Bamboo and Exotic Wood Floors - Need Help Selecting Bamboo

Wife and I want to install strand woven bamboo, but we cant decide which company to choose from. I have narrowed my selection to two companies: Plyboo or Ecotimber as both use low emitting glues. I have never seen Plyboo but hear its is a great product. The Ecotimber is nice, but the matte finished appeared to almost look dirty, looked like it was covered in fingerprints.

I also need to know how these will fair with a dog. We have a medium sized dog (70 lbs) that likes to play and run around. Should I be concerned about him scratching the floor? If so, would putting two coats of Bona Traffic floor
help?

Thanks for you help.
Glen

Hardwood floor finishes tend not to fair well with large dogs. Placing runners in high traffic areas can help, as can keeping the dog's nails dremmeled.

Adding floor finish to existing prefinished flooring will void finish warranties. New finish would still be subjected to the dog.

The instructions doesnt say if the warranty would or would not be voided, but it does say that it can be added as an extra layer of protection for areas that can be exposed to moisture

Top-Coating/Re-coating - In areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, and spaces where food service occurs, top-coating the floor immediately after installation will help prevent against moisture damage. In heavy food service areas such as restaurants, two to three top-coats are recommended. Periodic recoating in any area will help prolong the life and restore the new appearance of your floor. By recoating the floor at the first signs of wear, you will be able to bring your floor back to new condition with relatively little cost and inconvenience. To top-coat or recoat your EcoTimber floor, lightly screen (abrade) the top surface of the factory finish and then apply Bona Traffic floor finish by Bonakemi (www.bonakemi.com, 800-574-4674). Bonakemi also offers the Bona Prep system that allows top-coating without screening or sanding. Follow all BonaKemi application instructions carefully. Link (http://www.ecotimber.com/installation/EcoTimber_Cleaning.pdf)

When I researched the product on Bonakemi.com it said:
Designed specifically for the unique demands of heavy-traffic commercial and residential hardwood floors, Traffic's advanced formula provides the ultimate in durability, outperforming any finish in the industry - moisture cure, solvent-based, oil-modified or other waterborne finishes.


Heavy-traffic residential—kitchens, entryways, family rooms, homes with pets, children and high foot traffic Link (http://www.bona.com/en/US/Bona_products/Consumer_Products/Finishing-Products/Waterborne/Bona_Traffic/)

I will have to verify if it voids the warranty...just wondering if anyone has tried this product and if it truly adds another layer of protection for families with pets.

I really want this floor, but if its unreasonable I dont want to waist the money on a floor that the dog is going to ruin in a short period of time.

Thanks
Glen

Can you get a sample of the flooring to bring home and abuse to test how well it holds up to scratching, etc. I have never heard of a prefinished floor that recommended that it be recoated after installation. Most folks don't refinish floors until finish begins to wear. The recommendation to top coat was for the purpose of additional moisture protection--not scratches.

Ecotimber describes their finish as "state-of-the-art UV-cured aluminum oxide finish that is among the most durable available, making our product ideal for demanding commercial as well as residential applications."

Their finish warranty is 27 years for residential use. "Warranty excludes impact damage or wear from furniture, seating or fixtures on casters, or equipment used without proper protection. Warranty excludes indentations, scratches or surface damage caused by lack of proper maintenance, misuse, negligence, spiked heel shoes, pet claws, water, erosion, pebbles, sand and other abrasives."
All a finish warranty means in reality is that there will still be finish on the floor in 27 years.

Bonakemi has great products, especially their floor care products, which are recommended by most prefinished flooring manufacturers. Their finish is scratch resistant, but not scratchproof.

Ecotimber's aluminum oxide finish is very hard and scratch resistant, but it is also not scratch proof. If concerned about scratches on flooring, perhaps ceramic tile would be a more durable option.

I also need to know how these will fair with a dog. We have a medium sized dog (70 lbs) that likes to play and run around. Should I be concerned about him scratching the floor?

Bamboo is basically a grass- very soft:alarm: . I think your dog will destroy it. I figure if you can scratch it with a car key a dog will do the same (especially a heavy one.) I was going to install hardwood until I did the key test.
I did the same test on a piece of shaw laminate and was unable to scratch it. That's what I'm putting in.

Laminate floors are scratch resistant, but not scratch proof. Bamboo or wood floors can be refinished. Laminate cannot.

Large dogs place flooring finish at greater risk than small dogs. Many homeowners with large dogs and children prefer the scratch resistance of the higher quality laminate flooring products over wood. It's best to keep dog's nails trimmed.