Insights from Hardwood Flooring Specialists in Calgary
An ideal upgrade with a high return on investment, hardwood flooring trumps most other flooring materials, especially in homes with young children or pets. Instead of spending time and effort on scrubbing down carpets or cleaning stains off other types of flooring materials, hardwood floors make for a convenient, easy-cleaning, and low-maintenance option. However, it is important to choose the right types, colors and finishes to ensure that your flooring withstands the heavy usage or unpredictable behaviors of children and pets.
Calgary’shardwood flooring specialists at Bull Tough Flooring discuss wooden flooring options that will stand the test of time in high-traffic homes with young, growing families.
Select Kid and Pet-Friendly Hardwood Flooring for Your Calgary Home
Picking out new hardwood floorings is an exciting aspect of a home renovation project. However, besides the budgetary aspects or aesthetic appeal, families with children or pets may have to consider other factors, such as:
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- Maintenance: Will pet claws or toys cause serious scratches and dents in the wood? Can spills, accidents, or pet urine create any permanent damage to the floors? Can you repair or hide these flaws easily in the wood colors or finishes that you select?
- Durability: With kids or pets running around the home, your wooden floors will experience fairly high foot traffic. How sustainable are the floors in the face of such usage? Will the wood type, glaze, or coating endure extensive or frequent wear and tear?
Here are some tips for selecting hardwood flooring with the most suitable features and finishes for an active home.
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- Avoid Soft Woods: Fir, bamboo, pine, cherry, or American walnut are softwoods that are more prone to showing scratches. Instead, choose hardwoods, such as oak, hickory, or maple that feature open grains and do not show too many marks. Look at prefinished engineered hardwood that comes with aluminum oxide layers. This gives the wood a harder and more durable finish.
- Select Light Colors and Matte Finishes: Lighter shades are better at masking scuffs and scrapes. With hardwood, you can always change the color through refinishing and staining, especially once the kids are older or your pets become less active.
- Go Rustic: Consider hand-scraped floors, chiseled edge hardwood floors, or floors with lots of knots as they feature a distressed look. The naturally beautiful imperfections in these surface textures make it easy to camouflage the scratches and dents, including those caused by large pets.
- Check the Janka Rating: Look for wood types that have a higher rating on the Janka Hardness Test, which measures the resistance of the material to denting and wear. Higher the rating, the stronger the wood. While most Brazilian hardwoods have a high rating, they are not available in lighter shades. For a kid and pet-friendly option, you may want to consider maple, which is reasonably high-rated and comes in a variety of lighter shades.
Why Choose the Best Hardwood Floor Installers in Calgary
At Bull Tough Flooring, we specialize in a wide range of hardwood flooring services, including installation, maintenance, and repairs. Our quality workmanship, impeccable finishes, and superior service have earned us many awards and accolades, including “Calgary’s Best Hardwood Flooring Company” in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Our experienced and qualified crew can help you select the most suitable hardwood type, color, and finishes to ensure the maximum ROI on your renovation budget.
Looking for the best hardwood floor installers near you? Get in touch with the experts at Bull Tough Flooring at 403-975-2579 or contact us online for an instant quote.