Prefinished Flooring

When dealing with hardwood floors, there are two broad categories regarding the types of wood used. These categories can be broken down into newer, factory or pre finished wood, and the older, more traditional style, which is finished on-site. Both of these styles have pro’s and con’s, depending on what exactly you are looking for in a hardwood floor. Over all appearance, texture, and installation difficulty are just a few of the notable differences found between the two.

When specifically examining the installation process of the two different types, pre-finished flooring can be seen as much quicker and less hassling. When dealing with site-finished wood the process can be described as extremely inconvenient for the household in which the installation is taking place. Arriving at your home as bare lumber, once the installation is complete, the floor is sanded in place, leveling and smoothing the wood in order to prepare it for the actual finish. Site-finished flooring when correctly placed is flat and smooth with no signs of board grooves. Unfortunately, one must suffer the inconvenience of the process, including, dust, noise, and the incapacitation of your house.

On the other end of the spectrum we have pre-finished, or factory finished wood. These boards come ready to install, already sanded and protected to be level upon installation. Unlike site-finished wood, factory finished wood is a perfect do it yourself project. You don’t have to know how to sand or finish, as it is not required to complete the installation. Generally speaking, all pre-finished wood comes with a warranty, and is physically tougher than most hardwood floors. By allowing you to take your time and complete the installation with a little research and less professional help, installing pre-finished flooring can be seen as the easier, less stressful means of installation.

And if you want to find a floor installer, there are resources for that as well!