The question about is cork flooring durable with dogs are on the scene is a perpetual concern for many people looking for flooring solutions in their homes. The answer is always a rather unsatisfying, “Well, it depends on the dog.”

is cork flooring durable with dogs There are only a few flooring options that are impervious to claws/scratches/gouges and those are stone, ceramic or porcelain tile, concrete, dirt (yes there are dirt floors out there) and many forms of carpet. All the rest will eventually show wear and tear from claws, roller blades, broken dishes, ride-on tonka toys, the list goes on.

While no natural wood floor is entirely scratch-resistant, cork flooring is more adaptable to claws caused by dogs and cats than many other natural wood flooring options. This is due to the general resilient nature of cork flooring, which is naturally impact resistant. Because of cork’s anti-slip properties animals do not have to use their claws to move about. This saves your floor from most types of animal claw marks.

Cork is a wood that has a wood finish – polyurethane – and it acts and reacts like a wood floor finished in polyurethane. The major difference is cork can be site-finished to make it impervious to spills or leaky pets (unlike laminate floors), it can be a floating floor (solid hardwood can’t do that) and it stands up beautifully to spills (unlike carpet).

Large dogs (75+ lbs) with poorly kept nails will manage to damage all the floor finishes on the list – including cork. The bonus about cork is – it can be repaired or site-finished at any time to help reduce the look of those scratches. Medium sized dogs (35 – 75 lbs) that are high energy will do more damage than a large dog that simply lies in front of the fire. Imagine a Border collie or Australian Blue Healer racing through the house or scrambling to get the ball that just rolled underneath the sofa. The medium sized, high energy dogs are going to do a number on any form of wooden surface. A Great Dane who lounges on the sofa (with or without the owner present) is going to do very little damage – because s/he rarely moves.

Small dogs rarely bother wood floor finishes. That being said, I have to admit that there are the occasional dogs (small is often the description used for these types of dogs) that have the nasty habit of “digging” in doors. This action is the bane of all floor finishes – even tiles and concrete. There is no floor that will stand up to the Indoor Digger.

Of course the personality of the home owner has everything to do with how satisfied they are with their flooring choice. The “Perfectionist” will be left wanting if hardwood, laminate, cork or carpets look anything but “picture perfect”. The Perfectionist should stick to tiled flooring and leave the woods to the rest of us. Of course it is hard to tell the Perfectionist this.

A Perfectionist with a dog = the hardest person to satisfy because their expectations are not suited to damage or scratches of any sort. And the reality is, most floor coverings can be damaged and will be damaged during the lifetime of the floor.