There are many choices you have to make when it comes to hardwood floors. One that many home and business owners struggle with is the difference between Site-Finished vs. Prefinished hardwood flooring. So, if 2016 is the year where you finally pull the trigger and get the hardwood floors of your dream, let us help you choose between these two types of flooring.
Prefinished white oak hardwood floors in Clyfford Still Museum, by T&G Flooring
Pre-finished Hardwood Floors
If you’ve been waiting a long time to get your hardwood floors, and your patience is wearing thin, pre-finished flooring will help you get your dream floors a little bit quicker. Since the flooring is finished before it gets to your house, the installation process tends to be a little quicker and a little less messy. All that dust, noise, and general mess that comes with sanding and finishing your floors on the site is eliminated. All of that gets done somewhere else, and you only see your floors once they are finished and ready to install.
However, if you intend to get a little fancy with the design of your hardwood floors. If you have a unique pattern in mind, something that make your floors represent you and your family’s aesthetic and the style of your home, then prefinished floors won’t cut it, since sanding and finishing are usually required to make this look good. And you want it to look good, right?
Pre-finished wood tends to be more expensive, but you’ll save a little on labor.
Site finished five species reclaimed hardwood floors by T&G Flooring.
Site-Finished Hardwood Floors
If you’ve been dreaming up hardwood flooring patterns and designing your hardwood floors in your head for years, getting site-finished flooring will allow you to get exactly what you want. Each board is installed and finished on site. Site-finished flooring requires more labor than prefinished flooring, but you will get your floors to your exact specification.
Unfinished wood costs less, but you’ll spend your savings on labor. Finishing your floors on site will also eliminate any small inconsistencies in each board as sanding is required after the installation, making your floors smooth and consistent across each board.
You have to make sure you get a professional hardwood flooring craftsman to install site-finished hardwood floors. Once you get to the staining process, you have to ensure that dust and dirt don’t get stuck in the finish before it dries. You also need someone who is aware of acclimation time and moisture levels in site-finished flooring. Particularly in an ever changing climate like Colorado.
Since all of the work on your site finished floors is done at your home, you’ll most likely need another place to stay for a few days while the dust settles and your finish is allowed to dry.
Hardwood flooring specialists in Colorado
No matter what type of hardwood flooring you choose, the right installation expert is always necessary to make sure that each process is done correctly so that once the job is finished, you can enjoy your floors for the rest of your life.
Talk to your local hardwood floor installation specialist and craftsman to get tips and inspiration for your next hardwood floor project.