Why choose pre-finished? Pre-finished floors take away from messy sanding jobs that take several days after installation to finish and dry. They generally have harder more durable finishes applied at the factory. They are very well made and offer a beautiful floor guaranteed to last for years. Most factory finished hardwood floors have 6-10 coats of a ultra-violet cured urethane applied to the wood’s surface. Also, recently, Aluminum and Ceramic particles are added directly to the floor’s finish by manufacturers, which dramatically increases the life of the urethane finish.
Pro’s of Pre-finished Hardwood Flooring
* More Durable / More Scratch Resistant * Saves Time * Usually Saves Money * Looks Great * Can be Refinished if Wear Layer is Thick enough (1/8 inch minimum) * Comes Engineered and Solid * Cleans Easily * 10-25 Year Finish Warranties
Con’s of Pre-finished Hardwood Flooring
* Slightly longer installation time due to necessity not to scratch finish * Generally shorter average lengths of flooring * Refinished aluminum/ceramic oxide is caustic and more costly * Micro-Beveled * Can’t make custom borders and inlays * Can’t be recoated must be sanded and refinished with polyurethane, oil, or wax.
All in all we think that buying pre-finished is the customer’s choice depending on needs and life circumstances. We believe that factory finishes are generally very durable and make great floors for living on without the need to worry about scratches and maintenance. Vacuuming and Sweeping a few times per week. Mopping is recommended weekly to keep the floors looking great. We recommend using the manufacturers suggested cleaning product. However, Bona Cleaning Products work for almost all urethane pre-finished floors.
Pre-Finished Glossary
* Factory Finished Hardwood Flooring — Wood floors that have been factory finished before they are installed. * UV-Cured – these floors are finished at the factory and the polyurethane finish are cured with Ultra Violet lights instead of using heat. * Polyurethane – A clear, tough and durable finish that is applied as a wear layer. * Acrylic-Urethane – Has a slightly different chemical make up than polyurethane, but with similar benefits. * Ceramic Oxide – Advanced finish technology that allows the use of space-age ceramics to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear layer. * Aluminum Oxide – particles added to the polyurethane finish to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear layer. This has become extremely popular on the better grades of hardwood floors. * Acrylic Impregnated – Acrylic monomers are injected into the cell structure of the wood to give increased hardness and then finished with a wear layer over the wood.
Author:
Hardwood Maniac
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