I also have a dog and I decided to remove all my hardwood floors and replace it with Armstrong Laminate floor, the Grand Illusion serie. They are so nice, my visitors do not believe me when I tell them that they are liminated. The colour that I choose is Walnut. Did the full house and it does not scratch at all. I am buiding a brand new house and I am putting the same thing.

Just throwing out tile planks, that look like wood. We know it will wear like iron. http://houzz.com/photos/3051776

Agree with Phillips! Wood-look tile is the answer!! We have a Golden that tares through the house and ruined our hardwood. Replaced with great looking tile and we have durability and keep the integrity of our craftsman-style home.

@Ed -I put in red oak. Am a little horrified by these stories. Kimberly, did you keep up with the nails? A lot of my friends have hardwoods and sporting dogs and have never have complained about scratching. Oh well, a little late now.,,,,, But I'm keeping up with dremeling the nails so that they are short enough that the girls use the pads of their feet.

With several cats (I do NOT declaw) I get a few scratches when a cat runs, slides and does a 360 trying to avoid hitting a wall. But I have put the worst dents/scatches in my oak floors myself by scooting furniture (yes I have glides but a broken piece of china was under it) or dropping a stupid hammer. Smartly, I installed cabin grade engineered wood flooring which has lots of saw burn marks and other characteristics. I think it's an interesting finish and was exactly what I was going for. IMPURRFECTION. As a pet owner, I would never opt for that flawless, all one color wood. Gosh, I'd be able to see a ding from several feet away. Instead, when a cat accidentally gouges the floor, I rate it: "Good one!" as I inspect the new flaw. One of these days, I will wake up and my floors will look like the reclaimed planks from an old farmhouse that I could not afford. :-)

I am going to also try a product called "soft paws" available through Doctor's Foster and Smith (online) The reviews are pretty good and since they'll be having their mani/pedi done monthly, the groomer can put them on.

Roxanne: Soft Paws is available at stores like Petsmart and PetCo. No need to order on line unless they have a better deal. I have never used Soft Paws, but I clip my cats' nails weekly and if they are ragged, I use my emeryboard file.

I have bamboo floors with dogs. Bamboo is way to soft, you can take your own fingernail and gouge them. I am looking towards new hardwood floors, thinking oak which appears to be quite durable or a hand scraped. I have had my bamboo floors refinished twice in 5 years. Hate them, they never look really good.

Hard maple

have you looked at porcelain tiles that resemble timber flooring. easy clean and come in several finishes and colours. might be worth looking into, i have them in my kitchen.

My problem is I live in a cold climate and I am afraid of a tile being cold to walk on.

We've got 5 labs. Active. I went with a wood laminate after seeing the floors that many of our local Safeway grocery stores put in their produce departments. It looked great and I figured if it could stand up to store traffic and cleaning, it should be able to handle us. I have been very pleased with the product, looks and upkeep. I also have an original area in the house with original hardwood flooring. Yes, it can be refinished, but what a pain and expense! Worst part about the flooring is I find it hard on the older dogs as far as traction, so still have to use a lot of area rugs.....

White Oak flooring with proper polyurethane finish will hold up under dog paws. If they are damaging the floor its because their nails need to be trimmed. We have several clients with large dogs that make a very concerted effort to keep nails trimmed and have no issues.

If you already have hardwood floors, there is no sense in ripping them out and replacing them with low-quality laminate flooring. As long as your floors are a hard wood (oak, maple, cherry) and not a soft wood (pine) then you should have no problem with pets. The trick is to finish them correctly. I recommend several coats of a water-based finish, as water-based finishes are tougher and dry faster than oil-based finishes. The best thing about hardwood is if you get tired of the colour, you can always sand and re-stain them. Not to mention, scratches and stains can always be sanded and buffed out of hardwood floors -- not so with laminate.

Great News for me!

The red oak is laid and the plan is to finish with 3 coats of water base. We'll keep up with their nails. I'll keep an eye out for trouble spots and then have them buffed and recoated. I think the laminate-real wood debate is futile. There are some lovely imitators and engineered woods but it depends on your application, values and aesthetic. Some people really want marble or soapstone and will put in the effort- that wasn't for me, so I'm going with a granite island and quartz perimeter counters. But I love the timeless look of an oak floor.

I have raised four kids, have 10 dogs and 15 cats, on 3/4 inch oak floor that has lasted 45 years. We just more finish it every 5 to 10 years. The more dents stains and scratches just adds to the character of it.

Preach on! Wood floors will last 100 years if cared for.

I had light colored laminate in a business I was owned. It scratched and there were no dogs. In our home have a dark stained birch and it is six years old. Within the first year of owning it, we started to notice scratches from our Bichon. He passed away last year so we recently had 3 quotes for re-finishing it. Two gave us a quote (expensive) and the third felt we will not be happy with the outcome (although he would do the job) as refinishing the type of hardwood we have can leave us with other issues. Also the third fellow said our floor was still in great condition and said he refinishes floors that are "trashed".

We have two friends that have oak floors, they do not show scratches anywhere near the birch. I understand Oak is one of the best for refinishing if you need to.

Lastly, dark stains look rich and beautiful. I just think they show the dust easily.

Sorry, one more thing -- I have seen Bamboo in someone's home. I thought it was plastic (yuck).

Count me as another devotee of hardwood floors. Ours are 90 years old, white oak, and have survived multiple families with dogs (we have two rambunctious aussies) and kids. Medium-toned stains will show dirt, dust, and scratches less.

No matter what kind of wood floor you have, your dog will scratch it up. You might have to go laminent flooring, I have oak floors and I have a golden retriever and my floors are so scratched up its ridiculous. Don't go wood.

Most scratches on hardwood flooring are to the finish not the wood. Satin matte finishes show scratches less, and some people prefer using an oil finish rather than polyurethane to attend to scratches more directly. So consider the finish as much as the flooring in making your decision.

First, NOT all bamboo floors are alike! There are so many poor quality & grades of bamboo flooring in today’s market that it is really giving the good bamboo floors a bad name. Be careful, you will always get what you pay for.

My professional opinion, I would not recommend laminate flooring, it can scratch easily and doesn’t repair well. Laminate floors are very loud to walk on and can be more expensive than some other flooring, with shorter warranties and many are not warranted to go in wet areas, like kitchen and baths.

Here are some hardwood floors or hardwood looks options that I would recommend to use with pets:

1. STRANDED BAMBOO- One of the hardest wood floors on the market is Stranded Bamboo flooring. This newer manufacturing techniques including strand woven bamboo flooring range from 3000 to over 5000 (depending on the brand) using the Janka hardness test, where Red Oak is only 1,290. My favorite is from Higuera Hardwoods, they carry an engineered wide-plank strand woven bamboo planks are prefinished with seven coats of aluminum oxide ultra violet cured urethane for a scratch resistant finish. It takes a lot of effort to scratch it and if it does the color goes all the way through and will not so up as much (you can always use a touch up stain pen). The carbonized caramel color seems to go with almost any decor. Some brands up to 30 to 40 year warranties.

Here is a link and a photo (#1) of one of my kitchen projects where we have installed the Stranded Bamboo flooring. http://www.higuerahardwoods.com/subproduct-strand-woven-carbonized-caribbean-engineered-wide-plank-bamboo-flooring-click-system-fsc-approved

2. HANDCRAFTED OR HAND-SCRAPED LOOKING HARDWOOD FLOOR- These types of floors already look old and used. Each plank has been individually worked on by master craftsmen using hand scrapers, hand planes, and chisels creating a distress look. So if you get a scratch you can’t tell. With dark stained hardwood floor the color doesn’t go all the way through so purchase a touch up stain pen from your local paint store to blend in any scratches. Some brands carry a Residential Limited Lifetime Warranty.

This type of floor will also go with any décor, from a log cabin rustic look to traditional, or even modern to contemporary interiors.

Here is a link and a photo (#2) of one of my kitchen projects where we have installed the Hallmark Hardwood Flooring. http://www.hallmarkhardwoods.com/chaparral.php

3. LUXURY VINYL TILES AND PLANKS- Karndean International Flooring carries many wood plank looks that look so realistic. When I’m designing one of my commercial projects; like a retail store, restaurant or any high traffic area, this is what I will typically specify. This type of flooring can have up to 20 year residential warranty and be less expensive to install than laminate flooring. It is recommended to go into veterinarian clinics. Many wood planks and tile/ stone looks are available.

http://www.karndean.com/en/floors/wood-flooring/mid-wood-tones.aspx?link=mm

I have dogs and I always get wood-like surfaces. Once they destroyed the gorgeous wood floors in a previous home just by running around, I learned that sadly, unless you welcome a surface that gets scratched and destressed over time, you should get laminate or tile that looks like wood. I used to be a "genuine-only" snob but
I got over it and now have laminate. I have very dark floors and they look gorgeous with my lighter walls, rugs and furnishings. Most people can't tell it's laminate.

We have a client with solid black walnut floors and two Great Danes that are over 150lbs each. They keep their dogs nails trimmed and have no problems. It comes down to careful paw maintenance .

I agree Eutree Wide Plank Flooring! There is also touch up wood stain pens you can buy to hide any scratches.

We have large lab, and two small children and spent ages deciding. We have got karndean oak tiles - has proved so far virtually bomb proof (including one foul water flood from dish washer, and one small boy spreading two litres of bubble mix with mud undetected!). Most people think it is wood - I think you can clearly tell the difference - and if we didn't have dog would have gone with real wood. Just another idea!

Wood floors scratch over time, with or without dogs. That's life, so just go ahead with the hardwood. Darker stains on woods that are naturally lighter in colour will make scratches more apparent. This is because the stain only sits on the very top layers of the wood. When it is scratched, the original light colour of the wood shows through. Another thing to consider is the finish. A matte finish will make scratches less apparent than something with a bit of sheen.

Alas, we found that our 85-year-old oak wood floors (we were told by one refinisher that they were yellow pine; another said oak) and our yellow lab were not compatible! He scratched them in a way that didn't look like normal wear and tear. We have relocated and built a new house in the south with wonderful, large, porcelain tile floors and the only way he can bother them is with occasional water droplets since he's not the neatest drinker. I like your other commenters' ideas about a tile that looks like wood, too! Good luck....

Here is my opinion...wood is beautiful and scratches just add character and are a piece of the history of what goes on in the house throughout its lifetime. Just keep treating it and scratches will blend in. When I walk into someone's house and see scratches, I don't think anything other than, "oh, what's the story?"

We have hickory floors with Swedish Glitsa matte finish, and it has held up extremely well. Here's a link to the hardness rating of wood floors. As previously said, Hickory is about the strongest wood commonly used for wood floors. Keep in mind that shiny wood floors will show any scratch or dings a lot more than matte finish. http://tinytimbers.com/pdf/chart_janka.pdf

I wanted to mention that we have Armstrong Alterna vinyl tile in our utility room. This stuff is awesome. My daughter, (with 5 kids and a dog), has this in her laundry room and baths. After 8 yrs in their house, it looks as good as new. That's why we chose this for our utility room. Seems indestructible. http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/luxury-vinyl/alterna/floors-11439.asp

Things to consider:
Don't go high gloss. Too unforgiving.
Don't go too dark. Shows every dog hair and dust bunny.
The idea of tile that looks like hardwood is nice because you get the "idea" of wood which seems so much "warmer" to look at (though not underfoot if you live in a cold climate). But it will be harder underfoot and for the sake of your back, you may need to wear slippers if standing alot in the kitchen.
There are some great laminates out there that look just like hardwood but are more durable. But, there is something to be said from a realty perspective of having "real" hardwood floors. No one attributes the word "character" with laminite.

Pic above is of oak floor, honey coloured originally, re-stained to a medium brown. (looks darker in this pic though). I clean houses for a living so I am all about low maintenance in regard to not showing dirt. This medium brown is actually quite good. I would not have gone any darker.

As for those people complaining about tile, I wear comfy slippers and shoes that live indoors and I'm quite happy. Also, not all scratches and scrapes add character. I love the look of old hardwood and its imperfections. The damage done to the floors of our old house was just ugly and couldn't be sanded down.

I'm with tcufrog! Perhaps our wood floors were just too old. In the areas where the dog spent little time, I loved them. But no amount of sanding, staining and love for character could make ours work any more.

I live in Hawaii and I recently danced on a sprung mango wood floor. Gorgeous but the owner asks everyone to dance barefoot. That's my feeling about wood. It gets damaged by water, humidity and scratches. I have ceramic tile in my house for 20 years. It needs a bit of repair, those old grouts but I don't think I would put wood in my house unless it was engineered like Pergo. I know this is not a popular idea if you are going to sell, but for me in my small forever house , I am putting it in on old vinyl and just repairing the ceramic. Aloha

I have Brazilian Cherry (I'll call it BC here; not a cherrywood, just a reference to the colour). I am a complete newbie when it comes to hardwood, so had to research the topic to figure things out. I saw the BC in stores and was awed by its beauty. I have grandkids and outdoor dogs and live in a rural community. I also wanted the hardwood throughout my lower level which included the kitchen which comes right off of the front door (old house, kind of a weird layout). I found out about the Janka Hardness Scale and found that BC is a very hard durable wood, so I went for it. I've had it a year now and it's holding up incredibly well to abuse. Its hardwood, so of course it gets marked no matter what. My dogs are outdoor dogs who come inside in severe weather. They're not used to floors so they slip & slide everywhere. People entering my house (most remove shoes, but not all) have bits of gravel on their shoes and grandkids are grandkids - wild and wonderful! Bottom line: the wood is gorgeous, dark with varying degrees of the same colours. Cleaning? Actually easier in my opinion that the vinyl that was there before. The wood does show dust and dirt easily, but a daily sweep with a micro-fibre sweeper and a damp mop with one of those flat-bottom mops is very quick and very easy. Hope this is helpful!

Woven bamboo is very tough to scratch and if you keep your dogs nails trimmed, you won't have an issue. There are also some other exotic wood species that are very hard as well such as Ipe, Cumaru, Janka, Brazilian Cherry, etc. however then one must question how these were harvested. We went with the bamboo and we had 5 dogs, two over 70lbs and overall it has done very nicely.

I just put new hardwood floors in our condo and we have a very high-energy beagle with nails. We used Mirage, a gray weathered looking engineered oak. Not only doesn't it show any scratches, you can hardly see the dog hair!!! We had it laid on a diagonal and it looks sensational.

I'd suggest either laminate flooring or cork. I think my laminate floor is from Wilsonart, it looks so much like wood that people have doubted me when I tell them it isn't wood! I have a large dog and the floor still looks perfect after 7 years. I also have a cork floor and it's pretty forgiving, but if he was on it all the time it might start to show claw scratches.

Kelly, is Wisonart supposed to be better than Pergo? I'm putting an new floor down soon

When I did mine Pergo was awful! It had tons of problems, but that may have been solved by now. I have the Wilsonart wood look in my kitchen and a tile looking one in my bath and I love them both.

thank you, I need all the information I can get. Real wood is not an option for me in Hawaii Aloha

Engineered wood may still be an option :-)

Just found out Wisonart went out of business, shucks

Are you sure? I just looked at Wilsonart's website!

Thank you I will try again

Wilson-art comes up on the Formica website. Maybe they merged or were bought out.

WilsonArt (and they had some Sweet High Def products) DID go outta biz:(

who has good products now? Pergo

We do ! :-)