Should You Choose Prefinished or Unfinished Hardwood?

Created by Mike Mazur at March 29, 2019, 5:00 pm

As you redesign or remodel your home, you will come across a variety of hardwood flooring options. Two major categories of hardwood flooring are prefinished hardwood and unfinished hardwood. Learn the differences between these flooring options by reading on.

Unfinished hardwood flooring is raw hardwood. This means the flooring does not have any coating, sanding, or refinishing. When purchasing unfinished hardwood flooring, you must install, sand, and refinish the floor on site. This is beneficial for those who are handy and want to customize their flooring to their needs. Unfinished flooring is also more affordable, more rugged in appearance, and allows you to "seal" the floor after installation. However, a downfall to unfinished hardwood flooring is that it takes a longer time to install than prefinished hardwood.

With prefinished hardwood, all the hard work is done for you. Prefinished hardwood flooring is factory finished, meaning it’s coated with polyurethane before it's sold. This is the most convenient option for individuals who don't want to tackle DIY projects when remodeling their home. Prefinished hardwood flooring is also notably durable, holding up well in busy households and high traffic areas. Finally, prefinished hardwood flooring is more uniform in appearance, helping your space to appear cohesive and clean. A downfall to prefinished flooring is the price, as well as the limitations when it comes to width, length, color, grain, and so on. Pre-finished flooring is not as easy to customize as the unfinished counterpart.

Now that you know the differences between prefinished and unfinished hardwood flooring, you're ready to shop for the flooring that is most ideal for your space. Think about the style of flooring you're seeking, as well as the budget you have. Are you a fan of DIY projects, or would you rather leave it up to the professionals?

As you decide which flooring is best for you, shop the selection available at TongueAndGroove.com! Visit our website for an extensive selection of flooring options that are sure to meet your needs. For more information, call us today at 800-689-9006.