Prefinished or Site finished?
We know the decision to install wood flooring in your home is a
big decision, and with so many options available, it can be a
confusing decision as well.
One of the biggest questions that arises is whether prefinished
wood flooring, or solid unfinished flooring, which is installed,
sanded, and finished on site, is right for you.
Prefinished hardwood flooring definitely has it's advantages
such as:
- Ease of installation; Installers usually only need a day
(depending on the floor size) to complete the job with no
sanding, and no finishes used on site.
-Because the pre-finished floor already has been coated, usually
multiple times, at the factory - and therefore does not have to be
sanded and finished on-site, it is more convenient to install;
- Also because of the multiple coats of finish applied at the
factory, prefinished wood flooring finish is very durable, and the
finish itself is under warranty by the manufacturer.
Even with these advantages, pre-finished flooring definitely
has it's disadvantages to consider as well.
-Pre-finished can be dirt traps and very hard to clean between
the cracks, since the cracks are not sealed at the job site. Solid
site finished flooring is sanded and sealed at the job site, which
means no cracks.
-When refinishing pre-finished flooring, it is necessary to remove
a lot more wood to get a level floor, so in effect you are losing
more wood, and more life of the floor in the very first refinish than
with a solid 3/4" hardwood floor.
-Although pre-finished floors are convenient in that they install
without sanding and finishing they all have a beveled edge on
the wood strips which some people find unsightly. A custom
sanded hardwood floor has a table-top appearance and is
perfectly flat looking .
-A pre-finished floor will maintain height irregularities of the
substrate. In short, a bump in the sub floor means a bump in the
pre-finished floor unless the sub floor is fixed first. Site finished
flooring is sanded flat, so there more room for slight irregularites
or slight height variations.
-If your pre-finished floor gets damaged, it means ripping out a
whole section of flooring and completely replacing it, to correct it,
whereas site-finished hardwood flooring can in most cases, be
easily fixed with a quick sanding and finish.
- During installation, prefinished flooring (actually all solid
hardwood flooring), must be top-nailed or face-nailed in the
boards which are installed immediately around cabinets or wall
perimeters. These small nail holes are filled, however some
variated woods, or exotic woods may not have fillers which match
exactly (site finished floors produce dust when sanded, and this
dust is then mixed with a wood glue to produce the best filler
match possible)
-Over time, and possibly over home-owner changes, many people
don't know or forget the actual manufacturer of their pre-finished
flooring product, which makes it much more difficult to get an
exact match if board replacements are necessary at some point -
or if they want to add additional flooring to other rooms of the
home, and they want an exact match.
In the end, only you can make the decision about
which flooring is right for you.
We know the decision to install wood flooring in your home is a
big decision, and with so many options available, it can be a
confusing decision as well.
One of the biggest questions that arises is whether prefinished
wood flooring, or solid unfinished flooring, which is installed,
sanded, and finished on site, is right for you.
Prefinished hardwood flooring definitely has it's advantages
such as:
- Ease of installation; Installers usually only need a day
(depending on the floor size) to complete the job with no
sanding, and no finishes used on site.
-Because the pre-finished floor already has been coated, usually
multiple times, at the factory - and therefore does not have to be
sanded and finished on-site, it is more convenient to install;
- Also because of the multiple coats of finish applied at the
factory, prefinished wood flooring finish is very durable, and the
finish itself is under warranty by the manufacturer.
Even with these advantages, pre-finished flooring definitely
has it's disadvantages to consider as well.
-Pre-finished can be dirt traps and very hard to clean between
the cracks, since the cracks are not sealed at the job site. Solid
site finished flooring is sanded and sealed at the job site, which
means no cracks.
-When refinishing pre-finished flooring, it is necessary to remove
a lot more wood to get a level floor, so in effect you are losing
more wood, and more life of the floor in the very first refinish than
with a solid 3/4" hardwood floor.
-Although pre-finished floors are convenient in that they install
without sanding and finishing they all have a beveled edge on
the wood strips which some people find unsightly. A custom
sanded hardwood floor has a table-top appearance and is
perfectly flat looking .
-A pre-finished floor will maintain height irregularities of the
substrate. In short, a bump in the sub floor means a bump in the
pre-finished floor unless the sub floor is fixed first. Site finished
flooring is sanded flat, so there more room for slight irregularites
or slight height variations.
-If your pre-finished floor gets damaged, it means ripping out a
whole section of flooring and completely replacing it, to correct it,
whereas site-finished hardwood flooring can in most cases, be
easily fixed with a quick sanding and finish.
- During installation, prefinished flooring (actually all solid
hardwood flooring), must be top-nailed or face-nailed in the
boards which are installed immediately around cabinets or wall
perimeters. These small nail holes are filled, however some
variated woods, or exotic woods may not have fillers which match
exactly (site finished floors produce dust when sanded, and this
dust is then mixed with a wood glue to produce the best filler
match possible)
-Over time, and possibly over home-owner changes, many people
don't know or forget the actual manufacturer of their pre-finished
flooring product, which makes it much more difficult to get an
exact match if board replacements are necessary at some point -
or if they want to add additional flooring to other rooms of the
home, and they want an exact match.
In the end, only you can make the decision about
which flooring is right for you.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Licensed - Bonded - Insured Lic. # HARDWGL955M9 |
The Hardwood Guys, L.L.C.
Site finished (unfinished) VS. Pre-finished
Site finished (unfinished) VS. Pre-finished