Hardwood floor problems....

orangegoggles

We moved into our new house in July and since then my floors are becoming all scratched from my dog! I notice it in the sunlight but it is starting to be everywhere! I've had two other houses, both with hardwoods, and its never been a problem before. We just got him another nail trim but its still happening. I'm starting to freak out that we picked out some sensitive wood (hickory-which I thought was really durable) or maybe I just didn't notice the scratches at the old house because the floors were more worn in. We also get a lot more sunlight in this house.

Does anyone have this problem? Is it something I just have to deal with because I have a dog?

spring_time

Could it be the finish? Our old house had a dull finish and I didn't notice anything. DH insisted on a shiny finish on the floors in our new house and I notice every scratch, piece of dust, drip spot, and crumb. When we had the dogs, I could see their fur everywhere. It doesn't mean our old floors weren't scratched up, it just wasn't noticeable.

orangegoggles

spring_time said:

Could it be the finish? Our old house had a dull finish and I didn't notice anything. DH insisted on a shiny finish on the floors in our new house and I notice every scratch, piece of dust, drip spot, and crumb. When we had the dogs, I could see their fur everywhere. It doesn't mean our old floors weren't scratched up, it just wasn't noticeable.

Hmmm good point. Yes they always look dirty! Sorry if this is a dumb question but does the finish wear off over time or no? 

penguingrrl

Sounds like whoever put the finish on did not do a great job. My mother had that issue when she put new hardwood in her kitchen and had the rest of the house refinished and had to have the guy come back and redo his work because it was all scratching.

orangegoggles

penguingrrl said:

Sounds like whoever put the finish on did not do a great job. My mother had that issue when she put new hardwood in her kitchen and had the rest of the house refinished and had to have the guy come back and redo his work because it was all scratching.

When they redid the work did they have to sand it down again or did they redo the finish?

spring_time

They can do a screen and recoat. It doesn't change the color of the floor, just allows you to put on a new finish. However, it depends on how deep the scratches are. If they have gotten to the wood, you will need to completely redo them.

orangegoggles

Thanks everyone! I think I will call the builder today and see if they can have someone come out to look at it. It's a brand new house so it just didn't seem right to me. 

minerswife17

Could you put shoes on your dog???

penguingrrl

orangegoggles said:

penguingrrl said:

Sounds like whoever put the finish on did not do a great job. My mother had that issue when she put new hardwood in her kitchen and had the rest of the house refinished and had to have the guy come back and redo his work because it was all scratching.

When they redid the work did they have to sand it down again or did they redo the finish?

I honestly don't recall! Sorry!

orangegoggles

rainbowdasher said:

It has to do with the finish, especially bc hickory is very hard. You have to specify what kind and how many coats of poly you want on your floors. It's possible they just did the minimum since its new construction, no offense meant. There really are so many options and you have to specify what you want. Our floors are reclaimed so I only did 2-3 coats of poly. They are not shiny and you can see old nail holes, and we have definitely scratched/dented them up. But that's how we like it.

No offense taken, believe me we have learned the hard way with new construction! I am going to give them a call today. Thanks!

orangegoggles

minerswife17 said:

Could you put shoes on your dog???

Ha! I wish...:)