Posted by Lauridsen Assoc. Consultants on December 06, 1999 at 14:28:43:
In Reply to: prefinished or site finished? posted by Bill on December 06, 1999 at 05:43:59:
: We are building a new home and are putting hardwood floor in the entry hall and kitchen/breakfast area. The builder says there both good products and about the same when it comes to caring for them. Talking to retailers has only got me the "Mine is the best" answer. Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with either of these products?
: Thanks
Typically you can get specific information regarding the differences from the hardwood flooring manufacturers or the Natl wood Flooring Assoc. 800-422-4556.
But in a nutshell, prefinished harwood floors can actually be made to be more durable than on site finished floor because of the amount of coats and curing processes that can be used in a factory controlled setting. Prefinished has an advantage of giving the installer the ability to place different boards with varying shades in strategic locations. On job site finishing gives advantages too, such as sanding down edges that have "over-wood" (in other words one edge is higher than the other). It should be noted however that many manufacturers of quality prefinished hardwoods offer floors that reduce or virtually eliminate over-wood type problems.
All in all hardwood is an excellent choice for your home as it adds to its value, as long as it is installed correctly and maintained per manufacturer recommendations. Evan