Prefinished Hardwoood Flooring - Advantages Of New Floor Technologies
Prefinished hardwood flooring has its beginning as far back as the 1950s when the wood manufacturing industry began to experiment with this new type of flooring - one that could be installed immediately without sanding and polishing. What began as a good practical idea has now become a booming segment of the floor industry with as much as 10% growth per year thanks to advanced technologies and a growing demand among homeowners and contractors.
Sixty years later, buyers now enjoy a wide variety of wood floor products in virtually all types of wood, stains, finishes and dimensions imaginable. What was once done manually by contractors -- sanding, applying finishings, waxing and polishing is now being done by the manufacturer. Most manufacturers sand the floors as much as 3 times and apply multiple coats of urethane, UV cured finishes and aluminum oxide finishes all by automated machines. Prefinished hardwood flooring is usually coated with a sealed translucent film that makes the floors a durable product and with proper maintenence, warranties can be up to 10, 15 and 20 years.
Most will agree that prefinished floors look better than unfinished because the finish is done more consistently with machines. The top layer also protects the floors from scratches, spills and other damage so that daily maintenence is much easier. Although the price is generally more expensive than unfinished hardwood flooring, most will probably agree that the difference far outweighs the alternative of hiring a contractor and manually performing essentially the same tasks.
