Homeowners with pets tend to need their wood floors refinished sooner than those without. In addition to every day wear and tear, toenails scratch flooring and water can lead to other damage. Refinishing floors with pets in the home sometimes takes a bit more time and consideration.
The Extent of Damage May Determine the Refinishing Process
If your floors only have surface scratches in the topcoat, chances are good that your flooring company will be able to rescreen and refinish your floors. Of course, that does not change the color of the flooring, it simply removes the top layers and allows for new layers of protective finish. When scratches, dents and other damage go deep into the wood, we often must perform a total refinish and sand the flooring down to the bare wood. This takes more time, but allows you to change the color of your wood floors.
Dark Stain, Especially with High Gloss Finishes, Show Dirt & Imperfections
The flooring color you choose for your stain is a matter of personal preference. However, we do caution homeowners refinishing floors with pets to consider a matte or low sheen finish. Scratches show less on floors with lower sheen. There are a few schools of thought when it comes to stain color. Although dirt and dust tend to show more readily on dark stained floors, if you have dark colored pets, you may want to choose a darker stain to avoid seeing dog hair if you’re not one to sweep daily.
Options to Consider
Every wood floor refinishing situation differs to some extent. However, there are some options to consider when refinishing floors with pets in the home. One recommendation we make is adding another layer of finish. This can add to the time between refinishing floors with pets in the home. In cases where the floors are significantly damaged, either from large pets or year of neglect, we share the option of the distressed finish look.
Seer Flooring Can Help Restore Your Flooring
No matter how long you and your pets have been living in your home, if it’s time to refinish your floors, call Seer Flooring. Refinishing floors with pets in the home is one of our specialties. Call us today at (727) 469-7963 or fill out our contact form to schedule your free estimate. We service both the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas from our three area offices.