Talk to me about large dogs and engineered wood floor!

[0ldmum]

Please tell me about your experiences. I have a large lab, not worried about cleaning as I have a tiled conservatory I wipe her off in if she is muddy.
It is more than the scratch marks I am worried about. I would go for engineered as I want it in my kitchen as well.
Please help I have finally decided on the kitchen helped by larged quantities of wine, now I have to make a decision on the flooring!

We have oak planks (not engineered, but I don't think it makes a difference for the purpose of your questions?) in our kitchen/dining room where we spend about 80% of our time and the floor is fine with large dog claws (greyhound).

The floor gets scratched by any number of things (grit from shoes/chair legs etc) even with the greatest care. We've not had the floor down for 7 years and I love it. It does look lived in and I can see the difference where it is protected by a door mat and I actively like that about it.

I may consider resealing it when the kids are a bit older.

Oh that's good to hear, thanks for replying. I appreciate that to all intents engineered and solid are the same, obviously you can't sand engineered too many times. Interesting you have yours in a kitchen diner, I thought engineered was advised in a kitchen setting due to moisture? But that is for another thread!! How active is your greyhound does he have any mad moments, our lab does despite having decent walks and being 7!

We've had engineered wood down in the hall for just over a year now - not noticed any scratch marks from v large lab/retriever cross. Do notice all the hairs mind you!!
Only thing i'd be wary of is that a couple of times, the poor old guy has nearly done the splits (as it can be slippy), which can't be good for him!!

Don't know what you mean by "engineered" tbh but we have solid - or at least the type that can be sanded and re-varnished a few times. Have to say that our collie has scratched it to blazes. Doesn't help that he likes to chuck large bits of bone / antler around which has also damaged it. Resigned to getting it sanded and revarnished when it gets really bad.

Gosh thank you some varying answers! @haggisaggis engineered can be sanded a few times.
More opinions welcome!

Yes, we considered engineered boards for the kitchen but then just went for the solid planks anyway and have not regretted it. I've got some water drop marks and high traffic zones look more 'grey' than protected areas, but as I said I like the way the whole thing has 'weathered'. I don't supposed wet marks/scratches would be any different whether your boards were engineered or solid tbh.

If you are looking for a floor that remains pristine and the same as it was the day it was laid, I'd avoid a timber floor at all cost tbh.
It WILL change: in colour at the v least.
I like how it's a living thing and therefore it changes. It's one of the reasons why I'd never go for a vinyl floor that 'pretends' to be wood; nothing wrong with vinyl, but then I want a colour or something.

Thats interesting that you have used solid for your kitchen. I most definitely not someone whose house has to be pristine! I don't mind scratches, both my neighbours have hard wood floors and theirs are scratched, but not trashed! But neither of them have dogs.
My alternative is Karndean, however I have my reservations that it is very expensive plastic pretending to be wood!

I think Karndean is great, but like my vinyl example I'd go out of my way to make sure it did not look like any kind of 'natural' substance.
That's just me though

Having said that, I think Karndean is v hard and unforgiving underfoot.
Timber floor are lovely - both my 'new' wooden floor and the old parquet the house came with are very strokable