Replies

1. 
   johnnyd | Dec 02, 2004 07:09pm | #1

   Are you going to do this yourselves or hire a pro?

   Any of the three species will stand up to alot of wear...comes down to personal preference, availability, and $$$, with I think cherry being the most spendy.

   If you do a search on the topic, or several searches with different word combos, you'll come up with a plethora of highly knowledable opinions expressed in extensive threads here on BT.

   That being said, if you go with unfinished, and if you go with a solvent based finish, plan to spend a few days away from the house while the finish is going down and drying.

   General pros for pre-finished are that the finish, having been applied in factory conditions, will be more durable...but the very fact that it by definition has not been sanded in place, it has a slight bevel on the edges to hide the very minor hieght variations.  This is objectionable to some.  But it DOES have the sometimes huge atvantage that once it's down, it's done.

1. 
   Coz2 | Dec 03, 2004 02:53am | #4

   Red birch has the same coloration and a similar appearance to cherry but it has the  janka rating (hardness) of red oak. Green River Lumber has a great red birch (and cherry) product.  Kind of pricey, though. Aound $5 / ft wholesale and anywhere from $7 to $9 retail.   Jim

2. 
   SK32 | Dec 06, 2004 05:59am | #8

   Thanks to all who wrote. I think we are going to go with the unfinished brazilian cherry.  Any thoughts on the best way to sand and finish. I think I remember seeing a new type of floor sander that almost eliminates the dust. I was also thinking about  a tung oil finish. Thanks in advance.

                                                                                  Steve

2. 
   BOBABEUI | Dec 02, 2004 11:42pm | #2

   Steve,

   I think I would stay away from Cherry,  especially with two young children. Cherry is a very beautiful hardwood, great for furniture, trim and cabinets, but unless you like the look of a seriously scarred floor, I would stay away from Cherry. It is just not as hard a hardwood as either Red Oak or Birch..

   Best of luck

3. 
   jdd | Dec 03, 2004 01:46am | #3

   My wife and I built a new home approx. 2 years ago.  We finished most of the 2800 sq. ft. in Brazilian Cherry.  It was prefinished, hasand it only a slight bevel, and it has an incredibly durable finish which doesn't stand up to our kids but does stand up to 10 grand kids!!  Know that cherry will darken in color but it is a rich and gorgeous hue.  Brazilian cherry is hard as flint and I believe I read that this stuff is harder than most other hardwoods.  If I had ankle biters and was considering hardwood, Brazilian Cherry would be included on my list.  The prefinished wood which has a sound warranty and reputation is also key.  Hope you have good luck!!

   JD

4. 
   RobArnold | Dec 03, 2004 03:23am | #5

   You may want to check out lumber liquidators.  They have pre-finished Bolivian Rosewood for $5.00 sq./ft  and its pretty damn hard.

    

5. 
   slykarma | Dec 03, 2004 04:15am | #6

   Johnny has it right. Pre finished is more expensive but quicker and less disruptive to install as there is no finishing phase. Some pre-finished products I've seen have a 20 year warranty, because the manuf. can control the conditions and methods of finish application. With a finished-in-place product, you have the opportunity to sand to a perfect even surface, but you will have to live with the disruption for longer.

   Wally

   Lignum est bonum.
6. 
   BOBABEUI | Dec 03, 2004 03:46pm | #7

   Steve,

   I would to clarify one point. The Cherry that I was speaking about is our native American Cherry (Prunus Serotina) which a different animal than Brazilian Cherry/Jatoba  (Hymenaea Courbaril), which is much harder wood.