Hickory with a WOCA oil finish vs LPV for a home with a dog

9 years ago

We are building our first home and cannot decide on the flooring for our high traffic areas. We have a 2 year-old and an 85 lb active lab. We have looked at hickory wood with a WOCA oil finish, medium dark stain and a distressed look. But, we have our reservations because it does not have a warranty and have heard that the oil stains can be very high maintenance. My husband is leaning toward the Luxury vinyl (LVP), that all the flooring companies seem to be pushing now days, because its low maintenance, scratch resistant and cheaper! We want to be informed by the people who have experienced these products in their homes, so we can make the best decision for our needs! Thanks!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

PRO
R.D. London Studios
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
open floor plan is great for entertaining · More Info

We chose maple with a natural finish. It is lighter and really hides dirt and pet hair and looks more unique. Blends with many interior styles and looks great distressed as well. Basketball courts are commonly made from this. We had a blue colored Great Dane (grey in color) that shed a lot. This was a great choice for us. We have had many other types of wood flooring in the past in other homes. This is our best floor choice! Also you must always consider resale and your investment. REAL wood will always be more attractive and help retain a higher value for your home. Best Wishes
mariannas
9 years ago
We have a 3 year old and a 70 pound active lab! Lol We have character grade white oak flooring finished in WOCA Diamond Oil in Natural. We've only been living on it for 4 months, but we love it. Shows very little dirt/hair. I do try to catch liquid spills more quickly than I might have on our old poly floors (mostly our dog dripping from water bowl), but those spills don't leave damage. I think I remember reading natural oil finishes were less forgiving of liquid spills when I was researching, so that's probably why I'm more vigilant. We had to refinish our poly floors from dog scratches and it was such a pain. One of the reasons we liked natural oil so much is the ability to sand and refinish a small area, instead of the whole house. It's also just so beautiful (in my opinion :))!!!
Related Professionals
Lake Charles Interior Designers & Decorators · Toms River Interior Designers & Decorators · Sacramento Interior Designers & Decorators · Odessa Interior Designers & Decorators · Minot Interior Designers & Decorators · Olympia Interior Designers & Decorators · Yakima Interior Designers & Decorators · Cornwall Interior Designers & Decorators · Brattleboro Architects & Building Designers · Spanish Fork Architects & Building Designers · Ocala Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Pensacola Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Quincy Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Norfolk Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Huron Kitchen & Bathroom Designers
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
9 years ago
I find with big dogs it is their nails that do all the damage and i have not found a wood floor finish yet that stands up to a 85 lb dog playing on it. We have vinyl plank in our walk out that has a free run dog door to dog run so 2 dogs 65Lbs each, ten years down the road not one scratch so i would for sure do vinyl plank
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
9 years ago
Hickory is one of my favourite woods. It doesn't normally like stains...which means the floor finisher has to be very good to get this to work.

I wouldn't fear hickory with Woca or with dogs...I would fear the stain going blotchy and nasty and ugly. That's the biggest fear with hickory and colour stains. It can be done...by a very dedicated flooring professional.

I also don't care about scratches or maintenance...I sell cork flooring = big scratches and moderate maintenance. Those things don't scare me. The BLOTCHINESS of the stained oil over hickory would be my greatest fear/biggest heartache.