The Pros of Prefinished Flooring . A client in the showroom asked me today, “Should I get prefinished flooring or the kind you sand and finish on site?” Excellent question. Immediate access to your new floor. Prefinished vs. Site-finished Hardwood Flooring – Part 1 . Before you start considering your options with regard to color and style, make sure you understand the difference between finishes that are commonly used on prefinished and site-finished floors.. It’s hard though to get a straight answer to such a simple question. Unfinished Hardwood Flooring If you're deciding between prefinished hardwood flooring or unfinished wood floors, consider these nine key differences to make an informed choice. Decision Time! Prefinished hardwood flooring is the best option if you want an easier installation process and if you want to move furniture into your home immediately after installation. Site finished hardwood floors offer the maximum flexibility in customizing your hardwood flooring pick your species, appearance, color, finish, and texture Contact 1-800-354-9902 This is also the most expensive option, the slowest, and the messiest in a remodel due to the sanding. Can prefinished hardwood be sealed? We believe in creating floors that not only last a lifetime, but floors that also capture your personality. Pre Finished hardwood. Since pre-finished hardwood floors are made with a bevel, the areas they create can attract more debris. Unfinished Hardwood vs. Prefinished Hardwood Costs . Site-Finished vs Pre-Finished Hardwood. We have specially trained craftsmen who have mastered the art of finishing your floors at the time of installation, or who can provide you the simplicity of hardwood floors with finish already applied by the manufacturer. A: For the absolute best floor, there is nothing like 3/4-inch hardwood, nailed in place, sanded, and finished with at least three coats of oil-based urethane. There's a big difference between prefinished and site-finished flooring when the finish gets damaged. Pre-finished flooring - as the name implies - is flooring that has the finish applied to it at the factory before it reaches the suppliers. Hardwood floors have a strong appeal. As noted, the prefinished allows for the possibility of spills going through the slats. Prefinished hardwood flooring is that which has undergone the milling and finish process in the manufacturer's factory controlled environment. 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. A site finished hardwood is typically sealed with a liquid polyurethane that dries into a hard shell. Let’s break it down: The Advantages of Prefinished Hardwood Floors. Hardwood flooring is a wonderful addition to any home! If you have shopped for hardwood floors, you have probably debated the pros and cons of pre-finished hardwood floors vs. site finished hardwood floors. This gives the floor a smooth, square edge, and even finish with endless possibilities of color. Each individual board is sanded, stained, sealed, and given multiple finish coatings, then hardened with a UV-curing phase to make the wood more scratch and scuff resistant. Prefinished. “Prefinished” hardwood floors are factory-finished. Posted November 12, 2012. Below we will discuss the pros and cons of prefinsihed wood floors and site finished hardwood floors. Warm and inviting, there is something noble about the way they gleam against the sunlight from an open window, giving a touch of nature to a home’s interior. Prefinished hardwood planks are sanded, stained, and sealed before being installed in your home. The biggest con with prefinished hardwood flooring is the limitation of widths, lengths, colors, grain, and other common customer preferences. Site finished hardwood floors won’t have micro-bevels that can attract dirt and dust. Lee Wallender. It’s been sanded, stained, and coated to prevent scratching and water damage. On the other hand, site-finished hardwood is installed as unfinished planks and then finished on-site. Solid hardwood floors need to be finished with a durable top coating to protect the wood and withstand foot traffic. Gaylord Hardwood Flooring 6,729 views. When choosing hardwood for your home, you have the option of prefinished or site-finished flooring. For those who will be hiring a professional for this service, here’s the price to expect: Prices. The finish is a protective top coat that seals a hardwood floor against damage from everyday wear-and-tear, moisture, and stains. Written by. They are so tough that they cannot be screened for recoating. Aesthetically, the sheen is broken up between each row of boards. These two styles of finishing hardwood have unique advantages, which we’ll outline below. Prefinished vs. on site finished hardwoods. Revel Woods Hardwood Flooring. 10 years ago. But, you may not ever be able to get any finish to permanently stick to these highly cross linked finishes. Prefinished Flooring . Durability– When it comes to choosing prefinished wood flooring you will find that both engineered and solid hardwood floors offer great durability and a long lifespan.With regards to surface wear and tear it is more important that you research what kind of finish is to be added to your flooring as it is the finish that provides the main protection. Prefinished hardwood is finished before it ever reaches your home. When you compare prefinished hardwood flooring vs unfinished hardwood flooring, you should look at your personal time and budget constraints. Both floor types have their advantages. While prefinished hardwood is convenient and indistinguishable from site-finished flooring, it does not provide the same level of personalization and protection that site-finished flooring offers. 3 years ago. There are also notable pros and cons associated with this particular type of flooring. But when you purchase un-finished flooring and have it finished on-site, you get the added bonus of seeing the finish applied to your flooring and added reassurance that it was done right. Lee Wallender. We recommend site-finished flooring if you are matching new hardwood to pre-existing hardwood in your home. Site-finished hardwood flooring ships from the mill in its natural, raw state. Things to look for when choosing a prefinished hardwood floor or an site-finsihed hardwood floor Here are a few observations that might influence your decision: While it's true that the initial cost of prefinished hardwood is somewhat higher than unfinished hardwood, when all is said and done (or rather sanded and finished), the pricing difference is more or less a wash. With the current technology, both types of hardwood floors will be able to give you a beautiful look to your home. Pre-finished hardwood flooring is great because half the work of the installation is done before it even leaves the factory. Learn about The Spruce's Editorial Process. Refinishing Hardwood Floors - Costs and Home Depot Rentals - … There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the right hardwood floor for your space. Prefinished vs. Benefits of Site-Finished Flooring. Steve Simpson of Professional Floors of St.Louis chats with Damian about the pros and cons of prefinished and job finished hardwood floors. SITE FINISHED VS. PRE-FINISHED HARDWOOD What is Site Finished Hardwood? You can't easily repair a scratched or water-damaged factory finish, and if the damage is noticeable, you may have to replace the affected boards. Traditionally, hardwood flooring was always installed as unfinished planks that were then stained and finished with a protective surface layer, right on the worksite. 3:14. Pros vs. Cons of Pre-Finished Hardwood Flooring. With a site finished floor, it will need to be stained. Site Finished vs. Prefinished Hardwood Flooring - Duration: 3:14. We have hardwoods in our kitchen that were finished on site when we added and remodel the room 4 years ago. Pin Share Email BostonREP / Getty Images. In Wood flooring advice 0. Can prefinished hardwood be sealed to avoid this problem? Prefinished vs Site finished hardwood. For people who may not know exactly what we are talking about here lets do a little hardwood flooring 101. It’s a legitimate debate. Like | 2; Save; PRO. Installation When it comes to installation, prefinished hardwoods are going to be a much quicker installation. Furthermore, the durability of the finish on prefinished flooring can make it difficult to remove these surface layers if you ever want to refinish your flooring in the future. Updated 11/14/19. October 13th, 2016 admin . Sanding, staining and finishing are all done in the home after the flooring is installed. www.gaylordhardwoodflooring.com This video is about the differences between site finished and prefinished hardwood flooring. Unlike on-site finished Hardwood Flooring, prefinished Hardwood Flooring has bevels, sometimes called micro bevels. Hardwood Flooring: Prefinished Hardwood vs On-Site Finished Hardwood. Site finishes are easier to repair, often by simply spot-patching with fresh finish. www.gaylordhardwoodflooring.com This video is about the differences between site finished and prefinished hardwood flooring. Appearance. Both types of hardwood floors have merit so the real question is which solution is better for your site and which meets your personal preferences.. By tandgflooring. March 1, 2015. Each board is coated with polyurethane before it hits the shelf. Both prefinished and site finished hardwood floors are great choices and which you choose depends upon a number of mainly personal preferences. When you opt for site finished hardwood, you are purchasing wood flooring that will be shipped to your home unfinished to be sanded, possibly stained and then sealed and finished with a protective layer on the job site in your home. Facebook; Twitter; Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 12 years. Site-finished hardwood flooring allows you to achieve ideal uniformity and quality. Pros and Cons of Prefinished vs On-Site Finished Hardwood Flooring. Traditional hardwood strip flooring is attractive and durable, and easy to restore to its original appearance. Prefinished hardwood flooring is usually the best way to go if cost and convenience are among your biggest concerns. I hear it almost every day. But they too will get scratched, and need a fresh coat of finish, every 5-10 years, depending on use. Installation . Choosing to have site-finished flooring will save you up to $2,000! I know you're all probably tiring of hardwood threads, but hopefully the post will be helpful to others as well. Floorboards that are finished on-site with oil-based or water-based polyurethane require time to dry. PRE-FINISHED VS. 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