Solid Hardwood Floors are So Great - the Dog can't Even Scratch Them!

Jimbo was having a frustrating day. It had been just a couple of days since we moved to this new house by the sea and he was already getting cranky. The place which overlooked the ocean had beautiful solid hardwood floors made from maple and no matter what Jimbo did, he just could not scratch them. For the ignorant, Jimbo is my 8 month old male German shepherd whose main motive is to wreck things around the house as if to emphasize who the real boss is. When I lived in the city in a studio apartment the ceramic tiles which covered the house bore the signs of Jimbo’s pranks. Scratches of all shapes and sizes covered the apartment flooring a la graffiti. As I decided to move again, a friend who knew about Jimbo’s antics suggested a place which had solid hardwood floors.

The first time we moved to the new house, Jimbo was ecstatic. The ocean, the sand and the open verandah really excited him. He really seemed to like the new place, but that was until his first encounter with the solid hardwood floors. It was amazing to see his reaction as no matter what he did, the solid hardwood floors, would not accept any form of ‘art’ from him. It was more or less a matter of pride for him now; the self-proclaimed destructor of floorings had met his match. The thing with solid hardwood floors is that the thick, strong flooring has the ability to be sanded and refinished. So even if he does get a few minor scratches in, I can easily get it covered.

The solid hardwood floors have a few gaps here and there, and Jimbo’s daily ritual is to try and fit his paws inside the gaps and if he could, try and uproot the entire flooring in one go! But no matter what he does, the floor is too sturdy and at times quite a tease for him. I was told that these gaps occur with the heat as the wood expands. Winter will be entertaining, with the gaps almost disappearing and Jimbo trying to find them. When polished, the solid hardwood floors were beautiful to look at and almost give out a reflection when you walk on them. Jimbo loves to chase the ‘other’ dog that stays inside the floor!

Choosing solid hardwood floors instead of any other has truly provided a form of entertainment for me and a quest for Jimbo and as of now the score is Solid Hardwood Floors-1, Jimbo-0