can be maintained with a dog in the household, but there needs to be a deeper consideration of the potential damage a dog can bring.
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