Best wood floors?

[leahjade]

Needs suggestions - I don't want laminate but need something tough for my large dog! Anyone have bamboo and like it?

 

[sherry7]

I don't have bamboo, but I did do a bit of research on it when we got our whole house done in wood a few months ago. (I ended up going with a solid 3/4" thick red oak, but that might not be good with a large dog.) Anyway, I do know that there are many different species and grades of bamboo, and they all have varying degrees of hardness. There's a number scale, called the Janka scale, that rates the hardness factor of the different types of hardwood.

 

[leahjade]

I need something that won't scratch. Our previous dog ruined our hall floors by sliding into the door whenever someone knocked! Any brands or types that held up well for anyone would be appreciated!

 

[Crystal Brewer]

Ask my DH this as he's an installer. He says you will see traces of your big dog on all hardwood. They sell vinyl strips that look real that are beautiful, way more advanced than the cheapies of the past. My DH says he believes the brand of the ones I fell in love with we're Luxury. The laminate idea would be ok with a very high end laminate yet I'm also not a fan of the laminate. These vinyl strips have beautiful grain and the edges look very real. Good luck

 

[crisi]

Yep, a big dog will scratch hardwood floors. Brazillian cherry is very hard and increasing in popularity - its also REALLY expensive.

 

[wiigirl]

We have bamboo floors and they are awesome. Very strong and look great.

 

[granmanh603]

We have bamboo floors and they are awesome. Very strong and look great.

We just bought a condo with bamboo floors, seem pretty thick, could anyone advise on how to care for them? Thank you. Oh forgot they are dark, almost black

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We have bamboo floors and they are awesome. Very strong and look great.

we love our hardwood bamboo (very light 'natural' color). We have a 115 lb dog, a 30 lb dog and 3 cats.

None of them slide into anything though.

 

[sherry7]

We just bought a condo with bamboo floors, seem pretty thick, could anyone advise on how to care for them? Thank you. Oh forgot they are dark, almost black

Bona Hardwood cleaner. You can buy it at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. They have a Bona spray mop that goes with the cleaner, or you can use a Rubbermaid Reveal mop which is less expensive, larger, and faster to use since it's larger. I can "mop" over 1500 sq. feet of wood in about 15 minutes.

Never, never, never use a steam mop on wood floors - it actually voids the warranty. On the same note, Murphy's Oil Soap shouldn't be used either, as it leaves a buildup that will make the floor much harder to refinish in the future. Basically, you don't want to get wood floors wetter than necessary.

 

[granmanh603]

Bona Hardwood cleaner. You can buy it at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. They have a Bona spray mop that goes with the cleaner, or you can use a Rubbermaid Reveal mop which is less expensive, larger, and faster to use since it's larger. I can "mop" over 1500 sq. feet of wood in about 15 minutes.

Never, never, never use a steam mop on wood floors - it actually voids the warranty. On the same note, Murphy's Oil Soap shouldn't be used either, as it leaves a buildup that will make the floor much harder to refinish in the future. Basically, you don't want to get wood floors wetter than necessary.

Oh thank you so much. I must admit I was clueless and did get a steam mop but have not taken down there yet(condo is in Fl) so will now get what you advised the bamboo is in LR and on stairs down ,17 of them. Will that be ok to use on stairs? Won't be slippery.

 

[cheer25mom]

We installed Morning Star bamboo this week. We did a LOT of research before purchasing. I would look for strand woven bamboo, and at least 1/2 thickness. The strand woven is MUCH harder than natural bamboo, and holds up better. The thicker the plank, the more leeway you have with refinishing. We went back and forth about it, but decided that bamboo was the best choice as far as durability and value for the money. I agree with a PP who said to use a good floor cleaner and a spray it on a dust mop, never use steam. We had a house before this one with hardwood, and that is what worked best.

EtA: finding old growth bamboo also increases durability. It should be at least 4-5 years old at harvest to get the highest durability from the floor. morning Star guarantees at least 4 years of growth at harvest, and comes with a 30 year warranty.

 

[arminnie]

What about having a tile insert near the door?

I had hardwood (walnut I think) installed 3 years ago. Solid wood no veneer. I also had it site finished. It went down unfinished and then was stained and sealed in place. This takes more time and the place has to be empty but the results are so much better than the prefinished stuff.

Two dogs, no special treatment, suitcases and furniture dragged across it and no scratches at all. It's beautiful and looks like the wood in old homes.

 

[crisi]

What about having a tile insert near the door?

If I ever were to pull up and replace my hardwood, I'd do this. I have hardwood from the entry through the kitchen, and I would put tile at the front door, sliding glass door and in front of the sink.

 

[sherry7]

Oh thank you so much. I must admit I was clueless and did get a steam mop but have not taken down there yet(condo is in Fl) so will now get what you advised the bamboo is in LR and on stairs down ,17 of them. Will that be ok to use on stairs? Won't be slippery.

No, the Bona cleaner isn't slippery at all. It dries within a minute or so. I usually do my stairs with a spray bottle of it and a rag. The gallon refills of Bona are less than $20 at Home Depot.

 

[Josh Hendy]

My relatives have red oak solid hardwood floors and the scratching they've received from their large golden lab (about 50 lb) is severe.

I have the same flooring in my house and our small dogs (largest is 18 lb) have barely scratched the floors at all. In the hallway where our dogs run with maximum speed (when playing) we have an inexpensive carpet which probably helps protect the floor.

 

[LJSquishy]

Eventually you will see scratches on any wood floor from their nails, regardless of the hardness of the wood. Obviously, you will want to buy the hardest rated floor you can (Janka scale) but no matter the wood, the finish will get scratched...not the wood itself. That is good news because wood can be refinished with a new top coat, but it will be an ongoing expense and won't always look new. We've lived in our house for 6 years and it had newly refinished oak floors and there are scratches all over the finish from our two Maltese.

Would you maybe consider ceramic/porcelain tile that looks like wood planks? I'm in love with the way it looks (only with the tiniest grout lines that match the tone of the tile) and would at least consider it if we were replacing flooring in our house. No scratching.

 

[Bob NC]

Ask my DH this as he's an installer. He says you will see traces of your big dog on all hardwood. They sell vinyl strips that look real that are beautiful, way more advanced than the cheapies of the past. My DH says he believes the brand of the ones I fell in love with we're Luxury. The laminate idea would be ok with a very high end laminate yet I'm also not a fan of the laminate. These vinyl strips have beautiful grain and the edges look very real. Good luck

We used this new product in our master bath at the same time we put maple hardwoods in the kitchen.

It's called Luxury Vinyl Plank. It's a high end very thick and durable vinyl. The stuff is gorgeous. Looks like real wood and works perfectly in a bath situation.

Check it out, we couldn't be happier with this product. (And no, I don't sell it)

 

[shortbun]

Eventually you will see scratches on any wood floor from their nails, regardless of the hardness of the wood. Obviously, you will want to buy the hardest rated floor you can (Janka scale) ...

Would you maybe consider ceramic/porcelain tile that looks like wood planks? I'm in love with the way it looks (only with the tiniest grout lines that match the tone of the tile) and would at least consider it if we were replacing flooring in our house. No scratching.

We are looking at the porcelain tile that looks like wood for our kitchen. Our whole family is hard on floors. The rest of our house is original oak and indestructible but 65 years old. The last house we owned had 100yo oak floors and we had them refinished. They were beautiful!! You can't get that kind of flooring anymore unless you have it milled yourself and hand laid. My BIL reps Shaw and he says the tile is the strongest. I have not discussed bamboo with him specifically.