Kids and pets can be dangerous – for your floors, that is.
The combination of small humans and animals running around, playing, drooling, and doing what kids and pets do, takes a toll on your house in general.
Your floors are the single surface you and your family spend the most time touching in your home. You need to make sure your floors can handle all that your family can throw, drop, or spill on them.
Keep reading why wood floors are the best choice for families with kids and pets.
Wood floors are the clean and healthy choice for your family
Hardwood floors are easy to clean and maintain because you can see when they are dirty and know when they are clean.
All it takes is a regular sweep or vacuum and an occasional mopping to keep them dirt and dander free. Spills or accidents can be wiped right up without worrying about permanently staining your carpet.
Read more about how to clean and maintain your wood floor here.
Wood floors are a healthy choice for your family because they don’t trap dirt, hair, pollen, dust mites, and pet dander like carpet does.
The truth is, even if your carpet looks clean, it really isn’t. All the junk that falls on your floors stays in the carpet fibers, and eventually filters to the pad underneath your carpet.
Reducing the irritations in your home with a new wood floor will help to eliminate allergies and won’t trap dirt, germs, and bacteria like carpet does.
Wood floors are a warm and durable surface for your family to live on
Carpet traps dirt and debris, but what about tile?
Tile is another clean and easy to maintain surface, but have you ever walked barefoot on a tile floor on a winter day? It can feel like you went ice skating without the skates!
Unlike tile, wood floors retain heat and feel warmer to the touch compared to a hard, cold surface like tile or stone. This is great for kids who love to walk around barefoot.
While wood is a durable floor covering, it is actually softer than tile and can be a “gentler” surface to fall on – which kids are prone to do.
We love adding rugs for decoration or where it’s nice to have extra cushion. A rug gives the best qualities of carpet, while still being easy to clean or replace without completely re-doing your floors.
Wood floors can be re-finished to look like new
It’s true that large dogs and other active pets with sharp nails can scratch a wood floor. And kids can certainly leave their mark dropping heavy toys or dragging furniture across your floors. (Pro tip: trimming pets nails and using rugs where your kids play are great options to prevent scratches!)
Prefinished wood floors with hand scraped or wire brushed textures help disguise the normal wear and tear on your flooring.
See our collection of prefinished wood floors here.
But over time, any floor covering will start to show its age.
- Carpet can be deep cleaned up to a point, but eventually needs to be torn out and replaced.
- Vinyl plank flooring must be replaced if it starts to show wear or scuff marks.
- If tile starts to crack or you don’t like the look, it usually has to be completely replaced.
But a wood floor can be re-finished or re-sanded many times and made to look brand new. A quality wood floor can last a lifetime.
Even if you want a new look for your wood floors, you can have them re-sanded and choose a different stain color to give your home a total makeover. You can also do simple touch-ups to repair deep scratches and dents – check out our repair tutorial videos to learn the process and see what you need.
Wood floors are the best choice for a family with children and pets
If you’re looking for a new floor and you’re worried about what will hold up to your family, children and pets – make wood floors the choice for your home.
You’ll have a beautiful, durable, and clean surface to live on for many years to come.
Click here to find a local retailer that carries our great selection of prefinished wood flooring.