prefinished hardwood flooring pros and cons

Simpleits the foundation of your flooring, often plywood boards nailed down to the big beams holding up your floor. Are prefinished hardwood floors better than finished-on-site hardwood floors? Almost all the top hardwood brands sell a majority of their wood prefinished. Why? Its no surprise that its such a popular flooring material. If your preference is to have a custom look that requires a higher level of craftsmanship to complete, then an unfinished flooring option is the better choice. Now that weve talked about the difference between prefinished hardwood and engineered hardwood, lets talk specifically about the pros and cons of prefinished hardwood floors. The individual floorboards come pre-sealed, so there isnt usually a need to apply a seal after the fact. Its not faux wood flooringits just another type of hardwood. These days, she plies her craft as an SEO writer specializing in the confluence of wellness, politics, and the service industry. 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. All wood flooring types will add warmth classic style to your home. Prefinished hardwood is essentially just hardwood, with less work on the installation and a little more durability. Sustainable wood flooring? These days, the industry-standard veneer thickness is about 1.2mm for prefinished engineered hardwood. Customization isnt limited to color and finish, either. Due to the protective seal, prefinished floors look great for many years. 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. 6. They can be made from any hardwood species, and theyre often sealed with a super-hard aluminum oxide coating to make them durable and scratch-resistant. 4. Thats all about the material, not the finish. Now that weve talked about prices, lets answer some frequently asked questions about prefinished hardwood flooring. Its not a particularly high-quality product. Choosing prefinished hardwood flooring can come with a wide variety of benefits, but you will have fewer choices available to you since the goal is to create a consistent plank. Yes! Hickory Flooring Pros and Cons: The Guide. It must be installed, sanded, and refinished on site. Finally, you will also have to wait for the flooring to cure before putting furniture back into place. Trying to decide between prefinished hardwood flooring and unfinished hardwood flooring? How Much Does it Cost to Replace Carpet With Hardwood? While solid hardwood is one piece of wood throughout, engineered wood combines a high-strength plywood base and a solid wood veneer. Engineered and solid hardwood are the two main types of wood flooring. There are also some specific styles and shapes that only come when you choose an option that requires on-site finishing. This one is a no-brainer, but were going to go over it anyway. 7. Theyre relatively comparable materials in terms of cost, appearance, and durability. While you can buy prefinished or unfinished engineered wood, the majority of your options are going to be pre-finished. 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. The manufacturing style takes a specific approach that typically bevels the edges, creating a visual aesthetic that might not match what you have with the rest of the house. So a better question would be what are the best unfinished hardwood flooring brands?. Then you can apply your preferred stain and seal to give each room the visual impact that you want it to have. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. You can still refinish a prefinished floor if you want. 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. Prefinished hardwood floors have a high durability level. Website and content 2021 Daves Floor Sanding & Installing, All Rights Reserved. This is an easy one. Because everything is done at the factory, this option is the closest that you can get to a plug and play floor while using hardwood materials. Its hard wood, after all. It can come in various grains, colors, and stains to look great in almost any design aesthetic. 2. Unlike prefinished hardwood, some vinyl planks are DIY-friendly, although professional application is usually still advised. 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. Installing prefinished hardwood is very similar to installing regular hardwood. Whatever your preference, adding either option to your home will not only add beauty, but add value to your home or business. Seeing as there are pros and cons for both hardwood flooring options, its hard to choose a clear winner. These days you may find that its easier to purchase prefinished wood than unfinished planks, especially at big-box retailers. Others have squared edges. Just keep in mind that you may not be able to fully customize all the aspects of these floors, including the edges. Heres How. It comes in a variety of styles so that it can mimic the look of prefinished hardwood. If you are using engineered hardwood flooring, laminate products, or something similar, then these pros and cons do not apply to the options you are considering today. Looking for eco-friendly flooring? 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. 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. There are certain wood types and plank sizes which are not available when you choose prefinished hardwood flooring. Thats not the case with prefinished hardwood. Either way, hardwood isnt the worlds easiest flooring to install (that dubious honor goes to peel-and-stick carpet tiles), so make sure to find a top-rated flooring store near you to get some expert help and expert installation. Our advice: find a top-rated local flooring store near you and ask their opinion about prefinished hardwood. Most prefinished hardwood flooring products come with beveled edges. 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. 5. 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. Vinyl is usually much less expensive than prefinished hardwood, making it an ideal choice for people who dont want to sacrifice on budget or style. And while you can technically buy cork either prefinished or unfinished, it almost always comes pre-finished. And most engineered wood comes prefinished. It just depends on the product. The real question you should be asking is whats the difference between prefinished hardwood and unfinished hardwood? It can also take several hours, if not several days, for the finishes on the flooring to dry between each coat. Thats exactly what were here to find out! It also includes the way the edges of your floor will join together. If you are using a solid (not engineered) product, then the pros and cons of prefinished hardwood flooring are worth considering because you can save some installation time while still managing your overall costs. If you buy unfinished hardwood and finish it on-site, you can literally make it look like anything. There are no simple ways to restore the value of your installation if something unexpected happens. 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. The cost profile for a prefinished hardwood floor is the same as an unfinished one. It depends on the type of finish! Prefinished floors eliminate the hassle and time required for installing unfinished floors. Prefinished hardwood flooring goes against the rules of tradition since the typical installation process involves staining and finishing the wood after the planks are in place. But if you want low-VOC wood flooring, pre-finished is almost always the way to go. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Were here to help you find out. ), Prefinished Hardwood Wont Hide Subflooring Troubles (but Unfinished Hardwood Will), The Cost of Prefinished vs. Often, if theres an issue with prefinished hardwood, its best to replace the entire floorboard. Dont worry thoughthats not a bad thing! 7. Also, engineered wood can cost less when you buy exotic wood speciesbecause it uses less of that precious exotic wood. You dont have to worry about odors with prefinished hardwood since the seal is applied long before its installed. Engineered hardwood and prefinished hardwood are different materials though engineered hardwood can be prefinished. If you have a knowledgeable contractor or experience doing this work yourself, then the advantages typically outweigh any negative experiences you might have. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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. The only difference is that when you purchase unfinished wood, you have to finish it on-site. 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. Carpet vs. Laminate Flooring: Which One Should I Choose? And thats not an option with unfinished wood that you finish on-site. In fact, Tarkett is a rather obscure brand, at least in terms of residential flooring. The seams between the floorboards will be more noticeable and susceptible to damage with a prefinished hardwood floor. Are you considering prefinished hardwood for your upcoming project? 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. There are more uniformity and consistency with the coloring and staining in the boards. Tile vs. Laminate Flooring: The Pros and Cons, Can You Bleach Wooden Floors? Engineered hardwood consists of multiple layers of wood composite that are heated and glued together and topped with a thin veneer of wood. 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. Obviously, it depends on what youre going for. Ok! Is Cork Flooring Usually Prefinished or Unfinished? Thanks to this unique advantage, manufacturers are now offering prefinished hardwood flooring that comes with a warranty of 25 years or more. We would love to be a part of your home improvement journey! You will have more consistency and uniformity with the final product. Unfinished Hardwood Flooring. Floating? Example: you can refinish bamboo flooring, but you cant refinish vinyl flooring like Pergo Extreme because its made of plastic. This disadvantage eventually limits the number of times that youll have an opportunity to refinish the floor in the future. Manufacturers are now finishing the planks themselves to reduce the amount of time thats necessary to finish the installation work. If hardwood flooring is prefinished, it means each board has be coated with polyurethane before it has even hit the shelf. 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. Is Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Right for Your Project? After all, you could accidentally sand right through it! Unfinished hardwood flooring usually costs more to install, because it has to be finished on-site. Vinyl Plank vs. Laminate Comparison: Which is Better? Bamboo Flooring vs. Laminate: Which to Buy? Sure, you could look into non-toxic laminate flooring or low-VOC vinyl flooring. Plus, if you go with a domestic and renewable wood species like pine or maple, your prefinished hardwood can be environmentally-friendly flooring too! This can leave the seams open and susceptible to spills and damage. Vinyl flooring is a cost-effective, long-lasting, and durable flooring option that is suitable for both dry and wet areas. If your subfloor is uneven in spots, it can cause some of the planks to raise slightly, or even result in visible gaps between the planks. You can avoid many of the uncomfortable sights and smells of finishing the traditional hardwood floor, receive a durable surface that can last for decades, and enjoy a low-maintenance lifestyle with this product. Essentially, it boils down to this: Again, it depends on a ton of factors. If your floor is going to encounter moisture, theres simply no debating tile vs. wood floorstiles are fully waterproof, while wood is likely to fail after water damage. Douglas fir flooring? Adhesives and finishes are some of the worst offenders. Ebony flooring? 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. Unless you decide to seal the edges of your planks, you can walk on your new floor as soon as they are in place. PS: beware of the cork flooring Lowes or Home Depot sells. Teak flooring? Were going to say it again: most flooring stores offer way more prefinished options than unfinished options. Like prefinished wood, laminate doesnt require sanding or sealing. If you need moisture-resistant flooring, engineered wood might be your best bet. Generally, the most significant con related to unfinished hardwood flooring is the time the installation process takes. The best types of vinyl flooring are so water-resistant, they can even be used as outdoor flooring options. Alright! Although one of the unique advantages of a prefinished hardwood floor is that you dont need to finish or refinished it in the future, you still have the option to change up your look if you want after installation. Does Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Resist Water Better? Your seams will not be sealed with prefinished hardwood flooring. Even if the planks come with a 25-year warranty, they surface seal is going to receive scratches, start fading, and experience discoloration. Solid hardwood, for example, can be refinished indefinitelyregardless of whether you buy it prefinished or unfinished. And some of the options arent actually cork at all. 4. 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. Cork is technically made of wood bark (pretty cool, right? Prefinished hardwood stands up to wear and tear better than hardwood thats finished on site. When the manufacturer finishes the planks for your prefinished hardwood flooring at the factory, then you will receive a harder surface when compared to finishing the work on site. The installation of prefinished hardwood flooring is a simple process. Unfortunately, prefinished hardwood will make any flaws in your subfloor immediately evident. You may have noticed that we havent yet talked about pricing. These days, many (if not all) of the best hardwood floor brands offer prefinished hardwood in a wide range of stains, finishes, and sizes. 1. Its also appreciated for its low cost. 5. However, before you dive in, its essential to look at the advantages and disadvantages of prefinished hardwood to determine whether its the best flooring for your project. So youre probably wondering: is it any good? 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. Many prefinished hardwood planks have slightly rounded, or beveled, edges. Prefinished hardwood is simply hardwood flooring that is already sanded, sealed, and ready to install. And you dont have to be an expert to DIY tile floors, either. Is it actually []. Refinishing the surface requires extensive sanding to reach the hardwood of the product, cutting down on the thickness of your planks. There are fewer choices available to you with prefinished hardwood flooring. Think of prefinished hardwood flooring as the option you want when a fast installation that still looks good is your top priority. If youre living in your house during a renovation, you do not want to deal with all the dust and chemicals that come with buying unfinished wood and finishing it on-site. The speed and simplicity of installing prefinished wood is one of its biggest advantages. 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. This is due to the fact that after it is installed, it has to be manually sanded and finished, and often, there is a staining step between these processes. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Because prefinished hardwood flooring offers a surface seal which is stronger and more durable thanks to its factory application, the maintenance chores for this option are significantly reduced when compared to engineered products or other flooring alternatives. 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. You must apply an agent to the floor to protect against having dirt and grime caught between the planks because of this disadvantage. 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. Absolutely! ), but most people think of it as a type of wood flooring. We know, we knowits one of the big disadvantages of vinyl plank flooring. But prefinished hardwood flooring can be walked on immediately after installationmeaning you dont have to wait for stains to dry or for sealants to cure! There are also some specific challenges that this flooring option presents. While prefinished hardwood is resistant to scuffs and dents, its just as vulnerable to water damage as any other hardwood floor. It does not matterwhatever youre looking for, you can find endless prefinished options. Now, the roles have reversed, and prefinished hardwood flooring is the go-to option. Can You Buy Prefinished Hardwood Flooring in Wide Plank Sizes? You will add inlays after you sand the floor, which makes them perfectly flush with the rest of the floor. Its durability also makes it some of the best wood flooring for dogs (and for the people who love them). Alternately, you could always go with a fake wood flooring optionsomething like wood-look tile, for instance. For more information,visit this page. Although that can add some aesthetic variety to the final product, many homeowners are finding that the uniformity and consistency offered by prefinished hardwood floors add some more curb appeal to the value of their property. Here are the advantages of buying your hardwood floors pre-finished. In fact, you may even have a lot more options, since most wide-plank wood flooring is made of engineered wood. Its free, simple, and it only takes a few seconds to sign up. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. It stands up to changes in heat and humidity much better than solid hardwood does. Easier ability to resand and refinish your floor as desired. But when it comes to multi-colored, 3D designs and inlayswell, theyll probably require a custom finish. Tarkett Laminate Flooring Review: Worth Buying? And really, at the end of the day, the best hardwood floors are the ones you like. 14 Pros and Cons of Acid Stained Concrete Floors, 13 Pros and Cons of Owning a Basset Hound, 500 Cutest Dachshund Names for a Girl or Boy Puppy Dog, Top 500 Golden Retriever Names for a Female or Male Puppy, 301 Great Pyrenees Dog Names for a Female or Male Puppy, 500 Cutest Yorkie Names for a Girl or Boy Puppy Dog, Golden Pyrenees Guide: 26 Facts About the Great Pyrenees Golden Retriever Mix, German Shepherd Great Pyrenees Mix Guide: 27 Things to Know About the Germanees, German Shepherd Akita Corgi Mix: 26 Things Every Owner Should Know, Chihuahua German Shepherd Mix Guide: 25 Things to Know About a Chihuahua Shepherd, Alaskan Shepherd Guide: 29 Things Every Owner Should Know, Blue Heeler German Shepherd Mix: 26 Things Every Owner Should Know. What installation method are you going to use? Prefinished hardwood floors have a harder initial surface. Engineered Wood Is a Type of Wood FlooringNot a Type of Finish, Engineered Wood Flooring Has a Lot Going For It, And Remember: Most Engineered Wood Flooring Options Come Prefinished, Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Pros and Cons, The Advantages of Prefinished Hardwood Flooring, Installing Prefinished Hardwood Flooring is Quick and Clean, Prefinished Hardwood Can Be Safer for Your Home, Because the VOCs Off-Gas in the FactoryNot Your House, Plus, its Way More Durable and Wear-Resistant, Which Means You Dont Have to Refinish It as Often (Or At All), And If You Opt for Engineered Wood, It Also Means You Dont Need as Thick of a Veneer, Prefinished Wood is Usually More Widely-Available Than Unfinished Wood, And There Are Endless Options to Choose From, The Disadvantages of Prefinished Hardwood Flooring, Prefinished Hardwood Cant Be Used for Some Custom Designs, Unfinished Hardwood is Much More Customizable, Including The Way Your Edges Look (Beveled vs. Unbeveled, etc. 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. While prefinished hardwood can do a lot of things, it cant hide any problems in your subflooring. But: because refinishing is so much less of an issue with prefinished hardwood flooring (for the reasons we just mentioned), you can opt for a thinner veneer without worry. However, prefinished wood may offer less customization than unfinished woodespecially when it comes to specialty wood flooring types. One of the top advantages of vinyl is that its water-resistant, and even waterproof in some cases. Remember, a floor coming prefinished or unfinished has nothing to do with the actual type of flooring it is. So if you can refinish the flooring material, thats the only thing that matters. 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. All the best engineered wood flooring can either come pre-finished or unfinished. 3. Engineered Bamboo Flooring: Pros and Cons. Thats why most wide-plank wood flooring options are made with engineered woodbecause its much more stable. 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. Were sorry to say, but you may have to forget about your Pinterest folder of intricate wood floor patterns if you choose prefinished hardwood flooring. It requires special skills and tools to get it right. The manufacturing processes give you more durability in return, but it takes away the idea of a custom product. Laminate can be a durable and long-lasting flooring type when properly installed. Any flaws in your subfloor will become immediately evident with this product. Here are a few of the most important ones to know about. So if you need scratch-resistant flooring and youre dead-set on using hardwoodespecially in high-traffic areas like entryways or hallwaysprefinished wood is probably the way to go. To that end, the need to refinish these floors (aka to sand them down to the bare wood) is greatly reducedmeaning you can save on cost to refinish hardwood flooring by doing a simple resurfacing, which makes the floors look brand new without compromising the integrity of the factory 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. The popularity of prefinished hardwood floors makes it much easier to find prefinished hardwood than unfinished hardwood. Below youll find a comprehensive guide based on thorough research and the input of hundreds of Tarkett laminate flooring reviews. Sounds like a win to us. We hear this question a lot, and we want to clear it up before we talk about anything else. So: is prefinished hardwood flooring right for you? Classic wood floor designs like herringbone and chevron parquet flooring are easily achievable with prefinished hardwood. You have access to fewer installation options with a prefinished hardwood floor. After installation, the only thing left to do is sweep it up and call it a day. 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! Heres why. There are some disadvantages of floating floors, but theyre generally cheaper and easier to put in. Each plank goes through the same finishing processes at the factory to ensure that the results are what you want to see every time. Some products even come with an anti-scratch coating that helps to make the final floor more resistant to the minor surface damage that tends to accumulate in the average home. 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. Installing hardwood floors is in an investment in your home, not an expense. Its also much thicker than what you could apply manually. Become a PRO now! 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 can look like wood, but it isnt actually wood at all. In fact, wood finished with polyurethane + aluminum oxide is many times more durable than wood finished with basic polyurethane. 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. Sometimes, manufacturers add an anti-scratch coating that makes the floor more resistant to minor surface damage. 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. find a top-rated local flooring store near you, disadvantages of hickory vs. oak flooring, cost to install engineered hardwood floors, Carpet vs. Laminate: The *Real* Pros & Cons, Magnetic Flooring: Everything You Need to Know. The average national cost in the United States to install a wooden floor is approximately $4,500. Installation is simplified with prefinished hardwood since theres no sealing or sanding however, it still requires an experienced professional. Because youre the one whos in charge of finishing it! Yes! When the manufacturer applies a finish treatment to the hardwood floors, they are using a robust chemical sealer that is not available to installers who operate on-site. Its a more convenient option for some renovation or improvement projects. 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. Tarkett laminate flooring probably isnt the first choice that pops up when you look for the best laminate flooring brands. And if that has you wondering whats the difference between an underlayment vs. a subfloorwell, just click on that link to read about it.

• Solid Gold Figaro Chain Uk
• Double Sided Tape That Sticks To Carpet
• Britax One4life Vs Graco Extend2fit 3 In 1
• High-waist Winter Warmth Plush Legging
• Hoover Carpet Cleaner Repair Shop Near Me
• Best Electric Bike For San Francisco
• Diving Gloves For Cold Water
• Bedrosians Cloe Baby Blue