Prefinished Hardwood Flooring

You may be often buying ready-made clothes and just try them out at home. If you have got the right size, well, then you are ready to go. According to me, prefinished hardwood flooring is something like that. You do not have to do anything to this flooring. Just get them home and install it! That's it! However, as any other home improvement project, it will need some planning and time management. More on that in the following paragraphs.

Explaining Prefinished Hardwood Flooring

Simply put, as the name suggests, this type of hardwood flooring is ready to be installed. It comes in the market already finished from the factory. It is coated with a sealed, translucent film, which provides protection to the surface from wear and tear and spills, burns and scratches and the like. Prefinished hardwood floors are a good option when you want to install wood flooring in an existing home. All in all, what you have to do is just a bit of planning and chalk out how you are going to install the hardwood flooring, as it is almost ready to be installed.

Prefinished vs. Unfinished Hardwood Flooring

The experts working in the field of wood flooring and home improvement are of the opinion that prefinished hardwood flooring has a number of advantages over unfinished hardwood flooring. Take a look.

Point 1- Maintenance
Maintenance of prefinished hardwood floor is easier as compared to unfinished hardwood floors. However, in case of a damage, prefinished hardwood floors cannot be sanded off for mending the damaged area, as that area will not match the rest of the floor. Replacement is the only option. On the contrary, an unfinished or site finished hardwood floor can be sanded and finished, without any need of changing the floor.

Point 2 -Durability and Finish
Prefinished hardwood flooring can be installed in an existing home and in areas where there is heavy wear and tear and traffic. On the other hand, if you are trying to retain the architectural integrity of a house or if there is historical significance to the place where you want to install hardwood flooring, there unfinished hardwood flooring is the best.

Point 3 - Installation
Typically unfinished hardwood floors are messy to install and take longer to be installed as compared to prefinished hardwood floors. While prefinished hardwood flooring can be installed in a couple of days or so, unfinished hardwood floors may take even a week.

Point 4 - Refinishing
Refinishing for prefinished plywood flooring takes longer due to the several layers of finishing. A great deal of the thickness and life of wood is hampered as a result of refinishing of prefinished hardwood floors. As a result of a thinner finish, unfinished hardwood floors can be easily and quickly refinished.

When it comes to installing prefinished hardwood flooring, one thing is very important. Before installation, you should let the wood acclimate, since wood can contract and expand according to the temperature. It also needs to get used the level of moisture in your house. This will avoid gaps or buckling in the flooring after installation.

Cost of Prefinished Hardwood Flooring

The store you buy the flooring from, will give you estimates of hardwood flooring. In addition to that checking out prefinished hardwood flooring reviews will also give you a fair idea of the same. Typically, prices depend on the type of installation, the moldings involved and how labor intensive it is going to be and the extent of the flooring. The actual cost, just for the flooring runs in the range of $3 to $4 for a square foot. If you get it installed the labor charges, moldings and so on will take the cost to around $10 for a square foot. If you install it yourself, iy will cost around $8.50. These are the rough hardwood flooring installation costs.

At the end of the day, whatever you choose, what matters is that you feel that your house is going to look great with that! The cost, installation, finishing are secondary issues! I sign off here!