When installing new solid hardwood floors there are two options – pre-finished floors and site-finished floors. Pre-finished floors come ready to be installed (once acclimated, that is…) right out of the carton. The wood is stained and finished at the factory. Site-finishing is the process of installing unfinished hardwood flooring and sanding/staining/finishing them on site. Both have pros and cons so let’s go over them…
| Pros and cons of installing pre-finished solid hardwood flooring: |
| Pros Ready out of the box, job time much quicker. Durable factory finish that usually includes 7 coats of poly-urethane and 3 coats of aluminum oxide Wide variety of different species of wood Wide variety of different stain colors Manufacturer warranty Most manufacturers have good quality-control | Cons Longest board length available is 7′ Factory stains and finishes can look lifeless Cost more to refinish than site-finished due to wear-layers Cartons can contain many short boards Grain and other natural characteristics muted by factory finish Same kind of floor you see in almost every house |
| Pros and cons of solid site-finished hardwood flooring |
| Pros Ability to create your own custom stain Boards available in longer lengths Site-finishing will make natural characteristics pop Ability to match floor color with other woodwork (stairparts, trim, etc.) Unfinished wood readily available Different grades of wood available | Cons More labor-intensive therefore costs more Takes longer to complete Messier, more dust Fewer wear-layers then pre-finished Not all installers sand/finish as well so may need to find second company (not a problem with BAS….) Depending on the mill, quality-control of wood/milling could be poor |
Here are some other considerations:
When looking to install hardwood in an adjoining room when refinishing an existing floor, site-finished wood will always offer the more uniform look.
Site-finishing really does make the grain pop and gives the floor a lively/vibrant look compared to the sometimes dull factory look of pre-finished floors.
Some lines of pre-finished come with a bevel whereas unfinished comes with a squared-edge which gives a tighter look and won’t capture dirt/dust like a bevel will.
Manufacturers sometimes discontinue certain lines of hardwood floors which could leave a home-owner stuck should they look to add the same floor to a room down the road.
Popular handscraped hardwood flooring can only be found pre-finished. Also, when a handscraped floor is refinished that texture would be lost.
I hope this sheds some light on the differences between these two approaches. I say again, we do it all! I can get your clients great pricing on both pre and unfinished hardwood flooring! Also, we are experts at both installation and finishing so we are your one-stop shop!
Call/text/email today for an estimate!