Choosing Sustainable Hardwood Flooring For Households With Pets

Pets add an extra challenge when shopping for new residential flooring. Not only do you need to find something you like that fits within the style of your home, but you also need to choose something that will not be damaged by your pet's nails and occasional accidents.

When it comes to households with pets, household flooring contractors advise you to skip inexpensive laminate and go with hardwood.

If you're on the fence about hardwood floors because you're worried about sustainability, then you will be pleased to know you have many pet-friendly sustainable options to choose from.

The best options are:

  • Hickory

  • Maple

  • Oak

In addition to these three tree species, you can also opt for sustainable bamboo flooring or engineered hardwood floors explicitly designed for use in households with pets.

Here's a little bit of information about each of these options to help you decide.

Natural Wood Hardwood Floors

The natural wood of many tree species is milled to make hardwood flooring. Even though you can buy hardwood floor planks made of walnut, cherry, or even pine, these wood species are too soft for households with pets.

 Households with pets require hardwood floors made of very hard woods, such as oak, hickory, or maple. These hardwood tree species have densely-packed cellular fibers that prevent your pet's nails from damaging the floors.

Engineered Hardwood Floors

Engineered hardwood flooring is made of planks of inexpensive wood topped with a thick veneer of natural hardwood.

For example, engineered hickory floors are made of an inexpensive plank of pine or other soft wood topped with a thick veneer of hickory wood.

Once installed, engineered hardwood floors look identical to other hardwood floors because their top layer is identical. However, engineered flooring comes at a much lower cost because it uses less expensive hardwood.

Both hardwood and engineered hardwood floors can be sanded and refinished. This makes both ideal for households with pets. 

Bamboo Flooring

Finally, it is essential to mention bamboo flooring when discussing hardwood floors. Although bamboo is not a tree, it is a plant; bamboo grows multiple feet per year and is very sustainable. Bamboo grows so well that, in some areas, it is considered to be an invasive species.

Bamboo floors are very hard and fantastic for households with pets. Your dog or cat can run across your bamboo floor for years, and you will not see nail marks because the bamboo is so hard.

For more information, contact a company like Floors Plus.



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We Won't Tread Lightly Here! This is a blog about flooring. And no, we won't tread lightly here. We will assume we have a really strong, structural floor under our feet — like one made from concrete or tile. From that position, we will dive into all sorts of deep topics, like the nature of various flooring materials, the pros and cons of different installation methods, and ways to fix an ailing floor. if you're ready to tread heavily with us, then we encourage you to dig in and start reading. You might be surprised how interesting the topic of flooring becomes when you approach it from so many angles.

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