I have it in my home office and would not suggest it. I actually put my heel through it! Admittedly it is 11/12 years old, perhaps they have improved the quality since that time....

I have hardwood too and I love it. I do think it depends on the wood and the finish and I believe if you use a dark stain, scratches show up more easily than a lighter stain.....

This is all good information. I have been tearing up old carpet in my home which has been through pets and growing children (which are now grown). I will never have carpet in the house again except for maybe the bedroom where I can close the door. Looking forward to a more carefree, less worried environment. Going with tile and hardwood but now know to watch for accidents seeping into the cracks! Will make sure cracks are sealed. Great topic and thanks for sharing!

I hear ya. But mydaughter has wood and she complains about those too

But carpets and puppies are just not a good mix. I steam clean mine once a month.

You can't just use any wood. Just because they call it hardwood doesn't mean it's really hard..LOL.

Wood is meant to get beat up, that is what gives it charm. If you put to much finish on it, it IS going to scratch and wear down. Don't used stained wood either, use natural color. You wont have to refinish them for many many years, if at all.

I highly recommend Bamboo floors, it is beautiful, and hard as nails, you will never get a scratch in that stuff. I wish we had gotten that. My sister and her hubby got enough to do their whole house (3k sq ft) from costco, it happened to be on sale and they got it cheap.

And I do not recommend laminated wood. We spent 5 grand on the living, dining, den and hall and I loved it at first. Doesn't scratch at all! BUT, it gets a tiny bit of liquid on it and curls!!!!! They didn't install the trim right and if you don't do that right the warranty on the stuff is void!!!

The carpet in my bedrooms are ruined from the dogs peeing on it and my sons is ruined cus he is just an idiot painting in his room with spray paint...grrrrrr... I will never ever have carpet in a house again. I cannot even put down area or throw rugs because the dogs will immediately pee on it. I don't understand it.

by the way, I DO train my dogs but then my husband and son don't! They will just leave the sliding glass door open all day, umm guys, ITS COLD OUT! lol..men They are supposed to be teaching them to use the bell. I do it and then those 2 undo it. And then dh gripes cus they go in the house.:confused:

Stone flooring is not as easy to replace in a house so I personally wouldn't get it. But of course it's personal preference. Wood lasts forever and never goes out of style;) you just have to spend the extra money to get really good wood.

And then there is reclaimed wood, I think this is a great way to recycle and get some great wood. And also some is distressed which I happen to like the look of.

We have fake hardwood floors all over and patches is 7lbs and no problems:aimeeyork:)



Patches & Winnie

I've got five dogs and hardwoods cover 80% of my first floor. I really haven't had any issue with them scratching it or damaging it in any way. We also looked for a harder coated hardwood to put in when we did it 5 years ago.
I love hardwoods. If you buy the right kind, then you shouldn't have a problem.

Good luck!

Joanne

We have both hardwood and laminate. Our Shih Tzu, who passed last year, had pee problems as she got older and the pee on the hardwood got into the cracks and darkened them and the pee got into the laminate cracks and actually raised the laminate coating on those boards. We also have ceramic and I wish we had that throughout the house. If, however, I had to choose between these and carpet.....no contest....I'd never, ever have carpeting again. The hardwood can be fixed and the laminate boards just pop out and can be replaced.
Just a hint here, I use vinegar and water to clean the laminate and it comes out beautifully with no spots or smears. I tried the "store bought" stuff for the laminate and it just never worked as well as the vinegar and water.

Hmm this is my concern with hardwood floors, the gapping from moisture, and possible staining from pee. We are thinking of maybe just doing Italian tile throughout, except for the bedrooms.

I see a lot of people mentioning oak as very durable, does anyone know about walnut? Oak is a little too light for us (all our furniture will blend in lol) and we don't want stained wood.

Laminates are the way to go , with assorted throw rugs .
Easy cleanup and no scratching.
And a Yorkie early warning system to boot , click click click ;)

i have painted hardwood i have no idea why it was like this when i moved in but regardless the dogs dont scratch the paint

I have two year old Real hardwood floors, stained dark color and my Five pound yorkie doesn't ruin them at all....they are shinny and no scratches...Mr. Buttons does love the rugs to lay on though, so I have plenty of area rugs and mats around..along with his beds!

I have hardwood, laminate and tile. If your dog ever urinates in the house, then laminate will not work for you. Hardwood will be ok, as long as you catch accidents, and they will not scratch the hardwood if it is finished right. Tile is excellent in all respects:).

I have wood laminate and I dont see any scratches and he is 9 lbs