So you have decided you want hardwood floors, great decision. But do you want that floor prefinished or site finished? Which is better?
Both prefinished and site finished hardwood floors are great choices and which you choose depends upon a number of mainly personal preferences. Let’s break it down:
The Advantages of Prefinished Hardwood Floors
Prefinished hardwood flooring is usually the best way to go if cost and convenience are among your biggest concerns.
Prefinished floors means less mess and a shorter installation time. It also means the amount of fumes in the home is significantly decreased, something that is going to be important to many people, especially if there are kids and pets in the house. Pre-finishing hardwood at the factory rather than in the home also cuts down on labor costs.
Many flooring professionals also feel that a hardwood plank that has been prefinished in the factory rather than at the installation site will be more durable in the long run. This extra durability can be especially important if the hardwood flooring is going to be installed in sub-ground or high humidity areas of your home where moisture may be an issue.
The Advantages of Site Finished Hardwood Flooring
So after all that what can unfinished hardwood have to offer? The answer is quite a lot, in certain circumstances. For instance, if a homeowner already has some hardwood flooring in place and the new floor will be adjacent to it using unfinished hardwood in the new installation may be the best way to create the closest possible match which from an aesthetic point of view is going to be very important. Unfinished hardwood may also offer a wider range of options in some cases as there are some plank widths or unusual wood species that can be hard to find in the prefinished wood section.
Consulting the Experts
A good hardwood flooring professional is one of your best resources when making these kinds of tricky flooring decisions. Ask his or her advice concerning the different types of wood flooring, they are after all in contact with it every day. At C & L Flooring we will never make the decision for you, it’s a very personal one, but we will always be happy to answer each and every question you have (however silly you might think it is) to make sure you get the perfect hardwood floor for your home.
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