Prefinished Hardwood Flooring

Prefinished hardwood flooring has brought the ease of installation, often associated with tiles, to wood flooring. Prefinished hardwood is cut to size and processed in the factory. It arrives at your doorstep ready for installation. Prefinished hardwood flooring is a great choice for people pressed for time or those who would like to move into their new house quickly without having to worry about the hassles, sawdust, grime and fumes associated with an on-site finished floor. Prefinished hardwood flooring also works out to be less expensive than ordinary wooden flooring. There are different types of prefinished hard wood flooring

Engineered prefinished hardwood flooring

This type of flooring is similar to ply board in its manufacture and properties. The look of the engineered flooring is obtained by a thin layer of hardwood – the veneer glued to the top. The veneer or the wear layer as it is called determines the appearance and the life of engineered hardwood flooring. The biggest advantage of engineered hardwood flooring is the lower cost. When choosing a suitable engineered hardwood flooring it is advisable to consider the reputation of the manufacturer, warranty conditions and the thickness of the wear layer. An engineered hardwood floor can usually be refinished 2 to 3 times. Given that a hardwood floor typically requires refinishing every 5 years the engineered hardwood flooring will last from anywhere between 10 – 15 years. Using a tough and thick wear layer and avoiding early refinishing can further enhance the life of engineered hardwood flooring.

Solid hardwood flooring

This type of prefinished hardwood flooring is identical to the unfinished hardwood flooring in all respects except that the steps of shearing wood, curing, sanding and application of flooring protection agents like polyurethane coating is done in the manufacturers facility. Hence, this type of flooring can be quickly installed in the house.

Advantages of Prefinished Hardwood Flooring

• Faster installation – There is no need to wait for a week while the hardwood floor is laid, sanded, treated and finished.
• Fewer fumes – Many chemicals used for treating wood may emit noxious chemicals for some time after installation. This problem is avoided if prefinished hardwood flooring is used.
• Warranty of performance – Prefinished hardwood flooring is always accompanied by a manufacturers warranty ranging from 5 to 50 years. The performance of the product is no longer a game of dice. You can now rely on the guarantee from the manufacturer to protect your investment.

Advantages of unfinished hardwood flooring

• Greater choice of finish options and hardwood species –Unfinished wood flooring can be imparted any finish of your choice. Prefinished hardwood flooring on the other hand is available in a limited range of finishes and species. If you are looking for non mundane flooring unfinished flooring has the edge.
• Uniform finish – The entire floor is sanded and finished as a single area after installation. This means that the flooring in the room has a better and uniform appearance. This is particularly advantageous when flooring large areas or when replacing damaged sections. When prefinished flooring is used it is very difficult to obtain all the pieces of exactly the same appearance.
• Better control of finish quality possible – It is possible to hire highly recommended artisans for installing the floor and finishing it; thus obtaining a level of finish that is not possible with prefinished hardwood flooring.
• Local installer’s warranty – While the manufacturer’s warranty may not be available for an unfinished hardwood floor it is possible to get the local installer to offer a performance guarantee for his work. The problem with this is that the performance warranty may become a matter of dispute when it becomes difficult to determine if the flaws are due to inferior wood quality or deficiency in finishing.

The rating of the hardwood on the Janka scale is important for both prefinished and unfinished hardwood flooring. The higher the rating, the tougher will be the floor and it will take longer to wear it down. The hardwoods can be further combined with a tough finish like aluminum oxide to impart an even longer life to the wooden floor and reduce the instances of refinishing.

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