Prefinished or Unfinished Hardwood Floors?
After you’ve decided on the type of hardwood flooring you want, the next big decision is… prefinished or unfinished hardwood flooring for your Boston hardwood floor installation project? Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.
The discussion below will help you decide which ones work best for you.
The benefits of this are…
Potential drawbacks…
The unfinished hardwood floors option can be broken down to three words: customization, flat and inconvenience.
This offers several benefits…
Both prefinished or unfinished hardwood floor installations will be noisy as well. The difference between prefinished or unfinished hardwood is the sanding and refinishing process as mentioned above. This can add extra dust, noise and time compared to prefinished hardwood flooring.
The discussion below will help you decide which ones work best for you.
Option 1: Unfinished and Site-Finished Hardwood Floors
Unfinished or site-finished hardwood flooring arrives in its raw, natural state. The sanding, staining, and finishing processes happen on-site after installation.
The benefits of this are…
- Unlimited Customization. You have complete control over the final color, finish system and sheen. You can completely customize your floors to your unique design vision.
- Want a dark stained hardwood floor with a low sheen waterbased finish? Done. A natural hardwood floor with a low VOC hardwax oil finish system in a herringbone pattern with a walnut border? We’ve got you. Anything you can think of, we can do it with unfinished hardwood flooring and onsite sanding and refinishing.
- No Bevels. (A big plus when it comes to the prefinished or unfinished hardwood choice.) On-site sanding, filling and finishing creates a smooth, seamless surface without beveled edges between planks. It’s a premium look compared to prefinished flooring. Much easier to clean.
- Easier Upkeep. No bevels mean no grooves collect dust – just a flat, uninterrupted surface. No grooves means it’s much easier to clean. It’s also easier to restore with sanding and refinishing down the road.
Potential drawbacks…
- A Longer Process. Unfinished hardwood flooring can take several extra days compared to prefinished hardwood flooring. Because on top of the wood floor installation process, they also need to be sanded multiple times, water popped, stained and have multiple coats of finish applied, during which your new floors will be inaccessible.
- Dust and Odor Potential. Sanding and finishing on-site can create dust (though dustless options are available) and strong odors from the finishes used. (Low VOC finishes are an option too though).
- Imperfections. Because unfinished wood floors are finished onsite, vs in a sealed factory environment, they are going to have come hand-crafted characteristics. While some appreciate the character, others may view the inevitable small imperfections and dust particles in the on-site finish as flaws.
The unfinished hardwood floors option can be broken down to three words: customization, flat and inconvenience.
Option 2: Prefinished Hardwood Floors
With prefinished hardwood flooring, the entire sanding, staining, and sealing process done at the manufacturer's facility.
This offers several benefits…
- Much Faster Completion Time. It’s only one process, installation, versus two, installation AND refinishing. Prefinished hardwood floors can be walked on immediately after laying, with zero sanding, staining, and drying time required.
- Uniform and Consistent. Every floor plank is machine sanded, stained and finished in a dust and humid controlled factory environment, ensuring consistent quality from board to board.
- No Lingering Odors. Unlike the on-site application of finish, prefinished floors introduce no potential VOCs, vapors, or chemical smells into your living space.
- Limited Customization. The color and sheen of prefinished flooring is done at the factory. You don’t have many options to personalize your floors final look and stain color once you’ve purchased the flooring. No last minute changing your mind.
That being said, there are options for customizing your prefinished flooring, like the custom black and white zigzag pattern prefinished hardwood floor installation in Boston we did below...
- Visible Seams and Bevels. This is probably this biggest factor in the prefinished vs unfinished hardwood floor debate. Most prefinished planks have beveled edges. This creates noticeable seams between boards when installed. Not everyone likes this look.
Bevels also makes cleaning more difficult, as you need to clean in-between them from time to time. Versus the ease of cleaning a continuous flat surface like unfinished wood floors that are sanded and coated onsite.
- Challenging Repairs. Matching replacement hardwood floor planks years later can be difficult due to batch variations. It may even be tough to source the same product down the road when you need it, such as pet stain issues that need repairing.
- Future Refinishing Hurdles. All floors eventually need refreshing, but prefinished options will be tougher than unfinished flooring. This is because they will require sanding down to the bottom of the bevels, or hand-scraping the bevels.
Is Prefinished or Unfinished Hardwood Dustier and Messier to Install?
Both prefinished and unfinished hardwood uses the same installation methods. Both need cutting, trimming, nailing or stapling, which will make the same amount of dust and mess no matter which option you choose.
Both prefinished or unfinished hardwood floor installations will be noisy as well. The difference between prefinished or unfinished hardwood is the sanding and refinishing process as mentioned above. This can add extra dust, noise and time compared to prefinished hardwood flooring.
Making Your Choice between Prefinished or Unfinished Hardwood Floors
In the end, your decision for which hardwood floor option you choose, prefinished or unfinished hardwood flooring, will come down to one of these 3 things…- Do you want a fully customized, bespoke hardwood floor? Then unfinished flooring will offer you a blank canvas to do as you wish.
- Is a fast installation and minimal downtime and convenience important? Then prefinished hardwood flooring might be the way to go.
- Do you want beveled edges or a flat seamless wood floor? This could be your deciding factor.