But expect to pay a premium price for this cleaner-looking flooring. One of the major benefits of unfinished flooring is found in the sheer number of options available. Equally appealing: You can walk on the floor the day its laid, since theres no messy sanding or long wait times for clear top coats to dry. 2. But if down the road you decide youd like to change the stain of your finished wood planks, you can do so. Bob Vila has partnered with Empire Today to help you easily get beautiful new floors at a great price. Unfinished wood flooring will also give a greater range of overall options. Pre-finished flooring is solid hardwood flooring that comes already sanded, sealed, and ready to nail into place. The process takes several days and isnt DIY-friendly for the average homeowner, so its best to hire a pro. If not, let me know in the comments or. What to Know About Unfinished Hardwood Flooring - The Spruce Prefinished & Unfinished Hardwood Flooring Differences Our custom colors range from nearly natural colors that appear unfinished to dark rich colors that create a classic interior theme. In this introduction, well answer all your questions and explore the options for prefinished hardwood flooring from Carlisle Wide Plank Floors. Most prefinished hardwood floors come fully sealed from the manufacturer and require no additional sealing. Unfinished hardwood finishes are usually warranted for only 3 to 5 years, but you can expect a quality finish to last up to 15 years. With normal wear, you can expect the finsih to last 30 percent longer before you need to screen-and-poly. Solid wood floors, whether finished in a factory or at your home, can have the coating sanded off and reapplied. "Learn How Much It Costs To Install Wood Flooring.". Engineered flooring from Carlisle can be ordered as prefinished hardwood flooring. , you'll be able to discuss both types of finish in greater detail. Theres no necessity of staying home to complete the various stages of an on-site finishing jobsanding, sealing, staining, applying polyurethane, and so on. Laminate is about half the price of wood, costing just $1 to $6 per square foot, but you may notice a hollow, clicking sound when you walk on this thin floor. Flaws and issues need to be addressed before installation. Traditionally, you choose on-site finishing for a new construction project when time isn't as critical a factor as when you've already occupied the space. Once the old finish has been removed, a new one can be applied. Instead of the multiple-day process of sanding, staining, and then applying three polyurethane top coats to unfinished wood, these DIY-friendly floors can be put down in a single day. Pre-Finished vs. Site Finished Hardwood: Which is Better? - Floor Decor Unfinished wood is the way to go to create the closest possible match. Specific plank widths or unusual wood species may not be available in prefinished wood. But before we can do an in-depth comparison, it is important to look at the primary definition of prefinished and unfinished hardwood flooring and their major features. This is a more complicated installation than the glue-down method that is sometimes used for engineered hardwood flooring, and it's the reason why most people choose to have professionals install prefinished hardwood. Vintage accessories, such as the lamp and suitcase, add more personality to the space. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. It is important to note that the advantages of prefinished hardwood flooring apply mostly to solid hardwood products. Prefinished hardwood flooring is easily stained in a wide variety of colors to meet the needs of your interior design scheme. Even minor repairs need to have coating sanded. But some homeowners and many contractors disagree with me and prefer site-finishing wood floors for the following reasons. But some prefer the even look of bevel-less boards topped with a lower-gloss (though less durable) site-applied finish. I cant even scratch it with my fingernails. But for homeowners like me, prefinished floors are the future. Your prefinished floor is delivered ready for installation. 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. With hundreds of options available, there really is no decor limitation when it comes to choosing prefinished solid hardwood flooring. Quality without compromise. This increases the cost as well. Be advised: Staples may be cheaper than nails but are more likely to fracture the floorings tongues. Pros vs. Cons of Pre-Finished Hardwood Flooring - The Spruce Likewise, when installing prefinished hardwood flooring you wont have to worry about inhaling harsh fumes from stains and sealants. Highlights: Standard oak gets an unexpected update in a just-shy-of-black midnight stain and 5-inch planks. Unfinished hardwood flooring is raw wood that you will have to sand and finish after installation. Youll still have to nail each plank to the subfloor individually, but theres no messy sanding. This durability is especially important in subground or high humidity areas of your home. When it comes to adding warmth, beauty, and value to your home, hardwood cant be beat. The process takes time, can be messy from the sanding - although dustless refinishing is available - yet enables you to customize many aspects of the installation such as: In addition, on-site finishing allows you design options such as non-beveled edge profiles. The chief feature of pre-finished flooring is its thick, multiple layers (over five) of urethane coating. Quality can be a little questionable sometimes, but with dozens of good offerings selling at $2 per square foot, a bit more waste is acceptable. Because pre-finished flooring is becoming ubiquitous, it is easier to find pre-finished than an unfinished floor. Best Flooring From Consumer Reports' Tests Forget the notion of trying to fill, sand, and re-seal with your own coating. Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years. 5 Top Hardwood Options to Know, 5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Wood Floor, Experts Agree This Interior Upgrade Will Pay You Backand Then Some. This creates slightly beveled grooves between boards, which can trap dirt and grime. It may not have as much of an effect on the overall cost, as say the species of wood you select, but youll definitely notice the difference. In fact, if youre planning on installing your hardwood flooring below ground level, you should probably opt for prefinished engineered wood flooring to help the floor withstand the harsher conditions. By Gretchen Heber and Glenda Taylor | Updated Mar 22, 2022 7:22 AM. However, high gloss is more prone to scratches and dents. Typically, it will actually only take a half day of work by a contractor to have prefinished flooring installed and functional. If you are unfortunate enough to have a chipped or broken pre-finished board in your carton, you can quite clearly see the plastic-like layer coming off of the board. If you opt to DIY your flooring installation, you can save $2 to $5 per square foot over the cost of professional installation. Vinyl Plank (Luxury Vinyl) Flooring Review: Pros and Cons, Wide Plank Flooring Basics and Pros and Cons, Pros vs. Cons of Pre-Finished Hardwood Flooring, How to Install Engineered Hardwood Floors, Engineered Wood vs. Hardwood floors are elegant, classic, durable, and a perfect choice for any house owner or Therefore, some flooring that only has one coat may actually have thicker coating than other flooring that has multiple coats. Pre-finished and site-finished flooring are installed the same way, give or take a few minor differences. Plank Flooring: Wide boards move more than strips do and require additional holding power. However, unlike prefinished solid hardwood flooring, engineered flooring cannot be sanded down over and over again when you want to refinish. However, with prefinished flooring you will typically have a longer warranty and the option of scratch and sun resistant coatings. We focus on the grain and character of the floor, rather than seams. In contrast, traditional hardwood floors are first nailed into place and then stained and sealed. Installation of prefinished solid hardwood flooring planks is similar to that for unfinished hardwoodwhich means it requires special tools, such as a power floor nailer or pneumatic stapler. These work best when the subfloor is perfectly flat; otherwise you may see exposed edges. Not so with prefinished hardwood, which comes in a limited variety of wood types (such as red oak and maple), colors, and sealants. Talking to a flooring contractor can help you reach a decision with greater ease and confidence. Prefinished hardwood floors come with a factory-applied finish, which means they're ready to install as soon as they're delivered. Whether youre considering Ash wood flooring or Birch hardwood floors, or youre partial to Maple, Hickory or solid Red Oak flooring, youll always have the option to have your floor prefinished at our facility. Which is a Better Hardwood Floor Finish: Oil-Based or Water-Based? Once this expansion and contraction occur that smooth finish is no longer a smooth coat. And thanks to the wide array of prefinished solid-wood flooring now on the market, its never been easier to replace or find a match for your old floors. Unfinished hardwood flooring can be strong and durable, but it will not be scratch proof in the way that some prefinished flooring is. What is your reaction to this article? But it had one major drawback: Engineered hardwood cannot be repeatedly sanded down and refinished. Prefinished vs Site Finished Hardwood Flooring. Because the material is finished at the factory, a sealing agent is not applied to the lines between the planks when they are installed. Often, though, factory prefinished wood planks will have beveled, slightly rounded edges. Prefinished floorboards usually have micro-bevels on all edges. Pre-finished urethane coat provides athicker, more uniform coating than coatings that are site-finished. Prefinished wood flooring is the best avenue when hardwood prices, installation cost and convenience are major factors for your flooring project. When designing and installingcustom wood floors, many home and business owners are unaware of the availability of prefinished hardwood flooring. Looking for a new wood floors? Check out the prefinished hardwood cleaning and maintenance tips from the experts at Floor Factors. For example, here in the Northeast during our humid summers, a hardwood floor will absorb moisture from the humidity and the boards will swell. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest Twitter YouTube, By using HomeAdvisor, you agree to our Terms & Conditions, Copyright 1999 - 2023 HomeAdvisor, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Copyright 1999 - 2023HomeAdvisor, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Prefinished versus Unfinished Wood Flooring Pros & Cons. Well, each has its benefits. The flooring installer is an often untapped resource for homeowners. However, you will save a significant amount of time or money on the installation when compared with unfinished flooring. Theres a species to suit every style, from traditional pine planks and heavily grained oak strips to exotic varieties featuring rich red and chocolate shades. Finished Hardwood Flooring - Carlisle Wide Plank Floors Thats about 30 to 50 percent more than unfinished strips, but youll save on installation because you wont need to sand and finish the floor. That said, you can always enforce a no-shoes policy in your home if you fall for the look of one of the softer species. White oak, on the other hand, is a hard wood that has gray undertones and does not have any red colorization. You should look at how long you expect to have the flooring and whether you may want to refinish it in the future. Unfinished hardwood flooring costs anywhere from $3 to $15 dollars per square foot. Maintaining Prefinished Hardwoods Hurst Hardwoods is unique compared to other flooring manufacturers, considering they carry a variety of other brands, both big and small along with their own lines. Solid Hardwood Flooring: Which Is Better? It doesnt weather all weather. Oil finish does not emit volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that can be hazardous to your health when inhaled. But this may be a special order that takes time to fulfill. Wood flooring is sold in strips up to 3 inches wide and planks that are wider than 3 inches. Nothing in a box. At Carlisle, we craft every clients floor one at a time. This type of solid aluminum oxide-impregnated urethane finish is something that only a dedicated factory can apply. Each plank of this beautiful floor is enhanced with a soft and realistic texture that is synchronized to the high definition wood-grain film.