Based on experience, if you were building a new home would you use prefinished or site finished hardwood floors?

My builder includes site finished 3/4" natural oak flooring, but I'm not a fan of oak. I chose a stained hickory in a prefinished floor that I love. I just want to make sure I'm making the right decision, one that's not purely based on aesthetics.

The durablilty is very important, seeing that it will be throughout the 1st floor and kitchen. Thoughts? Experience?

Just trying to avoid the "should have done differently" syndrome down the road. Asked by newuser9714293 44 months ago Similar questions: Based experience building home prefinished site finished hardwood floors Home > Home Improvement.

Similar questions: Based experience building home prefinished site finished hardwood floors.

I prefer site finished hardwood floor There is nothing wrong with prefinished wood floors. I personally don't like the microbevel that prefinished hardwoods have. I also am kind partial to raw hardwood, we have a local mill that provides us with beautiful wood all different widths and long lengths.

We did a master bedroom/walk-in closet in 3 1/2" hickory, lots of light and dark grain variation, they put a matte finish on it. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Ckory is harder/tougher than either red or white oak, but less dimensionally stable ckory or either red or white oak could be stained or tinted for a certain surface appearance. In preserving & protecting them (especially for flooring) surface treatments & sealants become important. Ckories generally comes from more Southern climates than Oaks,so are generally harder & thus tougher than Oaks (see references)"Less dimensionally stable" means that hickory lumber changes more in length & width than red or white oak when exposed to moisture & temperature changes.

A good installer will take that into account when laying flooring. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tropical woods become harder/tougher yet and thus more durable,and usually more expensive because of tariffs and transportation costs;but without as much "interesting" grain as temperate forest woods. --------------------------------References and resources:http://antiqueandvintagewoods.com/woods/vintage_woods.phphttp://www.fastfloors.com/article_100/Janka-Hardness-Ratings.htmhttp://www.macwoods.com/hardwood-floor-types.phphttp://www.platinumwoodflooring.com/floorstyles.htmlhttp://baltimorerowhouse.blogspot.com/2008/01/wood-floor-choices.htmlhttp://blogs.scrippsnetworks.com/hgtv/kitchenremodel/archive/2006/10/floor_choice_2.html------------------------------------------For more information or assistance,contact me LeheckaG on AskVille.

Sources: My professional experience and personal opinion .

Like computers, something better always comes along tomorrow. With prefinished flooring, you always know what its going to look like. With site finished, you are at the mercy of the builder/contractor, who is "cost conscious".

I like the consistent quality of prefinished myself. If you need durability, look at bamboo.

Looking at my hickory kitchen cabinets, I understand your opinion. Assuming the prefinished floor you are getting is truly prefinished hardwood, rather than laminate or composite, then the only real difference between prefinished and site finished is that the site finished floor will have a smoother surface. The primary difference is from the fact that a prefinished floor is made such that the unavoidable misalignment of the individual boards will not produce visible flaws in the finish.

The way I have seen that done is by finishing each board with a very discreet bevel on each edge. The end result is a floor with very fine grooves at all of the seams. This may or may not present a cleaning issue.

I personally prefer the smooth finish on a site finished floor, and I would recommend before you commit to the prefinished floor, that you see if you can get the same flooring material cut for site finishing, and have your builder install it in place of the oak, and stain it to the same shade as the hickory. It is also possible to refinish a prefinished floor, though that seems to me to be an inefficient route to go. The only other factor I can see, and I can't give you an answer to this concern, because I don't know: Oak is a pretty durable wood.

Ckory may or may not be as durable. Most of the wear resistance will be related to the uality of the finish applied, but I have worked on some houses that have pine floors, and I know that there can be a hazard of damage to a soft floor from things being dropped on it. Final answer: if you don't like the oak, and you like the hickory, go with the hickory..

Tell me about it. " "Wanting content for my home improvement site" "Which would be more durable? Prefinished vs site finished with a commercial(Street Shoe) finish.

" "I finished my hardwood floor with water based polyurethane. I want to put oil based polyurethane over it." "does anyone have any experience with a home based business called "starscapes"? " "What water based stains and urethanes are best for hardwood floors" "Pre-Finished Hardwood Floors vs. Unfinished Hardwood Floors" "Is there a 'Home Improvement' topic on Askville?

" "What tools are a must have for home improvement?" "What's the best floor cleaning solution to use on prefinished oak hardwood floors?

Wanting content for my home improvement site.

Prefinished vs site finished with a commercial(Street Shoe) finish.

I finished my hardwood floor with water based polyurethane. I want to put oil based polyurethane over it.

What water based stains and urethanes are best for hardwood floors.

Pre-Finished Hardwood Floors vs. Unfinished Hardwood Floors.

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