You have "wear through" which is when the finish is pierced and the wood is exposed to the elements. The dark areas are where dirk/water/mud have stained the floor. It is possible to get this out... but probably not all the way. A floor that has wear through needs to be sanded right down, stained (if you wish) and then refinished. Patching can occur...but it is almost always a waste of time because the "look" can be very different from the original sitting right next to it. I don't recommend it for your situation. The second photo shows the deep scratching. Ideally, you would have had your floors looked after BEFORE wear-through occurs. There are some "regular" scratches to the Left in photo 2. You can see it is visible...but no discolouration....THAT is where you draw the line. The darker "wear through" to the Right in photo 2 = too late = full sand and refinish. If you catch it BEFORE wear-through, you can do a "buff and coat". This is a light sanding with a few coats of high end finish over top. The buff and coat is roughly half the price (in Canada at least) as a full sand/refinish. For this reason it is important to catch the floors before you get to this level of scratching.. That being said, you now get to pick some stains (test patch, test patch, test patch). The first photo shows two different woods...you could ask to see if the lighter would could be matched to the darker wood (lots of testing to achieve this). It won't be pefect...but then again you wouldn't have used reclaimed building materials if you were after "perfect". The match can lessen the colour variation to a more manageable (design wise) level. As for "good for dogs" - natural colour of wood = best colour for scratches. A lower gloss (like a satin) can help. You can ask for the "best" finish with scratch resistance that comes in a can. You will pay a premium for it...but it could/should save you thousands of dollars over the long run. A highend, scratch resistant finish means you can get away with the cheaper buff and coats (every 7-12 years...or so) and be able to retain the original (expensive) finish for the full 25 years. The other thing to note: dogs claws require trimming 2-4 PER MONTH when working with hardwoods. This is what the hardwood flooring refers to as "routine" trimming. Some of my clients thought "2-3 PER YEAR" was "routine". I laughed. You have heavy, high energy, powerful dogs. A single lab can cause some damage over time. Two labs can do a number on a floor. Three labs and you have a very short lived hardwood finish. You have 7. I would find the most expensive, scratch resistant finish available in Australia. I would have the maximum amount of finished put your floors (you will pay extra) it and I would budget for a "buff and coat" every 5-7 years.

It depends on the species of wood (I.e. How hard or soft) and whether or not the ambient temperature can remain as stable as possible. What you caulk and paint in warmer weather may look great now, but when it begins to get colder, the wood begins to shrink, and the caulk will begin to pull away. This will look worse than if you didn't caulk at all. My suggestion is to use a caulk like the brand called "Big Stretch " in an attempt to avoid this.

Hi Michelle - It looks like treated pine to me, and looks as though it has been recently built. If you did nothing it would fade to a grey colour within 6 months or so. This would probably blend in with the house quite well, and you wouldn't have to do a thing! Otherwise I would stain it - there are lots of stains on the market - see if there is one you like. A dark one would create a nice contrast with the house and make the fence look more like a feature. Good luck!

I desperately in need of advice as I cannot make a decission.... sorry, pics are in comments as I could not attach them here, new to this.... 1. I am unsure which colour to paint the front door, the wooden has an ugly stained brownish colour, happy to sand or to paint, but mental block about colour - grey/black or white? 2. Thinking about recladding the bricks with horizontal wooden slates as per last pic.Is that a good idea? Not suited? Friends say too expansive here in NZ but i am happy to pay if it will suit the house. 3.Shall we put a deck in front of the french door connecting the entrance, which I would then cover with wood as well to get rid of the concrete. Too much wood? And what about the planters, leave the bricks, cover as well, I prefer to cover them.Input much appriciate as my dear partner would leave it as is:) House specs: 1951 house, render, with the bit of fake brick in the front. The entrance face the front garden, it is visible from the street through trees.I love the good size garden, obviously the deck will take a bit away, hence I would not choose a big deck. My thought deck and then one step down to sit on as well, if that makes sense.Thanks for everybodies input - i am in the brainstorming phase. We are in the South Island New Zealand. Sorry, struggling with uploading pics. I will keep trying to get the photo of the whole house up.Screen just turns white when i try to upload