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I will be installing my own 2 1/4″ x 3/4″ oak flooring in due course. I was told at my flooring outlet that the finish on prefinished flooring is superior to what can be applied in the field – it being harder and more evenly applied were two points he mentioned. Finished costs $1.50 more per sq.ft which is roughly the same for sanding, sealing and 2 maybe 3 coats of poly. I wouln’t have to deal with all the dust, but what of the joints in a prefinished application? Isn’t that leaving a path for spills etc. to get to the subfloor. As usual, your opinions gained from actual “hands-on” are truly appreciated.
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David,
If you want to install the floor yourself, check with a flooring contractor in your area to see if he will get you unfinished flooring at cost in order to get the finishing job from you. That is not an unusual negotiation. The difference between unfinished and prefinished is that the prefinished will not be as flat as the unfinished on completion due to the fact that no sanding will have taken place. That is what a drum sander is for, to level. Unfinished is just plain better looking. As to finish wear, two coats of oil polyurethane will normally last three to five years before a recoat of the product is needed again. Kitchens three, other areas four to five. It is true prefinished will be harder to fill the gaps with color putty, but no floor can withstand a glass of water on it overnight. The seams on unfinished may look tight, but there are cracks. Unfinished doesn't cost that much more, and the end product difference is noticeable. Put up alot of plastic for dust containment during installation and sanding for either product.
*David,Further to Gregs' post -- because the pre-finished doesn't finish flush you will get accelerated wear on the edges that stick up. Most contractors laying the pre-finished in Oz used to give it a further coat on completion of laying.Re: the dust problem, I used Legler equipment and every sander had vacuum dust extraction so there wasn't any dust. Most of the modern machines are the same.I would go with unfinished,use folding wedges to cramp it up tight, secret-nail it and get a contractor to sand and finish it -- that part of the job is not DIY.Good luck
*Greg/Ian,Thanks for the info. It's just what I needed, I'll be installing unfinished. Thanks again.David
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I will be installing my own 2 1/4" x 3/4" oak flooring in due course. I was told at my flooring outlet that the finish on prefinished flooring is superior to what can be applied in the field - it being harder and more evenly applied were two points he mentioned. Finished costs $1.50 more per sq.ft which is roughly the same for sanding, sealing and 2 maybe 3 coats of poly. I wouln't have to deal with all the dust, but what of the joints in a prefinished application? Isn't that leaving a path for spills etc. to get to the subfloor. As usual, your opinions gained from actual "hands-on" are truly appreciated.