| Unfinished Oak hardwood flooring versus prefinished | | | | of limitations in the field, plain old physics, |
| Oak is a choice that consumers deal with when | | | | temperature, physics and chemistry. |
| considering hardwood floors in their new or existing | | | | 2. Manufacturers give between a 5 and 25 year wear |
| home. | | | | warranty and 5 and 15 years on the finish itself. If |
| More often than not, the appeal of having a custom | | | | you go with a custom stained unfinished floor you will |
| floor is alluring to the consumer. If you're adamant | | | | get a 1 year warranty at best. |
| about having the floor a perfect match to your | | | | 3. A custom prefinished floor will take a lot longer to |
| custom stained cabinets, and you can't find a | | | | install. The floor has the be "aired out" longer before |
| prefinished floor that goes with them, then looking at | | | | the job, it has to be nailed down, then sanded, then |
| unfinished is probably an option for you. However, | | | | stained, then finished, and then sometimes another |
| that's about the only reason an unfinished floor should | | | | finish is applied. It can be a week long process |
| be considered, when color is the only factor. | | | | sometimes. Installation of a prefinished wood floor |
| A few things to note when deciding between | | | | takes about half the time versus unfinished. |
| prefinished and unfinished wood floors: | | | | 4. A prefinished hardwood floor produces less off |
| 1. A prefinished wood floor will have a higher quality | | | | gassing and VOC's than a custom unfinished version |
| finish than an unfinished, custom stained version. | | | | during and after installation. |
| Prefinished wood floors will usually have between 4-7 | | | | 5. Unfinished hardwood will have to be refinished |
| coats of Aluminum Oxide and or Polyurethane applied | | | | much quicker than factory prefinished versions. |
| at the factory using several treatments that include | | | | Refinishing a floor can be an expensive project. |
| pressure and heating. Not only will the finish be | | | | Don't get me wrong on this! It may seem like I'm |
| incomparably better on a prefinished wood, but the | | | | knocking unfinished, custom wood flooring. If you |
| factory process also rids the wood of any excess | | | | want to have a custom floor, that's great. However, |
| moisture. There are great custom wood flooring | | | | you need to be armed with the right knowledge so |
| installers out there. Don't misunderstand me! They | | | | you can decide if it's really the right choice for you. |
| just can't give you them same finish quality because | | | | |