Information Overload …

[Jay J -Moderator]

Hi Jane,

Thanks for the detail but I got a little lost. But I think I understand what you’re looking for.

You’re looking for a wood/finish that won’t show scratches. Well, it’s a relative ‘thing’ in my book. The lighter the wood, I think the less likely you’ll see scratches. But understand, that no matter which way you choose, the floor is going to show wear-and-tear.

Here are a couple of ‘ideas’ to think about. I like a darker wood where the floor gets a lot of DIRECT or indirect sun. Ultraviolet rays (UV) will darken the floor even more but that’s OK. It’s a fact of Mother Nature. You can use area rugs and ‘runners’ in the high traffic areas of the floor to lengthen the finish on a floor. (Just keep them vacumed and clean, and DON’T use your vacume on your wood floors!) Foyers usually have runners (and it is the doorways where the MOST grit and grime gets brought into the home.) Living rooms have area rugs, hallways have runners, and so on. Remember about UV rays. If the rugs stay in 1 area too long, you’ll get a ‘ring’ on the floor. This is fine – just keep it in mind. If you don’t put any type of rug down, you’ll ruin your floors quicker than you can say ‘area rug’. Look for rugs with the vinyl backing PRE-sewn into them. And don’t just throw a piece of carpet down. Regular wall-to-wall carpet is meant to be on a pad. Its backing is very ‘harsh’ on a finished floor of any type!

Hopefully, I’ve answered your question. If not, try again or others may do a better job. My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J