prefinished hardwood flooring pros and cons

Think of prefinished hardwood flooring as the option you want when a fast installation that still looks good is your top priority. If you decide that you dont like the look of your prefinished hardwood floor or it is not aging well, then it will require heavy sanding to get through the factory topcoat. Its not faux wood flooringits just another type of hardwood. Thats not the case with prefinished hardwood. Sometimes, manufacturers add an anti-scratch coating that makes the floor more resistant to minor surface damage. This process creates a protective layer that you make on-site for a custom finish that can meet the challenges of the local environment. Prefinished hardwood is simply hardwood that has been coated with a urethane finish in the factory. Are prefinished hardwood floors better than finished-on-site hardwood floors? Think of it this way: the bigger the wood plank, the more vulnerable it is to cupping and warping. Ultimately, you want to choose a high-quality flooring material that meets your needs and budget. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The finish could also leave a residual odor in the air that can take several weeks to dissipate, which is not an issue with prefinished planks. Obviously, it depends on what youre going for. If you choose to use the traditional installation processes for unfinished planks, then there is a risk of coloring, sealing, and staining not being consistent. After all, you could accidentally sand right through it! Here are a few of the most important ones to know about. All you need to do is to sand down the imperfect spot to get a level floor once again. Generally, the most significant con related to unfinished hardwood flooring is the time the installation process takes. Almost all the top hardwood brands sell a majority of their wood prefinished. It does not matterwhatever youre looking for, you can find endless prefinished options. Each plank goes through the same finishing processes at the factory to ensure that the results are what you want to see every time. Tarkett Laminate Flooring Review: Worth Buying? Laminate vs. Hardwood Floors: Which are Better? With that said, we thought we would give you a closer look at what you need to know when deciding between prefinished and unfinished hardwood flooring. Bamboo Flooring vs. Laminate: Which to Buy? 7. Engineered hardwood, on the other hand, can only be refinished a number of times (if at all) due to the thinness of the veneer layer. Installing hardwood floors is in an investment in your home, not an expense. Besides regular wood, many of the best bamboo flooring, best cork flooring, and even best hemp flooring options can be purchased in engineered varietiesso you have no shortage of options to choose from. Seeing as there are pros and cons for both hardwood flooring options, its hard to choose a clear winner. Even though engineered hardwood can come prefinished, its usually still a good idea to seal it especially since it is typically used in more moisture-rich areas. It can also take several hours, if not several days, for the finishes on the flooring to dry between each coat. Does Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Resist Water Better? And really, at the end of the day, the best hardwood floors are the ones you like. The average national cost in the United States to install a wooden floor is approximately $4,500. The coating is applied pre-installation, so the protective coating is uniform and evenly applied. On the other hand, unfinished hardwood thats finished on-site can be sanded down to a flat, even surface regardless of how the subfloor looks. If you are installing a hardwood floor and want your contractor to perform inlays or other unique elements with the design of your planks, then you almost always need to purchase an unfinished product instead of using something that was finished at the factory. Refinishing is also challenging to do. Laminate can be a durable and long-lasting flooring type when properly installed. There are also some specific challenges that this flooring option presents. Repairing prefinished hardwood floors can be a complicated process. If youre looking for a more moisture-friendly, cost-effective option, vinyl planks, engineered hardwood, and laminate are terrific alternatives. When you sand an unfinished hardwood floor, then the room typically fills with sawdust which must be thoroughly cleaned to avoid any breathing issues in the future. 8. ), Prefinished Hardwood Wont Hide Subflooring Troubles (but Unfinished Hardwood Will), The Cost of Prefinished vs. Our advice: find a top-rated local flooring store near you and ask their opinion about prefinished hardwood. So: while unfinished hardwood flooring might offer a little more customization, theres no question that prefinished hardwood flooring is the easier, more common, and quicker option. Prefinished hardwood floors have a high durability level. Its also appreciated for its low cost. 2022 FlooringStores, Inc. All rights reserved. And if that has you wondering whats the difference between an underlayment vs. a subfloorwell, just click on that link to read about it. This advantage creates a time savings because you do not go through the process of sanding and staining the material once you have the flooring in place. Refinishing the surface requires extensive sanding to reach the hardwood of the product, cutting down on the thickness of your planks. Due to the protective seal, prefinished floors look great for many years. Vinyl can look like wood, but it isnt actually wood at all. You may have noticed that we havent yet talked about pricing. These days, advances like snap-together tile flooring have made it easy to install all types of tile, from natural stone to wood-look porcelain. Its durability also makes it some of the best wood flooring for dogs (and for the people who love them). Hickory Flooring Pros and Cons: The Guide. Solid hardwood, for example, can be refinished indefinitelyregardless of whether you buy it prefinished or unfinished. If you fail to add a sealing agent, then there can be issues with water penetration, eventually leading to mold or rot growing beneath the surface of the planks. You can save some money by using a softwood product like pine, but then you will be sacrificing durability to reduce the initial capital expense. Thanks to this unique advantage, manufacturers are now offering prefinished hardwood flooring that comes with a warranty of 25 years or more. Consider your situation today to see if the pros and cons of prefinished hardwood floors can land in your favor too. Unfinished Hardwood Flooring. Its a more convenient option for some renovation or improvement projects. However, this of course comes down to what is right for your home or business and will be determined by factors beyond consumer popularity. Thankfully, prefinished floors dont need refinishing very often, but when it does, you have to remove more than five layers of urethane finish to get to the wood, and that can be time-consuming and difficult. Is Cork Flooring Usually Prefinished or Unfinished? Website and content 2021 Daves Floor Sanding & Installing, All Rights Reserved. Many prefinished hardwood planks have slightly rounded, or beveled, edges. It might be better to look for straight-edge options instead, even if that means using an unfinished product at the end of the day. This disadvantage can drive up the cost of the project significantly, so older homes can sometimes benefit from a thorough inspection and evaluation before installing your first planks. And both of these can be purchased prefinished or unfinished. 5. So if you can refinish the flooring material, thats the only thing that matters. Were going to say it again: most flooring stores offer way more prefinished options than unfinished options. But if you want low-VOC wood flooring, pre-finished is almost always the way to go. Its no surprise that its such a popular flooring material. 3. Thats why most wide-plank wood flooring options are made with engineered woodbecause its much more stable. These days, she plies her craft as an SEO writer specializing in the confluence of wellness, politics, and the service industry. When you install unfinished planks in a room, then the final steps of the job entail sanding the floor so that you receive a flat surface. Vinyl flooring is a cost-effective, long-lasting, and durable flooring option that is suitable for both dry and wet areas. Prefinished hardwood flooring is exactly what it sounds likereal hardwood planks that are pre-finished with stain and sealant before they arrive at your door. This one is a no-brainer, but were going to go over it anyway. Yes! We would love to be a part of your home improvement journey! They can tell you about everything from the disadvantages of hickory vs. oak flooring to the common grain patterns ash flooring and everything in between. Alright! You will add inlays after you sand the floor, which makes them perfectly flush with the rest of the floor. Any flaws in your subfloor will become immediately evident with this product. Unfortunately, prefinished hardwood will make any flaws in your subfloor immediately evident. It comes in a variety of styles so that it can mimic the look of prefinished hardwood. That means the slightly rounded edges tend to offer a look that is more finished when the work is complete, but it also gives your floor a look that speaks of it being manufactured. PS: if that has you wondering whats a floating floor?, its a floor that clicks together and is held in place by friction, rather than being attached to an underlayment or subfloor. The speed and simplicity of installing prefinished wood is one of its biggest advantages. And thats not an option with unfinished wood that you finish on-site. Thats a good question! Thats because its neither a pro nor a con of prefinished hardwood flooring. And theres really no point in looking for low-VOC flooring if youre going to be breathing in fumes from all the stains and finishes that go on top of them! If a prefinished floor gets dented, dinged, or scratched, it can be complicated (if not impossible) to repair. So if youre going to buy unfinished cork and finish it on-site, you need to make sure you have a pro doing the job. Carpet or Hardwood in Bedrooms: Which is Better? There are no simple ways to restore the value of your installation if something unexpected happens. These cookies do not store any personal information. The added durability that you receive with this advantage means that your new floor can withstand harsher treatment, making it a suitable choice for households that are always busy. Prefinished flooring also has the following benefits: The biggest con with prefinished hardwood flooring is the limitation of widths, lengths, colors, grain, and other common customer preferences. Tile vs. Laminate Flooring: The Pros and Cons, Can You Bleach Wooden Floors? VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are harmful chemicals that slowly off-gas from different types of industrial products. Vinyl plank flooring is a top choice for people who want durability and style. You can sand down beneath the coating that the factory applied to the product to reveal the natural wood of the planks. Now, the roles have reversed, and prefinished hardwood flooring is the go-to option. For more information,visit this page. And most engineered wood comes prefinished. The installation of prefinished hardwood flooring follows the same processes that a contractor or DIY specialist would use to install unfinished planks. But if water resistance is a priority, youd be better off weighing the benefits of using linoleum vs. laminate or exploring the best vinyl plank flooring brands. At Daves we have 40+ years of installing hardwood flooring and generally, we have noticed this decision comes down to these main factors: with unfinished, you have the ability to refinish easily, as well as enjoy the natural imperfections of the wood, and with prefinished, you appreciate the convenience of being able to choose a perfectly prepared and ready-to-install flooring. Now that weve talked about prices, lets answer some frequently asked questions about prefinished hardwood flooring. To learn more, please consult BuildDirect's, Choosing Colors: Countertops, Floors, Doors, & More, The Type of Tile You Choose Can Make or Break Your Remodeling Project, Puppies vs Floors: How to Protect Your Floors From Pets and Vice Versa, Hardwood vs. There are more uniformity and consistency with the coloring and staining in the boards. This is an easy one. All of that to say: almost all the most durable wood flooring comes pre-finished. June 03, 2021 | 4 min read | BuildDirect. Of course, there are some disadvantages of prefinished hardwood. This post may contain references or links to products from one or more partners of our parent company and/or subsidiaries of our parent company. 7. Prefinished floors eliminate the hassle and time required for installing unfinished floors. Oh, and for more information on different types of floors, check out: Rose's career has taken her from small-town teacher to mixologist at several award-winning NYC cocktail bars (and everywhere in between). Often, if theres an issue with prefinished hardwood, its best to replace the entire floorboard. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Tarkett laminate flooring probably isnt the first choice that pops up when you look for the best laminate flooring brands. Thats not a hard-and-fast rule, its just the reality of buying hardwood floors. If you buy unfinished hardwood and finish it on-site, you can literally make it look like anything. Engineered and solid hardwood are the two main types of wood flooring. Even if the planks come with a 25-year warranty, they surface seal is going to receive scratches, start fading, and experience discoloration. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Pine flooring? But when it comes to multi-colored, 3D designs and inlayswell, theyll probably require a custom finish. How Much Does it Cost to Replace Carpet With Hardwood? These days you may find that its easier to purchase prefinished wood than unfinished planks, especially at big-box retailers. Similarly, to unfinished hardwood flooring, there are some notable pros and cons related to this type of flooring: The biggest pro associated with prefinished hardwood flooring is after it is installed, you can enjoy your new flooring immediately. It depends on the type of finish! There is no need to wait for the finish to dry, and you do not need to relocate out of your home because of the fumes of the finishing products. There are fewer style choices to consider with prefinished hardwood flooring when compared to an unfinished plank. If you can refinish the material, youre good to go. Its hard wood, after all. Prefinished hardwood floors have a harder initial surface. Its free, simple, and it only takes a few seconds to sign up. Carpet vs. Laminate Flooring: Which One Should I Choose? When you decide to install a hardwood floor in your home, then the cost of a prefinished plank is similar to what you would spend for an unfinished product. All of that to say: engineered woods disadvantages are small potatoes when considering its upsides. Most of the manufacturers use a beveled edge with this product instead of creating a sharp corner. Cork is technically made of wood bark (pretty cool, right? From a wide range of hues of cherry and oak to shades of maple and pine, there are a variety of wood species and natural color variations available with unfinished hardwood flooring. Are you considering prefinished hardwood for your upcoming project? Glue-down? Because the manufacturer is sealing the prefinished hardwood floor at the factory, there is no way for the planks to have their edges sealed after the installation process is completed. It requires special skills and tools to get it right. This post may contain references or links to products from one or more partners of our parent company and/or subsidiaries of our parent company. After installation, the only thing left to do is sweep it up and call it a day. Here are the advantages of buying your hardwood floors pre-finished. Because prefinished hardwood is so much more durable than finished-on-site hardwood (again: a polyurethane finish with aluminum oxide is way more durable than one without this acrylic finish), the odds of a scratch penetrating down to the wood are extremely low. Prefinished hardwood is essentially just hardwood, with less work on the installation and a little more durability. You can add your own personal touch with inlays, borders, and other flooring features, as well as your finish system, stain color, and sawn profile. 6. Engineered hardwood and prefinished hardwood are different materials though engineered hardwood can be prefinished. This option is the gold standard in flooring, so look for the options with the best cost profile to ensure that you can get exactly what you want. There are fewer choices available to you with prefinished hardwood flooring. This choice also works well if you have dogs or cats at home, and you want to enjoy all of the benefits that come with owning a hardwood floor. Then you can apply your preferred stain and seal to give each room the visual impact that you want it to have. You can use the flooring right away once the installation work is complete. So: what is engineered hardwood and how is it different from solid hardwood? But putting in unfinished hardwood floors and finishing them in your home can fill your house with dust and debris while taking weeks to complete. These days, the industry-standard veneer thickness is about 1.2mm for prefinished engineered hardwood. Below, well take you through all the basics of prefinished hardwood flooring. The real question you should be asking is whats the difference between prefinished hardwood and unfinished hardwood? Teak flooring?

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