Installation
- Solid Prefinished Hardwood at Brampton Hardwood Floors
- Advantages
- Prefinished Hardwood vs. Unfinished Hardwood
- Solid Hardwood vs. Engineered Hardwood
- Solid Hardwood vs. Bamboo Flooring
- Installation
- Care
Solid prefinished hardwood comes with a factory finish with each board already stained and varnished. This gives the end user the convenience of simply having to install the floor boards without having to deal with the staining and finishing process. With a wide range of species and colour choices available, installing prefinished hardwood is the most convenient choice for home owners. Brampton Hardwood Floors carries a large assortment of prefinished hardwood floors in hundreds of stain colours in both domestic and exotic species from all over the world. Sizes range anywhere from 2 1/4" to 5 1/4" wide planks.
Solid prefinished hardwood comes with a factory finish, meaning each board out of the box is already stained and varnished. This gives the end user the convenience of simply having to install the floor boards and not deal with the staining and finishing process. Since all the curing of the stain and finish is completed at the factory, there will be no dust from sanding, no fumes from chemicals, and no waiting time for the finish to dry in the home.
Factory applied urethane finishes are much tougher and longer lasting than site-applied finishes. Hardening agents such as aluminum oxide are added to factory finished floors to extend their durability, making them up to three times harder than on-site finishes applied in the home. Factory finished floors are thereby also warranted to last longer, typically 15 to 50 years versus 1 to 5 years for on-site finished floors.
Prefinished manufacturers offer a large selection of stain colours, styles, finishes, grades, and species of hardwood to compliment any room in the house. No matter how diverse or unique your needs are, there is always an option for you.
A hardwood floor minimizes allergies and increases the air quality by eliminating trapped dust particles that typically occur in other flooring options. They do not retain irritants or allergens that can trouble allergy sufferers or people with respiratory problems, thereby making it a healthy choice for interior living environments.
Installing solid hardwood flooring is an excellent long term investment that will hold and even increase the value of your home exceeding the initial installation cost. Studies suggest that houses with hardwood flooring sell much faster than those featuring other types of floors. Real estate agents and investors recognize the value of hardwood flooring. Therefore, it can become a strong resale feature which enables a faster sale and brings higher prices at the time of resale.
Solid Hardwood floors can be sanded and refinished multiple times thereby extended the longevity of your floor. When you decide to refinish your floor in the future you will have the option of changing the colour or finish if desired to create an entirely new look.
Prefinished hardwood comes already finished from the factory ready to be installed. Unfinished hardwood needs to be sanded, stained, and finished in the home after installation thereby causing more dust and odours to travel in your home.
Prefinished hardwood can be walked on right after installation. Unfinished hardwood, once installed, requires a waiting period for the stain and finish to dry; therefore it can take up to three times longer to complete the flooring job.
Prefinished hardwood has aluminum oxide hardeners added into the finish to extend their durability, making them ideal for high traffic areas in the home. Hand applied finishes do not contain these hardening agents, thereby making factory finished floors up to three times harder than on-site finishes applied in the home. Therefore, prefinished hardwood floors are also warranted to last longer, typically 15 to 50 years versus 1 to 5 years for on-site finished floors.
Prefinished hardwood is manufactured in a controlled environment preventing the finish from getting foreign particles, hair, dust, etc into the finish. It is more difficult to control this during on-site applications.
Some prefinished hardwood floor manufacturers apply sun guard protection coatings to their floors which helps prevent the floor from yellowing over time. Unfinished floors do not have this feature in their finish.
Prefinished hardwood is more expensive to purchase but the installation is simpler and less costly; whereas unfinished hardwood is cheaper to purchase but is usually more expensive to install because of the added staining and finishing process required.
Prefinished hardwood is offered in many species, grades and colours. Unfinished hardwood is also available in many species and grades; however it has the added advantage of allowing custom colours to be applied to match existing hardwood that is already in the house.
Prefinished hardwood has small bevels around each plank giving dimension to the floor boards once installed. Unfinished hardwood has square edges around each plank creating a uniform and uninterrupted look to the floor which complements the traditional decor and the architectural integrity of historical homes.
Solid hardwood is manufactured from a solid piece of wood, generally 3/4" thick. Whereas engineered hardwood is manufactured using a veneer of hardwood applied to the surface of each plank, with the remaining plank being made with multiple layers of plywood. Due to its construction, engineered hardwood is manufactured using less hardwood making it an environmentally friendly choice over solid hardwood.
Solid hardwood can only be nailed down onto a wooden sub floor; whereas engineered hardwood, because of its structure, can be installed by nailing, gluing, or floating it and on many different sub floors and surfaces including concrete and over ceramic or linoleum.
Solid hardwood can only be installed in very stable humidity conditions on a wooden sub floor and only on or above the soil level of the home; whereas engineered hardwood can resist higher humidity changes in the home because of its construction and therefore can be installed anywhere in the home including the basement.
Solid hardwood can be resurfaced many times which extends the longevity of the floor to over 100 hundred years. Engineered floors can only be resurfaced one or two times depending on the thickness of the hardwood veneer and provided that the engineered floor was originally glued or nailed down to the subfloor.
Solid hardwood should never be installed over a radiant heat system. Depending on the manufacturer and species of the wood, an engineered hardwood floor may be installed over radiant heat systems.
Solid hardwood is traditionally and currently the most common flooring option available offering home owners many choices of stain colours, species, and grades. In comparison, engineered hardwood is limited in species and grades available.
Solid hardwood requires special tools to install and most likely will require a professional installer. With click engineered floating floors, less specialized tools are required for installation, making it easier for the do-it-yourselfer.
Solid hardwood is relatively expensive especially in its higher grades. Bamboo flooring is more economical to purchase because of its abundant supply.
Solid hardwood is not as environmentally friendly compared to other hard surface flooring products. Bamboo flooring is more environmentally friendly than any hardwood because of its rapid growth cycle and its ability to be managed in controlled bamboo plantations.
Solid Hardwood cannot be installed below grade. Bamboo floors can be installed below grade in basements because of its inherent stability to moisture changes.
Prefinished solid hardwood is offered in many different colours and can accept many different custom stain colours in its unfinished form. Currently there is a limited choice of colours in bamboo flooring, however slowly there are more colour choices becoming available.
The longevity of hardwood has been proven in its capability to withstand many refinishing cycles. Bamboo flooring is more challenging to resurface and doesn't accept stain colours as easy as hardwood.
Installation of solid prefinished hardwood requires special tools and procedures to ensure a successful renovation. Sub floors have to be checked for levelness and squeaks and if necessary rectified prior to nailing down the hardwood planks. In the past, before the advent of prefinished hardwood flooring, installation was best left to a trade hardwood floor expert. With the introduction of prefinished hardwood flooring, a successful installation can be achieved by the home owner who has been properly instructed.
Please click here to download a complete installation manual.
Solid prefinished hardwood floors should be protected immediately upon their installation by periodic cleaning using a suitable hardwood floor cleaner. To prevent scratches, felt protector pads should be used under all furniture. When moving furniture, remember to lift and not drag. High heeled shoes should never be worn on top of any hardwood floor. Following this advice as well as the advice below will ensure that you will be enjoying your hardwood floor for many years to come.
First sweep or vacuum your hardwood floor. (If you plan to vacuum your floor make sure your vacuum attachment is safe for hardwood).
Make sure your cleaner is made specifically for hardwood floors. It should say so on the front of the bottle.
After sweeping or vacuuming your hardwood spray some cleaner onto the appropriate applicator and apply it to the floor.
While cleaning check the terry cloth/micro fibre cover's underside for dirt buildup every so often. If terry cloth/microfibre cover is dirty, remove and replace with a clean cover.
Stock up on extra terry cloth/micro fibre covers when cleaning larger areas of hardwood. Using dirty terry cloth/micro-fibre covers only spreads the dirt around creating steaks on the floor.
Terry cloth/micro-fibre cloths are machine washable and therefore reuseable.
Do not use these covers other than for cleaning your hardwood floors.
To prevent scratches to the surface of your hardwood floor apply felt pads to the under side of all furniture. For heavier furniture, use felt pad protected castor cups to help spread the weight and prevent dent marks on the hardwood.
Periodically inspect under your furniture for worn or loose felt pad protectors and replace as soon as possible.
Do not walk with high heeled shoes on hardwood
Lift any furniture that is to be moved onto or away from your hardwood floors
Do not wet mop your hardwood floor. Excess humidity directly applied to your floor may permanently damage it.
Do not use water or vinegar to clean your hardwood floors. Do not use furniture policy or wax on polyurethane hardwood floors.
Do not use any detergents that are not made specifically for hardwood floors.
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