1. What makes a floor "Pet Friendly"?
Dog and pet friendly flooring can handle heavy use without looking damaged. There are a few key points you need to know:
Choose a rustic hardwood floor
If you choose a modern, shiny floor, you are going to get visible scratches... even if you have a small dog. You should opt for a rustic looking floor that will benefit from the character. Our most popular rustic options for pets are our Wide Plank White Oak flooring, and our Rustic Hickory flooring.
Opt for a lower sheen finish
Engineered White Oak Beach Sand in a Wire Brushed Finish
A glossy, shiny finish will make every dent and scratch show in your hardwood floor. With a pet running around, you should choose something in a low sheen or wire brushed finish. The higher the sheen level, the more noticeable any sort of imperfection will be. For more information on levels of sheen in hardwood flooring, take a peak at our Youtube video - "Different Sheens in Hardwood".
In addition to the lower sheen, we also offer a wire brushed finished in our Hickory, White Oak, Ash, and Quartersawn Oak, which are all great options for dogs in the right finish.
Try a two-pass finish
At Gaylord's, we offer a flooring option that is "two-toned". Essentially, we stain the flooring black followed by a sanding, then finally finished the stain of your floor. This gives it an "old" look where black soaks into the grain and edges. See the picture of our Natural 1850 Wide Plank White Oak. This is what's called our "1850's Collection", and it's extremely popular among families with kids and pets.
2. Why expert advice matters when buying a hardwood floor
It's key you talk to experts when purchasing hardwood flooring with pets and/or children. Many carpet stores that sell hardwood flooring don't have any idea what type of flooring is best. If something goes wrong, they contact the manufacture... they don't solve you problem. As a company that manufactures and sells, we know more about what it takes to make a hardwood floor successful. If your floor doesn't work, we are the first to hear it. Your success is our success.
We didn't win the "NWFA Wood Floor of the Year" by selling people floors they didn't absolutely love. Make sure to get advice from someone with experience, especially with durability, humidity, and installation.
3. What is our Hardwood Flooring App and why does it help?
At Gaylord Hardwood Flooring, we want your project to be a success. If you are buying hardwood flooring for your home and want it to last, you should try our "Project App". We developed this App to tell you what flooring suits your situation. It considers whether you are building or remodelling, what type of subfloor you have, what type of humidity levels you have, and what type of traffic it will get. All of these factors make it very complex when choosing your hardwood flooring. Check out our App here to select the best hardwood flooring for your family and pet!
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