Parquet for dogs, cats and other pets

"Can I have a parquet floor even though I have a dog?" is a question I've been asked constantly since I started working at Parkett-AGENTUR. Since I don't own a dog myself, I didn't understand this question at first. Until a friend - proud owner of a Dalmatian - showed me the scratches on her lacquered strip parquet. "She would never have parquet laid again, although she really liked the look and warmth of real wood flooring. She has since renovated and guess which floor she chose? Exactly - parquet from a professional. But this time an oak parquet in plank format with an oiled and brushed surface.

After seeing the really deep and greyed scratches in my friend's parquet, I could well understand her doomsday mood towards wooden floors. Anyone who chooses a floor for their home naturally wants it to look beautiful for decades - despite lively four-legged friends or bright little children. With the right choice of parquet flooring, these wishes are not mutually exclusive; it all comes down to the right type of wood and surface.

Disadvantages of lacquered parquet

My friend's problem was not due to her Dalmatian's strong claws but to the lacquered surface of the parquet floor: she had chosen the lacquered strip parquet because of its advertised super-easy cleaning and maintenance. It is true that lacquered parquet is very easy to clean. But it is not suitable for the claws of a lively, large dog. Once the lacquer layer has been scratched and broken through, it is very difficult to repair a lacquered parquet floor. Unfortunately, it is not possible to quickly repair a scratch. Regular wiping turns these scratches grey over time and makes them even more visible. My friend would have had the option of having the entire parquet sanded and refinished. But after a few weeks, the same unsightly scratches would be back in the floor.

Parquet for dog & cat

The solution is quite simple: as a dog owner, you are well advised to install an oiled and brushed hardwood parquet floor. Oak parquet with an oiled surface is particularly hard and resistant. The oiled surface is open-pored, which means that the wood can "breathe", i.e. absorb and release humidity. This means that small scratches disappear by themselves, as the wood can expand and contract as needed. In the case of larger scratches, the repair is uncomplicated and does not take much time. After years of heavy use, the floor can simply be re-oiled and looks fresh and new again. If you now think that cleaning is much more complicated than with lacquered parquet, you are mistaken: oiled and brushed parquet is just as easy to clean as smooth, lacquered parquet floors. Especially in bright rooms with backlighting, you have an advantage with an oiled parquet floor: it does not reflect. On the lacquered surface, marks from feet, paws or stains that you didn't even see during cleaning often only show up in the backlight. With oiled parquet floors, the only thing to remember is to use wood floor soap to maintain the durability and healthy properties.

Oiled parquet is hard-wearing and healthy

Another advantage of the oiled surface lies in the healthy living: oiled parquet regulates the room climate in a natural way, it is antistatic, which prevents large dust accumulations and is therefore also ideally suited for allergy sufferers. As a dog owner, you don't have to do without all these beneficial properties of an oiled parquet floor. Your four-legged companions are definitely welcome in our parquet exhibitions in Tyrol and Vienna! So you can all get advice from our parquet specialists and experience first-hand how resistant the oiled and brushed surfaces of our wooden floors really are!

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