If you are planning on purchasing a new hardwood floor you are probably wondering if a site finished floor that is finished on site after installation or prefinished floor that comes from the factory already finished is best. Here are several pros and cons that you will probably find of help.

Smooth Joints: A site finished floor is sanded on site after installation assuring that the joints between boards are smooth. With a prefinished floor you can expect a slight variation in height between the planks at the joints. While the difference may be difficult to see it can be felt by rubbing your hand across the joint,

Inlays and Borders: With a site finished floor unlimited inlays and borders can be used.  With a prefinished floor only minimal inlays and borders can be used.

Hard Finish: A factory finished floor will usually have 4 to 5 coats of finish and contain aluminum oxide which makes the finish much harder and more difficult to scratch. A site finished floor will usually have about 2-3 coats of sealer and finish and will not be as hard.

Dust from Sanding: A site finished floor is sanded on site and therefore you can expect dust.  While a company with the proper vacuum control equipment can contain much of the dust they will not be able to eliminate it. A prefinished floor comes from the factory ready to install so there will be no sanding on site.

Quick Move in: With a prefinished floor you can move in the same day the floor is installed. With a site finished floor you need to wait for the installation, finishing and drying of the floor before you can move in.

Finish Odor: With a site finished floor there will be little to considerable odor depending upon the sealer and finish used. With a prefinished floor you will have no odor.

Quick Completion: Prefinished floor install and move in. Site finished needs installation, sanding, finishing and drying first.

Can be refinished: Site finished floors can be easily sanded and refinished.  Since prefinished floors almost always contain aluminum oxide the same product sandpaper is made of they are very difficult to sand for refinishing. While they can usually be refinished expect to pay a lot more money for the sanding will probably cost you 2 to 3 times what you pay for sanding the site finished floor. Both site finished and prefinished floors must either be solid or if engineered mush have a thick enough veneer to sand and finish.

Small gaps, cracks, dents and holes can occur in your prefinished wood flooring. These gaps are really not hard to fill and most anyone can do it with a bit of Wood Putty. This putty will never fully harden and is available in colors to match just about any floor from a maple or white oak to a Brazilian cherry, black walnut or just about anything in between. When you are unable to find a color of Wood Putty that matches your floor you can actually take a couple of colors and with your fingers blend them together before use and come up with a pretty good match. Remember that when finished you will be viewing the job standing and not from your hands and knees so the fill should be pretty hard to see.

Wood Putty can be purchased at your local paint store or at a big box store like Home Depot or Lowes. Usually the best selection will be at a larger paint store. To apply the Wood Putty get a blob and with your finger rub it into the crack. Using a paper towel rub the area quickly and vigorously to remove the excess putty. If you selected the right color of putty in the first place you should be pleased with the finished appearance.

For an even more finished appearance, using a rag with a bit of natural color wood stain or sealer, carefully wipe it across the putty in a single swipe. You now have a bit of sheen on the putty so that it will better match a higher sheen on the flooring.

The Difference between Wood Putty and Wood Filler

On prefinished flooring where you want to fill holes, cracks and splits but not refinish the floor wood putty is a better choice than wood filler. Wood filler is a wetter, more fluid product than wood putty. Wood Putty has more of the consistency of damp clay and while it will harden some it does not fully dry. The putty should not come out with normal foot traffic and since it does not fully dry wood putty holds well with the normal expansion and contraction of your flooring. For a new site finished floor, wood filler is used as it is sandable and like wood it will take a stain and for this reason it is used to fill gaps and cracks prior to applying the finish to a floor.

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