Unfinished Hardwood Flooring... Homeowner's Guide

Needs More Work But Very Rewarding

Choosing between unfinished hardwood flooring and that which is prefinished can be an extremely difficult decision to make.  Although prefinished flooring comes with a durable finish this can easily be achieved with flooring that is unfinished once it has been installed. 

There are some advantages to a person using unfinished hardwood flooring. For one, it comes in a larger variety of board widths.  It is also available in more varieties of trees as well and so can be more easily matched to any existing hardwood flooring you have in your home.

Remember To Ask These Questions

However there are certain questions you should be asking yourself which will help to determine which type of hardwood flooring you choose.

1.  Are you going to be installing the flooring into a new property or as part of a redevelopment of an old one?  If you are installing it into a property where you are carrying out renovation works then you are best off choosing a prefinished flooring.

2.  Is the flooring going to be installed in the kitchen or other areas where high amounts of foot traffic occur?  Again it may be advisable to use a prefinished hardwood flooring.

3.  Are you going to be installing the flooring in just one room or will it be throughout the house?  If it is going to be throughout the house then you will be looking for conformity in the color etc. of your flooring.  So it is advisable that you go for unfinished hardwood flooring as this will allow you to produce a uniform color and finish.

4.  What is your budget?  Unfortunately the cost of using unfinished hardwood flooring is quite high compared to that of prefinished flooring.  The reason for this is that the finish will have been applied by the manufacturer at the factory and this will then reduce the labor costs.

DIY or Professional Contractor

If you decide to install unfinished hardwood flooring in your home you will need to factor in the costs of employing contractors to apply the various finishes to the flooring after they have installed it.  However you can save money by doing it yourself, but the results may not be the same as you would get from using a flooring contractor to carry out the work.

By keeping these questions clear in your mind will help you to make a more informed decision as to whether it is better to install prefinished or unfinished hardwood flooring in your home.