Should I Get Prefinished Or Real Wood Flooring

Traditionally hardwood flooring was always installed as unfinished planks that were then stained and finished with a protective surface layer right on the worksite.

Should i get prefinished or real wood flooring. When you compare prefinished hardwood flooring vs unfinished hardwood flooring you should look at your personal time and budget constraints. Engineered hardwood flooring is almost always sold pre finished and there is a narrower range of available colors and species than with solid hardwood. A prefinished plank floor over 4 is a poorly designed product and i ve been hearing all winter of these amazing shrinking floors. I asked an online hardwood flooring community group on linkedin which was a better floor unfinished or pre finished and it resulted in a tremendous amount of passionate responses.

But once you factor in finishing costs prefinished ends up. Solid hardwood flooring is available in a wide array of wood species including oak maple and black walnut as well as regional specific choices like pecan mesquite and others. Some pre finished engineered hardwood flooring has slightly beveled edges which creates slight grooves between boards while solid hardwood flooring generally has very tight seams between boards. These are generally in widths of 4 or less.

As compelling as on site finishing is pre finished hardwood floors have their advantages as well. But since the introduction of prefinished solid hardwood during the 1940s this newer form of flooring has become increasingly popular and today you may find that it s easier to find than traditional unfinished hardwood planks. This is the most appealing benefit of pre finished floors for some homeowners. Prefinished solid wood floors initially cost more than unfinished wood flooring about 2 per square foot for a good grade of red oak.

There are valid points from each point of view both options have advantages and disadvantages. With unfinished flooring planks you have to live through installation sanding and finishing. When most people say prefinished hardwood floor they mean solid wood strip floor. Prefinished floors means less mess which has obvious advantages especially if you have children or pets that you don t want exposed to fumes and other installation by products.

Go to the plank floor section of the hardwood authority and you ll soon. Dry mopping sweeping and or vacuuming on a weekly basis is the best way to rid hardwood floors of light dust dirt and pet hair accumulations. Prefinished wood flooring is the best avenue when hardwood prices installation cost and convenience are major factors for your flooring project.