Hardwood floors add an elegant and dramatic touch to any home. Although unfinished hardwood floors have been a traditional favorite for many years, high-quality prefinished hardwood flooring offers several advantages for consumers. It’s important to consider whether this option is the best fit for your home. Check out the benefits below…
Benefit # 1 – Quicker Installation
Unfinished hardwood floors are delivered to your home in their raw state, meaning all sanding, preparation, and finishing are done on-site once the planks are installed. In contrast, prefinished hardwood planks arrive ready for installation. With prefinished options, there’s no need to hire a hardwood specialist to complete the finishing process, and your family won’t have to relocate for a day or two while the finish is applied.
Consumers do pay a premium for prefinished flooring, but this cost is offset by the savings on sanding, finishing, and the extensive clean-up required after installation. If you’re looking to upgrade or replace your flooring promptly, prefinished hardwood floors are undoubtedly the best option.
You can walk on prefinished planks immediately, without waiting for the coating to cure. Perfect for new builds and home improvement projects, prefinished wood floors install quickly and provide an instant finish to your living space.
Benefit # 2 – Highly Durable Finish With Warranty
Besides quicker installation, prefinished hardwood flooring also offers a tougher finish. Factory application allows for greater durability and longevity, as the urethane finish is applied uniformly and comes with a manufacturer’s warranty.
Experts agree that factory-applied finish holds up well against traffic and heavy wear, making it a better choice for family homes, public spaces, hallways, and your main living space. Even the most skilled finishing contractor cannot control the application conditions, whereas a factory process provides the consistency required for even coating.
While your finishing contractor may provide a limited warranty against wear and finish, prefinished products come with extended coverage and greater peace of mind. Worth the investment in any portion of your home, this strength and warranty coverage are especially important in high-traffic areas.
Benefit # 3 – Cleaner and Better For Your Health
Finishing a freshly installed unfinished hardwood floor requires extensive work. Sanding creates a significant amount of dust, which could trigger allergies. The finishing step involves toxic fumes and although your professional contractor should vent the area well during the process, you should avoid prolonged exposure to the smells and chemicals.
Skip the entire process with prefinished hardwood flooring. The sanding dust and toxic fumes created by urethane coating are left behind in the factory, leaving you with a healthier home post-installation. Cleaning up is also faster and easier with prefinished hardwood, helping to reduce the installation time and labor costs.
Although it can be difficult to match existing hardwood floors with a prefinished product, and inlaid patterns are much easier when using unfinished hardwood planks, prefinished hardwood flooring provides several hard-to-argue benefits. Quicker installation, a more durable finish, and fewer health risks make this flooring product a winner for many homeowners.