subject: Choosing The Best Hardwood Floors [print this page] One of the most important choices you will face when choosing the hard wood floors Plano can offer you is the question of finished vs. unfinished flooring products. Each product has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, and one may not be suitable for the project you intend to take on or have done, while the other one may be. Let us look over some of the attributes of each type of product to help you choose the best type of hard wood floors for your Plano home.
Unfinished wood products are exactly that. What you are paying for is raw, natural wood. The only thing that has been done to these products is cutting them to planks and planing them smooth and cutting them to fit with each other. There is no chemical additive, no finishing done and that will need to be done before your floors are usable. Once the planks are installed, you (if you are knowledgeable) or a trained professional will need to sand, stain and finish your floors.
The advantages to unfinished wood products is the amount of choices you will have. With these floors you can choose any stain and finish that you like. That way, if you think you know what you want but you change your mind upon seeing the room (or home) almost complete, you can still do so without sanding the stain out of the wood. This also allows you the chance to have your floors handscraped if you would like, which can add a new dimension of character to your wood floors. The disadvantages are mostly in clean up. Installing this type of flooring product is a messy business, with sawdust everywhere and potential stain and finish drips and spills. The floor will not be usable until the final finish is completely set, which can take a while.
Finished wood products are the exact opposite. You will find these most often in engineered floors. These products are done as soon as the installation is finished, with no sanding, staining or finishing required. What you see in the store is what you are going to get from your finished product. Any staining, finishing or handscraping has already been done by the manufacturer.
The obvious advantage to this type of flooring is that it is relatively no-mess. You would not have the dust you will have with unfinished products, nor the odor of drying stains and finishes. There is no need to worry about spills or allergies, or even other contractors innocently messing up the job. The disadvantage is that if you do not like the final product, or if you change your mind, it is going to cost you extra to strip off the stain and add a new stain. If you are using engineered wood, you are also taking a healthy chunk off the life of the floor in this case.
As you can see, both types of flooring have their own advantages and disadvantages. If you are a DIYer, then prefinished is probably your best bet. This is also an excellent choice if you are trying to quickly remodel a room in your home or a rental unit. However, if you would like complete control over every aspect of how your home or room looks, then unfinished is likely the best route for you to go. Whichever you choose, you are sure to enjoy the look of the new hard wood floors in your Plano home.
