Hardwood flooring comes in planks that are either pre-finished or unfinished. There are pros and cons to each type of wood planks. This applies to solid hardwood, not engineered hardwood floors that have a thin layer of real solid hardwood on top wood composite.

Pre-finished hardwood floors are quickly becoming a favorite. They come in a large variety of species and stain colors offering a ton of options to choose from.

Some of the pros of pre-finished hardwood floors include increased durability. When hardwood planks are sealed at the factory level, much more powerful sealers are used than the sealers available for in-home application. Those factory sealers contain aluminum oxide crystals embedded in a UV-cured urethane coat that can last up to 25 years as compared to 3 to 5 years for a sealer applied on site. Pre-finished planks tend to be more resistant to moisture and discolorations than unfinished wood planks. The stain color will also last longer saving you on having to refinish your floors every few years.

Pre-finished flooring is also quicker and easier to install and avoids the mess usually created from sanding, staining and sealing floors on site. They also require less maintenance and refinishing.

Some of the cons of pre-finished wood flooring include seams that are not sealed, harder to level wood floors when subfloors are uneven. Furthermore, if you want to change the stain color or wish to remove scratches and dents from pre-finished wood floors, it will require more work than with unfinished wood floors because the topcoat is much thicker. It also makes pre-finished hardwood flooring more difficult to repair. Pre-finished hardwood planks are more expensive than unfinished planks, but won’t require the additional work after installation like staining, sealing and buffing.

PRE-FINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORS

PROS & CONS OF PRE-FINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORS

  • Increased Durability
  • More resistant to moisture
  • Faster Installation
  • No mess
  • Less maintenance required
  • More difficult to repair
  • More difficult to hide uneven subfloor

UNFINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORS

Unfinished hardwood floors are finished on-site at the customer’s home. Unfinished hardwood floors are more versatile than pre-finished floors and more flexible to work with. In the event that the subfloors are uneven, the unfinished wood planks can be sanded down to level the newly installed floors and remove any irregularities. Because unfinished wood floors are sanded, stained and sealed on site, the seams are not bevel eliminating the possibility of dirt and debris from accumulating at the seams.

With unfinished hardwood floors, you will be able to pick the specie of wood and exact stain color you wish to have for a more custom look. Scratches and dents are easier to eliminate from this type of wood floors and they can be sanded and stained multiple times throughout their lifespan. On the down side, unfinished wood floors require more maintenance over the years and are more prone to moisture damage. The process of installing unfinished hardwood floors is also more laborious and is longer, messier installation process.

PROS & CONS OF PRE-FINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORS

  • Custom wood specie and stain colors
  • Easier to level wood floor with uneven subfloor
  • Easier to eliminate scratches and dents
  • Eliminate bevels at the seams where grime can accumulate
  • Requires more maintenance
  • Longer and messier installation process