What’s So Good About Pre-Finished Boards For A Hardwood Floor?

Many people these days come up with the idea of having a wooden floor in their home which can be cost effective in the long run as a well kept wooden floor can last for many years and is fairly easy to maintain. As to whether you want to put in the floor yourself or have it done for you it really all depends on your budget and what your skill level is.

If you plan to do it yourself you have the option of putting in untreated wooden planks or you can save yourself a lot of time and headaches by buying pre-finished boards instead. Ted Todd and other brands make a range of prefinished boards to suit most tastes and it’s certainly the way I would go given the fact that it makes the whole process that much easier.

The difference between untreated and pre-finished wood is that it’s coated, sealed and in lots of cases stained to give maximum protection from damage caused by people scuffing and scratching the floor with their shoes. It also guards against spillages and other marks caused perhaps by clumsiness when moving furniture for example. Don’t be mistaken into thinking that a pre-finished floor is impervious to damage but it will certainly be more resistant than an untreated floor would.

To explain what would go into laying a floor with boards which aren’t pre-finished it’s all down to what you need to do once you have nailed the hardwood planks to the subfloor. With prefinished boards you’re pretty much done once the boards are down but with non pre-finished boards you also have to sand them down properly so you can apply the wax and then add the polish afterwards.

There’s no doubt that prefinished hardwood floors are a great time saver when you look at the whole picture and it’s worth noting that they are more expensive, but when you take into account your time, the extra waxes, polishes and stains you have to buy it really does become a no brainer.

It may surprise you to know that pre-finished boards often look the part more than when you do it yourself as mistakes can be made and you can end up with a less than satisfactory job. When they are done by a professional supplier they have all the right equipment as well to make sure that the coating goes on evenly and without error.

The actual process that goes into a pre-finished board is that they are sanded down several times and alluminium oxide is used to coat the wood at least six times and in many instances up to ten coats.

Most pre-finished boards are also put through the riggers to see make sure they pass certain resiliance tests which is something that isn’t done when a person applys the finishes themself which is mainly due to the fact that they just don’t have the necessary equipment to do it.