Which are better – pre-finished floors or unfinished floors that are installed and finished on site?
Technology has allowed hardwood manufacturers to offer pre-finished products that are far superior to on-site finishing. Many pre-finished floors have six coatings, or more, or urethane applied to the surface. In addition, most pre-finished floors now have chips of aluminum oxide, or similar materials, embedded in the urethane, leading to a much more durable wear layer. Site finished flooring will generally have one or two coatings of urethane only. In general, pre-finished floors will have limited warranties from 10 to 25 years or more. On-site finished floors will have little or no warranty.
