Replacing the flooring is often part of a kitchen or bath remodel. Wood flooring is still amongst the most beautiful and sought after, and there are a number of options. When debating on whether or not to go for prefabricated or traditional wood floors for your next remodeling project, there are pros and cons to think about.
Advantages of Pre-finished Flooring
There are quite a few advantages that pre-finished wood flooring has to offer.
- No Curing Time – Because it’s polished and cured at the factory, you’ll be able tow walk on it right away.
- No Health Concerns – One of the problems involved in traditional wood flooring is the fumes from polyurethane sealant. The chemicals in those fumes have been proven to be carcinogenic, but since the wood isn’t cured on site, there’s nothing to worry about.
- No Dust Problems – Dust and errant hairs will mar the finish of a freshly laid floor during the curing process. Again, since the wood is processed at the factory, this isn’t a problem. However, you’ll want to put protection down in high traffic areas to preserve the surface.
- Quick Installation – Since you only need to lay the underlayment and the wood surface, you can have a fresh new floor in just one session.
- Tougher Finish – Many factory finishes come with a lifetime warranty because they’re so much tougher than what on-site finishing has to offer.
- Less Expensive – Although the materials may cost more than unfinished wood at first, the savings add up in lack of labor and finishing expenses.
Disadvantages
Like all flooring options, pre-finished flooring comes with its share of disadvantages.
- New Construction – For new construction, traditional options may be a better idea, because most contractors will save floor finishing for last for a polished look. Many steps have to be completed after the flooring is in, such as trim and painting; both can mar a finished floor.
- More Finishes – Although there are more choices of factory-applied finishes than before, there are still more options for traditional flooring. For instance, since you’ll pick the finish color, you are more easily able to match existing trim.
- Seamless – Pre-finished flooring always has tiny bevels to hide differences between board widths and heights. Traditional wood flooring, however, offers a seamless look that some people prefer to have every time.
Wood flooring offers class to any room, but the choice of which type you’d like to install depends on the look, cost and process you’d like to follow.
