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kitkat32
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/07 710 total posts
Name:
kate
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prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
any preferences? I assusme prefinished is easier, but what looks/wears better? Any opinions?
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Posted 3/23/07 9:54 AM  |
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Lisa
I'm a PANK!!!
Member since 5/05 22334 total posts
Name:
Professional Aunts No Kids
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
Im not a fan of hardwood floors....we have all oak floors in our house that were finished and we had carpet layed over them (maybe in the future we will get rid of the carpets).
What do you mean...which is easier? to install? maintain?
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| Posted 3/23/07 10:17 AM |
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kitkat32
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/07 710 total posts
Name:
kate
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
sorry, which one looks nicer and which one wears better. i think prefinished are easier to install b/c there aren't as many steps involved (like sanding and poly coats)
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| Posted 3/23/07 10:21 AM |
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Tah-wee-ZAH
Kisses
Member since 5/05 15952 total posts
Name:
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
WE prefer hardwood floors.
That being said they are not necessarily easier to maintain if you are truly taking care of them. You must keep them very clean as dust and dirt causes most of the scratches. Because of that, we don't wear our shoes in the house. I lived with wall to wall carpeting all my life, kept it as clean as could be but had chronic sinus infections... haven't had one this year.
We installed laminate wood flooring in our basement. Yes, it is easier and cheaper because it is engineered and comes pre finished. Of course, we couldn't do hardwood floors down in the basement due to heat/cold, humidity and always the possibility of water damage.
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| Posted 3/23/07 10:30 AM |
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
By prefinished do you mean real wood flooring that is prefinished or do you mean laminant. Prefinished is exactly what it is called. It is solid wood that has factory coatings of poly on it as opposed to installing unfinished flooring having someone sand it, stain if you choose and then poly it. You can still re-finish prefinished floors if you choose but their finish is suppose to last up to 20 years. We installed prefinished brazilian cherry in a semi gloss finish and I think it looks beautiful and easy to maintain.
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| Posted 3/23/07 11:46 AM |
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kitkat32
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/07 710 total posts
Name:
kate
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
sorry again! I meant pre finished real wood flooring, not laminate. Does you prefinished flooring have grooves in it between each board or is it a smooth seam like regular hardwood flooring? Hope I am explaining that right!!
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| Posted 3/23/07 11:50 AM |
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LA723
LIF Infant
Member since 7/06 171 total posts
Name:
Leslie
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
We installed prefinished beech wood in our townhouse. It was tongue and groove so it has a nice finish, without the chemical smell.
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| Posted 3/23/07 2:35 PM |
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MrsBlueSash
Love my sailor
Member since 6/05 5793 total posts
Name:
Christian
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
I like real hardwood because you can refinish them. With engineered I think some kinds can be refinished once, maybe twice, max, and then that's it.
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| Posted 3/23/07 3:29 PM |
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MegZee
My bunny
Member since 5/06 8777 total posts
Name:
Meaghan
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
Posted by MrsBlueSash
I like real hardwood because you can refinish them. With engineered I think some kinds can be refinished once, maybe twice, max, and then that's it.
right - it depends on the thickness -
but you can get prefisnished hardwoods that is NOT engineered - but engineered is supposedly more durable.
there are so many options, its very confusing! FH and I are looking now and its overwhelming at the choices!
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| Posted 3/23/07 3:39 PM |
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ODonnell
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Member since 9/05 5983 total posts
Name:
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
We installed prefinished hardwood floors in our LR and DR - not laminate - it can be sanded and stained 3 more times. The reason we went with prefinished was because of the time element. We closed and got the keys for our house on a Friday and had to move in on the Saturday.
We used Empire and they arrived at 7 a.m. on the Saturday morning and were done by 6 p.m. and then our furniture went in. It looks really good, I just picked a color that is a little red, so we may have them sanded and stained next year.
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| Posted 3/23/07 3:39 PM |
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JandJ1224
Member since 6/06 5911 total posts
Name:
Jannette
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
How much was it for Empire to install the prefinished?
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| Posted 3/23/07 4:26 PM |
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
Posted by kitkat32
sorry again! I meant pre finished real wood flooring, not laminate. Does you prefinished flooring have grooves in it between each board or is it a smooth seam like regular hardwood flooring? Hope I am explaining that right!!
It has grooves even though it is tongue and grove system (you still need to nail it down) so it isn't flat like traditional flooring.
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| Posted 3/23/07 6:57 PM |
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snowboardgirl
LIF Adult
Member since 8/05 1033 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
I am not a fan of the prefinished. I don't think you can ever change the color, and it doesn't look as real to me.
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| Posted 3/24/07 2:56 PM |
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MegZee
My bunny
Member since 5/06 8777 total posts
Name:
Meaghan
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
Posted by snowboardgirl
I am not a fan of the prefinished. I don't think you can ever change the color, and it doesn't look as real to me.
not true! depending on the thickness, you can sand and stain multiple times- prefinished hardwoods are real hardwood floors, they just were sanded and stained already. many of them (depending on how many poly coats they have) come with 25 year warranties..mabye you are thinking of laminate flooring?
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| Posted 3/24/07 4:39 PM |
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smdl
I love Gary too..on a plate!
Member since 5/06 32461 total posts
Name:
me
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
Posted by Meaghan729
Posted by snowboardgirl
I am not a fan of the prefinished. I don't think you can ever change the color, and it doesn't look as real to me.
not true! depending on the thickness, you can sand and stain multiple times- prefinished hardwoods are real hardwood floors, they just were sanded and stained already. many of them (depending on how many poly coats they have) come with 25 year warranties..mabye you are thinking of laminate flooring?
Agreed. Like anything else, it depends on the quality and price you are willing to spend on. There are gorgeous pre-finished hardwook floors that would beat the quality of cheaper unfinished hardwood floors.
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| Posted 3/25/07 8:16 AM |
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kitkat32
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/07 710 total posts
Name:
kate
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Re: prefinished vs regular hardwood flooring
thats so much for your posts. looks like we are getting prefinished hardwood flooring. everyone seems to think it is much more durable that regular hardwood. the only thing i don't like is that you have to wait 6 mos to a year for the color to "mature". They said light exposure darkens it to make it look like the color they have displayed in the showroom. that was a little disappointing. has anyone heard of this?
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| Posted 3/25/07 10:22 AM |
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