You will find that learning about hardwood floor finishes will help you make an informed choice about the best flooring for your home.
Most homeowners choose prefinished flooring, that comes already stained and sealed from the factory, rather than choosing to finish the wood after it is laid down.
Using prefinished wood flooring has both advantages and disadvantages over unfinished materials that are laid down and later finished.
On-site finishing can create a ultra modern, seamless look, can be customized by inlays and borders, and can be more forgiving of sub floor irregularities.
It is generally a more time consuming and expensive option.
Factory finished hardwood is faster to install, as the sections of flooring are laid down over plywood or other sub flooring, including concrete.
The finish is complete, so there is no need for the sanding required for on-site finishing.
Finalizing the laying of a floor on site requires sanding between each coat, which must be done after the finish has dried.
All dust must be removed before each step of the process, and care must be taken that the stain and the subsequent hard coating substances are compatible.
There are also fewer fumes or lingering odors with premade flooring, so the house can be occupied the night of the installation without health hazard or discomfort.
Care must be taken to have the subflooring clean and smooth, since irregularities that show after the floor is laid cannot be smoothed away by sanding.
Professional grades of finish can be applied at the manufacturing plant, chemicals which are too hazardous or are unavailable for home application.
Although there are types of urethane suitable for doing a floor yourself as long as the cautions are followed, the results are not as durable or scratch resistant as the finishes the factory can apply.
Many factory finishes are urethane-based, but the professionals there can work with acid or water based products that are hard to handle at home.
There are processes that cure the finishes with ultra violet light, inject the cells of the wood itself with acrylics, or add aluminum or ceramic particles to the finish.
All of these procedures give more abrasion proofing to the floors.
For added toughness, the top coat or 'wear level' is often polyurethane, an even tougher coating.
Using these improved synthetic resins means that manufactured flooring can come with a warranty of ten or more years.
Although damaged flooring must be replaced in section units, and cannot be re-coated unless the original finish is sanded off first, the durability of the original, factory finish will usually make these floors take normal wear without a problem.
Although getting a custom look is harder with prefinished hardwood, the variety of elegant, rustic, distressed, or exotic woods available makes for an extremely wide choice.
Pair the wood itself with the different stain colors, choose between glossy and satin options, and find that a factory floor can still have a unique look.
Factory applied hardwood floor finishes are durable, beautiful, practical, and affordable.
An online search will give homeowners the information they need to make an informed choice.
Most homeowners choose prefinished flooring, that comes already stained and sealed from the factory, rather than choosing to finish the wood after it is laid down.
Using prefinished wood flooring has both advantages and disadvantages over unfinished materials that are laid down and later finished.
On-site finishing can create a ultra modern, seamless look, can be customized by inlays and borders, and can be more forgiving of sub floor irregularities.
It is generally a more time consuming and expensive option.
Factory finished hardwood is faster to install, as the sections of flooring are laid down over plywood or other sub flooring, including concrete.
The finish is complete, so there is no need for the sanding required for on-site finishing.
Finalizing the laying of a floor on site requires sanding between each coat, which must be done after the finish has dried.
All dust must be removed before each step of the process, and care must be taken that the stain and the subsequent hard coating substances are compatible.
There are also fewer fumes or lingering odors with premade flooring, so the house can be occupied the night of the installation without health hazard or discomfort.
Care must be taken to have the subflooring clean and smooth, since irregularities that show after the floor is laid cannot be smoothed away by sanding.
Professional grades of finish can be applied at the manufacturing plant, chemicals which are too hazardous or are unavailable for home application.
Although there are types of urethane suitable for doing a floor yourself as long as the cautions are followed, the results are not as durable or scratch resistant as the finishes the factory can apply.
Many factory finishes are urethane-based, but the professionals there can work with acid or water based products that are hard to handle at home.
There are processes that cure the finishes with ultra violet light, inject the cells of the wood itself with acrylics, or add aluminum or ceramic particles to the finish.
All of these procedures give more abrasion proofing to the floors.
For added toughness, the top coat or 'wear level' is often polyurethane, an even tougher coating.
Using these improved synthetic resins means that manufactured flooring can come with a warranty of ten or more years.
Although damaged flooring must be replaced in section units, and cannot be re-coated unless the original finish is sanded off first, the durability of the original, factory finish will usually make these floors take normal wear without a problem.
Although getting a custom look is harder with prefinished hardwood, the variety of elegant, rustic, distressed, or exotic woods available makes for an extremely wide choice.
Pair the wood itself with the different stain colors, choose between glossy and satin options, and find that a factory floor can still have a unique look.
Factory applied hardwood floor finishes are durable, beautiful, practical, and affordable.
An online search will give homeowners the information they need to make an informed choice.