Nail impressions on pine floor

Q: I recently had my hardwood floors redone. I noticed that my kitchen (which is pine) shows even slight scratch marks. You can make a scratch by running your fingernail across it. I have a small dog, about 5 pounds, and his nails leave marks. Is this normal?

I know the rest of my floors are oak and stained lighter, and I do not seem to notice this problem with them.

A: What you are describing is nail impression into the pine floor. This is related to the hardness of the wood. As long as the finish itself is not being scratched off the wood itself, that is about all you can hope for. Over time, when the finish itself shows signs of wear, you can freshen it up with another coat of polyurethane. I would suggest a low shine, which tends to hide marks better than gloss.