{"id":2325,"date":"2013-08-13T11:47:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-13T15:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legacy.wideplankflooring.com\/?p=2236"},"modified":"2024-01-24T11:27:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T16:27:51","slug":"flooring-101-prefinished-or-unfinished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wideplankflooring.com\/blog\/flooring-101-prefinished-or-unfinished\/","title":{"rendered":"Flooring 101: Prefinished or Unfinished"},"content":{"rendered":"
When you are selecting a new wide plank floor, you have to make many decisions.<\/p>\n
What type of wood floor do I want?\u00a0 What grade and style? What color?\u00a0 And then you still have to decide if you want\u00a0prefinished wood flooring <\/a>or unfinished hardwood flooring<\/a>.<\/p>\n Before you make this decision it is good to be informed because the finish you choose for your floor will determine how well protected it is and what your cleaning and maintenance routine will be down the road.<\/p>\n So today we will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of prefinished wood flooring and unfinished wood flooring to help you determine which one is right for you.<\/p>\n Site finished flooring is still a common trend in the flooring market.\u00a0 There a couple common reasons people go this route – they are trying to create a specific look they don’t think a prefinished floor can match; insistence by their flooring installer to finish on site; they percieve an unfinished floor as being less expensive.\u00a0 (Or they could be super ambitious DIY-ers too!)<\/p>\n No matter what your reason for wanting to finish your floor on site, there are things to be aware of when taking this approach.<\/p>\n The person staining the floor is going to play a huge role in the final outcome of the finish.\u00a0 The installer should make several large samples of flooring for your approval. Keep in mind that a small 12×12 sample is not going to represent 1000 square feet, so keep an open mind that there will be some variation in the finished floor.<\/p>\n Also understand the color of the stain can also be impacted by several variables:<\/p>\n You can watch this short video on applying Carlisle stains to learn more about the process:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you see prefinished flooring like this Wide Plank Walnut floor<\/a>\u00a0 in a home designed by Tom Murdough Designs, you know prefinished flooring has come a long way from its introduction in the 1940′-s and ’50’s when prefinished wood flooring first emerged into the market in the form of 9″x9″ laminated blocks with a wax finish (that needed constant maintenance).<\/p>\n There are some great advantages to having your floors finished in advance.<\/p>\n (With the right product) the floor can still be touched up after installation<\/p>\n If you are considering a Prefinished floor please keep in mind that not all Prefinished flooring is created equal. In fact, a majority of prefinished floors are mass produced and finished with Aluminum Oxide. One of the biggest misconceptions is that Aluminum Oxide is the hardest finish, and therefore it must be the best, as many of these floors have a 25-50 year warranty. Unfortunately, those warranties don\u2019t really protect against the floor getting scratches and scuff marks, which will cause it to become very unattractive over time. What you also don\u2019t hear is that very few of these floors can be touched up over the years. So when you are tired of your floors looking unattractive you either deal with the diminished appearance or suffer the high cost of replacement.<\/p>\n There are some floors that are NOT finished with Aluminum Oxide, for example read more about the Carlisle Custom Coat Process <\/a>\u2013 all the convenience of prefinished with the beauty, durability and ease of maintenance of a site finished floor.<\/p>\n No matter what finish you are using, and what finish preference you decide on, this is an important decision.<\/p>\n Take the time to look at samples, and understand the advantages of the products you are considering. Most importantly understand that one small sample will not represent an entire floor, just use it as a guide. Find the right flooring company who can walk you through your options, explain their finish choices and provide you with the best solutions. Then make sure you work with an installer who worries about quality not quantity, and will take the time to help you achieve your vision.<\/p>\n If you are looking for more finish ideas contact us <\/a>to speak to a Wide Plank Specialist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We are continuing our Flooring 101 series with a discussion about Prefinished vs Unfinished flooring.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is a question I get every day from customers. And as with all the decisions you face when selecting a new wide plank floor, it is good to be informed.<\/p>\n So today we will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of prefinished wood flooring <\/a>and unfinished wood flooring <\/a>to help you determine which one is right for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3529,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-installation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSite Finish Flooring<\/h2>\n
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Prefinished Flooring<\/h2>\n
The decision to finish your floors on site or in advance will really depend on what type of look you want to create. But let’s look at the general pro\u2019s and con\u2019s of each.<\/p>\n
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Wrapping it Up<\/h2>\n
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