This article was written for Blue Hippo Flooring.

Can I keep my dog and install a wood floor?

The short answer is “ruff!”

That is, dogs are “ruff” on wood floors. That’s just a fact.

There is no way I’ll tell anyone to get rid of dear old Rover. But dogs are tough on wood. And the bigger the dog, the bigger the challenge.

That said, there are a few things you can do to allow Fido and the floor to more peacefully coexist:

You can pick a stain color that will minimize the visibility of scratches. The lighter the better.
You can apply a thicker coating of finish. Our standard is to use commercial grade finish on every project, including residential jobs. But understand that a thicker coating only buys you some time. Once Rover romps around the family room a few times, his scratches will show up.

If your dog and floor are going to live together – and scratch marks bother you – you’ll need to plan on refinishing the floor at some point.

With that said, there is an option that will leave you, the dog and the floor happy: tile.

Cujo could not destroy your tile floor. Not only that, the grout is stain resistant. So, no matter what the dog tracks in, your tile floor will keep on shining.

There’s one more option.

If you want that wood look, but the durability of tile, there are some amazing wood grain tiles that will make you do a double take. You’ll have to touch them to believe they’re tile.

Although man’s best friend is not your wood floor’s best friend, there’s no reason the relationship with either has to get “ruff.”