Prefinished hardwood floors do cost more than unfinished hardwood, but only initially. When you factor in finishing costs, unfinished hardwood flooring costs more than prefinished hardwood.
Prefinished solid wood floors initially cost more than unfinished wood flooring—about $2 per square foot for a good grade of red oak. But once you factor in finishing costs, prefinished ends up being less expensive.
Prefinished hardwood flooring has been finished – sanded, stained, and coated with polyurethane -- in a factory. All you need to do is install it (cut and nail it to the subfloor) and it is done. Unfinished flooring is raw hardwood that must first be installed and then sanded and refinished on site.
The answer is yes, you do not have to finish a hardwood floor! We call these raw wood floors.
You'll pay more for some woods than others based on supply and demand. “One of the most affordable materials is pine,” Graham says. Pine generally costs between $1.25 and $2.10 per square foot, making it a cheap option for hardwood flooring.
On average, it can cost anywhere from $12 to $22 per square foot to install hardwood flooring, with the national average cost hovering around $11 to $12 per square foot. To install 1,000 square feet of hardwood flooring, you can expect to pay between $12,000 and $22,000 dollars.
Because you're not paying for the quality and craftsmanship of specialized labor, these costs are considerably less than what you would pay for professional installation. All in all, if you think you're up to the task, handy, and fancy yourself a wannabe Bob Vila or Vern Yip, this project is for you.
Moisture in Spring and Summer
Like any other organic or natural product, wood also absorbs moisture because it is highly porous. If the hardwood flooring installation is done either in the summer or the spring, then your floors might become vulnerable to distortion, as these seasons have the highest humidity levels.
The only thing your floor installer has to do is cut the pieces to the appropriate lengths and fasten them to your subfloor. Unfinished hardwood, on the other hand, is raw wood that must be installed first. Then, it must be sanded and refinished on-site.
Unsealed parquet floors are fairly easy to clean. They should only be cleaned with a vacuum, broom, or mop, and if you need to use moisture to remove any dirt, then try to stick to only water.
Classic medium-toned browns such as cherrywood, mahogany, oak, maple, walnut, birch wood, and hickory are all timeless colors that never go out of style.
Hickory is the most durable wood species grown domestically with a Janka rating around 1820.
What is the Best Finish for Hardwood Floors? Polyurethane is the most popular finish for floors. It's tough enough to handle constant traffic and is resistant to almost everything. There are two types of polyurethane finish: oil-based (solvent borne) and water-based (waterborne).
While there are many factors that influence a home's value, hardwood flooring can certainly increase its worth. Not only does it add a warm and inviting aesthetic to any living space, but it also makes a home easier to sell and can even add resale value when the time comes.
Depending on how many square feet you intend to cover, it could also take a few days or even a week before installation is complete. Still, every year, countless homeowners will have them installed because they really do look amazing. As CNN reported, hardwood floors can also increase home value by 3-5%.
Bamboo has become one of the most popular choices for flooring because of its price and durability. This option is not only cheaper than hardwood, it's tough and can withstand a lot of abuse. Another benefit to bamboo flooring is that the planks look similar to hardwood.
Difficult to Repair. If pre-finished hardwood flooring gets scratched or dented during installation, you have no option but to replace the entire floorboard. Forget the notion of trying to fill, sand, and re-seal with your own coating. For do-it-yourselfers, it is difficult to manually duplicate the factory coating.
It should be cross stacked and spaced to encourage air circulation around the boards. Most manufacturers recommend materials acclimate for a minimum of three days with no maximum suggested. Levon agrees. “If the flooring is unfinished, we cross stack the wood.
The best times of year are usually the shoulder seasons for installing custom wood floors. The spring and the fall are the most optimal seasons flooring projects. The main reason is the relative humidity levels are around 35%, which is as good as it gets for any project.
Get the Best Deal of the Season
Most home renovations dip during the mid-December through February months. Many flooring companies and big box stores raise their prices during the busy season so they can lower their prices during this slower period.
With regular wear and tear, the finish on your hardwood floor should last about 7-10 years. Floors in high-traffic areas or that are exposed to a lot of sunlight may need to be refinished more often. So if we do some quick math, your hardwood floors will last up to 60 years with being refinished every ten years!
Installing hardwood flooring costs between $6 and $12 per square foot. That averages out to $3 and $7 per square foot for materials and $3 to $5 per square foot for labor. An estimate for 1,000 square feet of hardwood flooring runs between $6,000 and $12,000.
We think that vinyl is one of the best affordable kitchen floor ideas! One of our favourite cheap flooring ideas is wood effect vinyl flooring. Not only does it look fantastic, it's also low maintenance, water resistant and easy to clean. Vinyl is surely one of the best DIY flooring ideas you can go with.