What to buy: prefinished or unfinished hardwood floors?

Choose between prefinished vs. Unfinished hardwood floors can be tricky. You should think about the advantages and disadvantages of each before making a decision.

Before you jump into the huge cash outlay of installing a whole new real hardwood floor, it’s crucial that you’re aware of your options. There are 2 types of hardwood you can choose from: finished and unfinished. Finished it costs less and is easier in one respect, but unfinished it usually looks much better.

unfinished wood floors it is delivered raw – it is rough, textured, straight from the mill. The actual wood is then sanded, stained, and also finished at your home or place of business. Since it does not arrive finished, it can be coordinated with existing hardwood floors and can also be found in more widths and types of wood than prefinished floors.

prefinished wood floors it can be sanded, stained and finished in the manufacturing facility. It does not require any further treatment after it has been installed. Consequently, the cost of labor to install prefinished hardwood floors is substantially more cost-effective.

Prefinished flooring’s durable coating and manufactured design can make it more resistant to water and moisture, making it suitable for climatic locations with high humidity or significant variations in environment, or where the subfloor is below ground level. soil and is much more prone to moisture. (locations like The Woodlands, Conroe, Tomball, Kingwood or Houston Texas)

On the other hand, prefinished hardwood floors are typically not sealed on the jobsite, leaving crevices around the planks that are perfect for collecting dirt and dust that can be difficult to remove. One more problem is the fact that when it comes to refinishing your floors, you have to remove a lot more wood in the first refinishing job. This reduces the overall life span of the floor compared to a solid real wood floor.

If the pre-finished floor is damaged, an entire portion of the floor will need to be removed and replaced, whereas in many cases, field-finished hardwood floors can be repaired simply with a quick sand and finish.

There could be a chance that your particular prefinished flooring will be discontinued when you need it, meaning you won’t be able to buy replacement planks. Because of this, it’s smart to request extra boards and store them in a dry, climate-controlled location in case you need them later.

Several things should be considered:

• Will a flat be in a place with a lot of traffic?

Is your home historically significant? If so, rough wood decking is often necessary to enhance the above surfaces. Additional hand scraping techniques can be used with unfinished wood.

Would fumes and airborne dirt and dust from finishing a floor on-site be a problem? Do you currently have boys and girls or dogs and cats near where you will be doing the work?

Where is your new flat located? Could it be in a place with a lot of traffic or water, like the kitchen or bathroom area? In that case, pre-finished floors would be best, as they simply have a much stronger finish.

Want a particular color, grain or plank width selection? Pre-finished lumber will not have numerous options.

Is the installation in your whole house or maybe just one room in your house? It really is much easier to match grain patterns, flow, colors and finishes when using unfinished planks.

What technical installation method is necessary? Only prefinished floor surfaces can be floated over a cement subfloor.

Does it need to match? Unfinished wood is easier to stain, seal, and match.

How much are you willing to pay? Prefinished floors are generally less expensive compared to unfinished real wood floor coverings.

Do you live in an area with high humidity? If you do, prefinished floor surfaces are the primary solution, as they are often much more protected against buckling and flexing. My home is The Woodlands Tx (just north of Houston, Texas) and it is very humid here year round.

Quite simply, pre-finished lumber is useful for the vast majority of commercial offices and homes. However, if you have extra money to invest, finished hardwood floors in your home or office can’t be beat!