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I have always had unfinished hardwood floors that were poly'ed after sanding when I lived on LI. I am getting estimates next week for them and the sales staff asked if I wanted prefinished or unfinished. I admit to knowing little to nothing about the prefinished but they are cheaper, (total cost) and have a great warranty.
I am only doing this once and while the warranty is great, it will outlast me by a long shot. I am looking for comments that can essentially steer me away from the unfinished in favor of the prefinished, as I know why I loved my floors on LI. I hate to make a decision on "new" things that are not based upon facts. Thanks all.
Hi nuts2uiam we are also looking to put down hardwood floors. I'm just wondering if you decided on unfinished or prefinished. And if you don't mind, could you please recommond your contractor/flooring compnay's information, or send me a DM?
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]Weare looking to do unfinished hardwood flooring. If anyone has good recommendationon contractor/flooring company, could you please kindly share? We probably would do oak -- is there abrand/grade that affords good balance of quality and price? What's the average cost for installing unfinished hardwood (vs pre-finished), and the material cost per sqt? How about stairs? Any information could be very valulable. Thanks in advance.
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
One of the benefits of prefinished is that the finish can be a harder, thicker, more long-lasting finish than is possible when site-finished. The finish has aluminum oxide in it and is UV cured - not possible on site. It is also possible to buy pre-finished without the bevel. The downsides of the prefinished is that any height irregularities between the boards will not be fixed by the finishing process - this is actually why they started beveling the boards, to hide that problem. Also you need to be careful to buy higher end prefinished if you want it to last beyond 35 years so it can be refinished. The cheaper ones don't have a thick enough layer on top to refinish.
Generally, I'd say that if you go cheaper, you are better off going with finished on site. A good finisher can account for a lot of issues in the wood and make it look good. If you buy cheap prefinished then there's not a lot you can do at install to make it any better. If you are willing to pay for it though, the prefinished can be a really nice option. It bothers me that the site-finish usually has a "wear" layer of finish that we are supposed to have screened and reapplied every 5 years. High-end prefinished will look better for longer.
One of the benefits of prefinished is that the finish can be a harder, thicker, more long-lasting finish than is possible when site-finished. The finish has aluminum oxide in it and is UV cured - not possible on site. It is also possible to buy pre-finished without the bevel. The downsides of the prefinished is that any height irregularities between the boards will not be fixed by the finishing process - this is actually why they started beveling the boards, to hide that problem. Also you need to be careful to buy higher end prefinished if you want it to last beyond 35 years so it can be refinished. The cheaper ones don't have a thick enough layer on top to refinish.
Generally, I'd say that if you go cheaper, you are better off going with finished on site. A good finisher can account for a lot of issues in the wood and make it look good. If you buy cheap prefinished then there's not a lot you can do at install to make it any better. If you are willing to pay for it though, the prefinished can be a really nice option. It bothers me that the site-finish usually has a "wear" layer of finish that we are supposed to have screened and reapplied every 5 years. High-end prefinished will look better for longer.
Very helpful info. Could you suggest some prefinished brands? How about Bellawood and Mirage? Also while white oak is supposed to be harder than red oak, we couldn't find many prefinished ones. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Hi nuts2uiam we are also looking to put down hardwood floors. I'm just wondering if you decided on unfinished or prefinished. And if you don't mind, could you please recommond your contractor/flooring compnay's information, or send me a DM?
I no longer live on LI so I am sorry I can't offer any suggestions. The man who did my floors there retired. I have also decided against both at the moment, due to my not wanting the grooves in the kitchen and not having site finished elsewhere.
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