Maple floors and dogs
Q: We’re currently building a house and am having 3” wide maple hardwood put in. Our concern is we have a large German Shepard and Jack Russel. We’d like to plan ahead and try to avoid the fate of some other folks asking questions. What is the best coating we should put on our hardwood prior to moving in to protect from the unsightly doggie scratches?
A: I have to warn you, maple is not your best choice under these circumstances. Though harder than oak, because of it’s very fine, tight grain, maple actually high lights scratches and nail impressions rather severely! Within a year, the main thing you will notice on a floor like this is hundreds of veins (nail impressions) all over the floor. You finish of choice may not be compromised, but the impressions will be there, fully visible. At least with a wood such as red or white oak or even ash, the abundance of grain tends to hide such marks. Water borne finishes, at least of the high end variety offer a very tough, clear film, but tend to start looking shabby after a few years. I still prefer the oil borne finishes and they are easy to re coat.
Send to a friend
May 12th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Follow-up Q: You mentioned that the dogs may not compromise the finish, but will leave fully visible impressions. I’m guessing refinishing on a annual or bi-annual basis will cover/re-fill the impressions? Or are you suggesting that the wood will also have impressions and will need to be sanded?
A: Well, yes the nail impressions are actually into the surface of the wood itself. Obviously, you can’t be sanding the floor every year, or you would have to replace it in a few years. These floors should last our life time at least. Maple is very revealing with any kind of marks. I would stay away from it if you have a large dog. Whatever floor you choose, have it buffed and re coated every several years as needed. While I don’t consider satin finish to be quite as hard as gloss in the OMU finishes, it does a better job of hiding marks.