When installing hardwood floors you will have many options and decisions to make. One is to install either prefinished or unfinished hardwood floors. Many will ask which one is better to install? In general both have their advantages and essentially, it will be up to the homeowner as to which one they will prefer. Mike’s Custom Flooring will share the difference between prefinished and unfinished hardwood floors so you can see which one will be best or work to your advantage.
Prefinished VS Site Finished Hardwood Floors
There is very little difference between the two types of hardwood flooring. The prefinished hardwood flooring means the floor has already been sanded, stained, and coated with a polyurethane sealer to protect the wood in the factory. Unfinished wood is hardwood planks that have been cut and semi sanded. When they are installed unfinished wood needs to be completely sanded, stained and sealed.
Advantages of Prefinished Hardwood Flooring
There are a few advantages to buying prefinished hardwood floors. One is time. When the hardwood floors are installed they are ready to be walked on and you can begin moving furniture in right away. If you install unfinished floors you will need to wait until they are sanded, stained, and sealed. Additionally, they are a little less messy since prefinished floor don’t require sanding or staining. Therefore, you don’t have that mess on site. Saw dust can get everywhere and you will need to do some house clean afterward with unfinished floors. Along with unfinished floors comes the smell of the stain, the oil, and sealer used to finish the wood. When installing prefinished hardwood floors you won’t have any odors from the material used to finish unfinished hardwood floors. As wood species vary, over all it tends to cost less to install prefinished hardwood floors versus unfinished, as there is additional cost to finishing the unfinished wood floors.
Benefits of Unfinished Hardwood Floors
Where you may wondering what advantages there are to unfinished wood floors, the answer is a lot. Starting with the wood’s appearance, unfinished hardwood floors have a natural beauty and look. They feel more like natural wood. Prefinished wood is covered in thick polyurethane which creates a manufactured feel to the wood floor. Not only is the wood more natural, you have your option as to what color you want, and how you want the wood floor stained. You can even do custom coloring to create a two or multi-toned or colored wood floor. You can create interesting designs in the wood floor without the need to buy multiple species of wood floors. Or if you have other wood feature in the home and you are having a hard time matching the wood floors, again you can stain the wood to match for a unified theme. When you do your own staining it is also easier to maintain the smaller repairs as small scratches occur. With a prefinished floor you don’t always have the right color of stain on hand to repair the wood floor.
Hardwood Floor Sales, Installation & More in Charles Town & Eastern Panhandle of Berkeley & Jefferson Counties in WV | Winchester & Frederick County | Round Hill & Loudoun County | Berryville & Clarke County | Herndon & Fairfax County VA
When installing hardwood floors you will find there are advantages to both prefinished and unfinished hardwood floors, so you must decide which one is right for you. When seeking hardwood floors and quality installation and maintenance services, contact Mike’s Custom Flooring today.
