 |
08-26-2009, 01:19 PM
|
#1
|
|
Member
Trade:
AcademyFloor
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 38
|
The ultimate question..?
Finished or Unfinished Hardwood.. Which is the one to choose. A good friend of mine (also a contractor) believes that there is no difference between prefinished and unfinished woods. For he insists that even if unfinished hardwood is cheaper, you will end up spending the equal amount on the labor. Whereas in buying a prefinished Hardwood, there is half the labor involved (staining, finishing etc.).
My question is.. is it better to spend more on prefinished hardwood and engage in less labor OR is it better to buy unfinished Hardwood for cheap and invest in twice the labor ?
|
|
|
Warning: The topics covered on this site include activities in which there exists the potential for serious injury
or death. ContractorTalk.com DOES NOT guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information contained on this site. Always use proper safety precaution and reference reliable outside sources before attempting any construction or remodeling task!
Join the #1 Contractor Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
ContractorTalk.com - Are you a Professional Contractor? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's the leading place for contractors to meet online. No homeowners asking DIY questions. Just fellow tradesmen who enjoy talking about their business, their trade, and anything else that comes up. No matter what your trade is you'll find that ContractorTalk.com is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally free!
Join ContractorTalk.com - Click Here
|
|
08-26-2009, 04:44 PM
|
#2
|
|
Member
Trade:
Remodeling Contractor
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Illinois
Posts: 52
|
A consideration you may need to look at, if you use unfinished and then have it stained, is if you have the ability stay off the entire area for multiple days while the floor is sanded and then poly applied. Unfinished flooring that is sanded does become a smoother floor. Based on the fact that it is sanded together. All pre-finished floors have to be engineered with an "eased" edge. Which means you are able to see and feel a small seam between each row of boards. One advantage of pre-finished is that you may move furniture onto it as soon as it's installed.Allowing you to move across the room without having to completly empty it. Your right about it being the ultimate question.
|
|
|
|
|
08-26-2009, 08:13 PM
|
#3
|
|
Member
Trade:
Flooring & Remodeling
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Dallas TX
Posts: 99
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by AcademyHardwood
A good friend of mine (also a contractor) believes that there is no difference between prefinished and unfinished woods. (staining, finishing etc.).
is it better to spend more on prefinished hardwood and engage in less labor OR is it better to buy unfinished Hardwood for cheap and invest in twice the labor ?
|
Does your friend give a 30 year warranty on finish like the engineered manufacturer does? 
|
|
|
|
|
08-27-2009, 08:21 AM
|
#4
|
|
Knowledge Factory
Trade:
Certified Floorcovering Failure Investigator
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,289
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by pgc555
All pre-finished floors have to be engineered with an "eased" edge. Which means you are able to see and feel a small seam between each row of boards.
|
That is not a true statement.
There are many square edge prefinished floors. Your going to pay a premium for them, if you don't want some slight overwood.
Lauzon comes to mind. 
|
|
|
|
|
08-27-2009, 11:59 AM
|
#5
|
|
egotistical prick
Trade:
Wood Inlay
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Swartz Creek, Michigan
Posts: 2,416
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by finaltouchfloor
Does your friend give a 30 year warranty on finish like the engineered manufacturer does? |
It's easy to offer a warrenty you never plan on honoring. With normal wear and tear and depreciating value and whatnot, those warrenties are nothing but sales hype.
__________________
"Nothing is too good for you guys...and that's exactly what you're gonna get..."
"'Status quo,' as you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in...'"
|
|
|
|
|
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Cdat For This Useful Post:
|
|
|
08-27-2009, 05:45 PM
|
#6
|
|
Member
Trade:
Framing and General Construction
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 93
|
All the ones Ive dealt with are of the "eased edge" variety. Bottom line.. site finished ones look better to me if done by a really good floor guy
|
|
|
|
|
08-28-2009, 06:49 PM
|
#7
|
|
Knowledge Factory
Trade:
Certified Floorcovering Failure Investigator
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,289
|
Site finished or prefinished? Can you tell from a standing position? 
|
|
|
|
|
08-28-2009, 07:34 PM
|
#8
|
|
Pro
Trade:
hardwood floor contractor 28 yrs.
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: fayetteville GA
Posts: 140
|
Those pics make it tough to tell...but I'll go with prefinished..If I was there live,I could tell just by feel..
|
|
|
|
|
08-28-2009, 09:25 PM
|
#9
|
|
Member
Trade:
Flooring & Remodeling
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Dallas TX
Posts: 99
|
Its obvious its a sand n finish, no bevels.
CDAT , I've had bellawood,schon, mohawk, and anderson replace floors that failed & paid for installation.
|
|
|
|
|
08-29-2009, 09:43 AM
|
#10
|
|
Knowledge Factory
Trade:
Certified Floorcovering Failure Investigator
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,289
|
That is a prefinished engineered Hickory, square edge, and once installed everyone thought it too was a solid, sand & finish job, except the homeowners who bought the wood.
|
|
|
|
|
09-04-2009, 08:12 PM
|
#11
|
|
Knowledge Factory
Trade:
Certified Floorcovering Failure Investigator
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,289
|
Prefinished, or site finished?
|
|
|
|
|
09-04-2009, 08:21 PM
|
#12
|
|
Pro
Trade:
Residential Contractor
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Jensen Beach, FL
Posts: 10,376
|
It pretty much boils down to the $$$$'s and situation.
Site finished is a lot more labor for a small advantage, if any.
__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.
Albert Einstein
|
|
|
|
|
09-05-2009, 07:01 PM
|
#13
|
|
Knowledge Factory
Trade:
Certified Floorcovering Failure Investigator
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,289
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Floordude
Prefinished, or site finished?
|
Prefinished, square edge Lauzon, engineered.
|
|
|
|
|
09-13-2009, 08:20 AM
|
#14
|
|
Pro
Trade:
Hardwood flooring contractor
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Posts: 187
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by finaltouchfloor
Does your friend give a 30 year warranty on finish like the engineered manufacturer does? |
Good luck on getting the manufacture on board with that warranty.. Read the exceptions that void the warranty..
__________________
Chris Frate
Pasquale Floors
|
|
|
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
Rate This Thread |
 Linear Mode
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
|
