Unfinished Oak Flooring

Thursday, October 29, 2009

As it's name suggests, unfinished oak flooring is hardwood flooring sold without having had a finish applied to it in the factory. This allows the recipient to choose the stain or colour which best suits the decor and style of the house where the flooring is to be laid. However there are different types of unfinished oak flooring and, therefore, still choices to be made which need to be carefully considered to ensure the desired effect is achieved.

Unfinished oak flooring is available in white oak or red oak; with both species having different qualities in respect to the grain and the cut, as well as differences in the tones and hues in the grain. So it is important to look at samples of each and considering the room in which the floor is being installed before making your choice.

As for whether you should choose unfinished oak flooring or finished flooring here is a list of where unfinished flooring differs from pre-finished which should help:

Unfinished oak flooring

* can custom stain floor to match room/decor
* must apply finish on job site
* no UV cured urethane finish
* usually takes several days or a week to lay floor
* must wait for finish coats to dry
* very messy and can smell
* trims can be stained to match planks
* planks are sanded smooth and flat
* generally solid wood planks
* costs more to install
* less costly for flooring

Pre-finished wood floors should costs less per square foot to install because you don't have all the labour to sand, stain and apply the coats of finish which takes several extra days to finish the job. But unfinished boards should cost less per square foot than pre-finished planks because unfinished planks do not have the added expense of applying the stain and finish at the factory.

Labels: unfinished oak flooring