Lotus Land Bamboo Flooring

Q: We recently added Lotus Land Quick Click Bamboo flooring in our townhouse (slab – so we ordered the ‘float’ type). Everything went perfectly and it looks great. However, our dog is scratching it up. We are getting numerous scratches all over the place. So I have several questions.
1. Is there anything, shy of getting rid of the dog, which can protect the floors?
2. Since this is an engineered wood (not laminate) I am to understand that it can be sanded and stained, correct??
If so, can it also be polyurethaned – if so, what would be the best one to use for this flooring.
Thanks
John
A: Dogs seem exceptionally skilled at scratching up a floor, but there are a few things you can do. Before going through the process of refinishing your floor. First ensure that you are actively clipping your dogs nails and ensure that longer fur does not cover the pads on your dog’s paws. If the pads are not covered, your dog will rely less on nails to get grip. Also, if the nails are kept trimmed they are less likely to scratch the floor.
If this type of pet maintenance if being kept up, then you may want to look into screening the floor instead of refinishing it. Screening will remove a layer of finish through light abrasion without removing the actual surface of the wood, or in this case, bamboo. One note here is that Lotus Land features an aluminum oxide finish, so you will need to use a product made by Bona called Prep, after buffing the floor, this will allow new layers of finish to properly adhere to the currently aluminum oxide finish.
Your best bet would be to use a finish like Bona Traffic or Glitsa Infinity II. These are two of the most durable finish on the market and are built for commercial levels of traffic. Now if you would prefer to start all the way from the beginning, you can sand the floor down and get a refinish on this floor, but I would highly suggest having a professional do this, as it can be tricky with bamboo. Regardless of whether you do a screen or refinish, make sure that the finish you choose is built for larger volumes of traffic, and preferably one with a higher aluminum oxide content.