Last week I received a rather interesting query about a dog, bamboo and flooring from a lovely lady who is considering new flooring for her home. Read on below to see what it was and what my advice was…

The Question:

Hi,
I have been offered some bamboo flooring from Wickes by a friend to use in my living room but I have a dog. I have read that this type of floor scratches easily. Is this true? If, so what would you recommend instead? Room is 14 x 11'
Thank you
Sue

Puppy

Look at the little guy!

Well, Sue in answer to your question:

All wood floors scratch and mark from every day use. This importunately is unavoidable. If the bamboo has been produced with a good quality lacquer then the bamboo should last you a very long time as bamboo is a hard wearing material.

As it came from Wickes there's a very good chance that it has been produced to a price, which means that it could have less lacquer than a superior product. I do not know what size dog you have but a good test would be to open some packs and lay them loosely on the floor, letting the dog walk over them and see how the floor reacts.

Another good product to use would be a good quality laminate flooring with a manufacturer’s guarantee of at least 20 years. Good laminates have an aluminium oxide added to the finish which gives it an anti-scratch protection.

The trick is to not go too light or too dark as fine scratches show up more on these colours.  I would always recommend where possible to go to a reputable company to see the laminate in a large sample and to get professional advice as to the best product to suit your need and your budget.

Thank you for your question and I hope my answer has been helpful.

Kind Regards
Lou