Pets and Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

The first thing people usually consider when looking at the problem of pets and flooring is whether or not the flooring is hard enough to deal with the high traffic and paws of pets coming and going. People are especially concerned that heavy dogs will scratch hardwood floors.

Are strand woven bamboo floors going to scratch less? Well, the first thing to consider is hardness. Naturalized strand woven bamboo flooring is harder than oak and maple, the two most commonly used hardwoods for flooring in the USA. Regardless of what some uninformed hubpages may tell you, even the weaker carbonized strand woven bamboo flooring is stronger than oak and maple. This means that strand woven bamboo flooring is better for your pets then oak and maple flooring.

However, that is not so say that the strand woven flooring won't get dented and scratched over time. This is an unrealistic expectation. All wood and bamboo floors get marks, dents and scratches over time caused by adults, kids and pets.


Where strand woven bamboo is superior to other hardwood floors, in this respect, is that they are easier to maintain and repair. Whereas for a hardwood floor you would need to sand the floor and re-stain the wood for strand woven bamboo flooring that is not the case. The reason for this being that the colour of both carbonized and natural strand woven bamboo is the same throughout, so no re-staining is necessary.

The best way to extend the life of your flooring and minimize scratches and dents caused by heavy dogs is to get the dogs nails regularly clipped.

Another key consideration for pet healthiness is adhesives. Dogs and cats are like people – they made ill by VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds. It is important to install the flooring with a low VOC or VOC free adhesive. Also it is best to choose a strand woven bamboo flooring that is made with a formaldehyde free adhesive. Formaldehyde is a VOC that causes nose, throat and eye irritation and allergies. Making sure that your flooring is low on VOC adhesive and free of formaldehyde will greatly contribute to the health of your pet.

Finally, bamboo and strand woven bamboo flooring has an antibacterial quality that will naturally keep the floor antiseptic and a safer place for your pet.