Installing hardwood flooring is a big decision for any homeowner. Whether you are replacing your existing hardwood floor, carpeting or tile, choosing the right materials will have a large influence over your entire room and home design. The best flooring choice will not only make your home look beautiful, but will also add to its overall value. But if you have your heart set on adding hardwood flooring to your whole house or an individual room, chances are you will be faced with a lot of decisions you weren’t expecting.
Types of Unfinished Hardwood Flooring
While unfinished hardwood is an excellent choice in regards to all the wood flooring options available, you should know about all the options available. Hardwood is considered a type of solid wood flooring that comes in finished (also called pre-finished) and unfinished styles. The most popular choices include strip, plank and parquet flooring. These are all solid wood floor options that are available in pre-finished and unfinished options. Your selection will impact the overall look of the hardwood floor design, through the use of different flooring widths and geometric patterns.
Staining and Finishing for Your Hardwood Floors
Anyone who has installed unfinished solid wood in their home will tell you that the greatest advantage of choosing unfinished hardwood floors is the ability to customize. Instead of being limited to the store selections, which may or may not be perfect for your home design. But before you choose the best hardwood finish for your floor, you need to know why it is needed. The first and most obvious reason is to enhance the natural beauty of unfinished wood. The right finish will not only bring out the elegance hardwood flooring can add to your home, but will coordinate with your home and room design. And you choose from a wide selection of colors that can create everything from light to medium, and even dark wood floors. The other reason homeowners need to add a finish to hardwood flooring is for protection from everything – ranging from everyday wear and tear to spills, scratches and moisture. If you are willing to invest some time and labor into the appearance of your new wood floors, your design and customization options are limitless. In fact, unfinished wood tends to create more options when it comes to unique customization ideas. And it will be just as durable as any pre-finished flooring option.
Advantages of Choosing Unfinished Hardwood Floors
As a homeowner, you want to make the best decision when it comes to choosing flooring. There are many factors that come into consideration, ranging from durability to customization. But why should you choose unfinished hardwood flooring for your home?
Options, options, options! Even home improvement stores specializing in flooring options have limitations on the stock and selection they can carry. Choosing unfinished wood can allow you to create a limitless number of options when it comes to stain colors, and degree of finish. This way you can create anything from light colored hardwood to dark flooring, and create any finish from low to high gloss.
Before you buy, chances are you are going to make a comparison of hardwood flooring prices. While the grade of wood selected for your hardwood floors will impact the overall cost, choosing unfinished hardwood will ultimately be cheaper.
It is the ideal option for homeowners who want to restore the original appearance of their home, or want to maintain historical value. Pre-finished flooring is often difficult to match with original colors or styling. Because of the high degree of customization unfinished wood allows for, with a bit of time and effort you can create the perfect design match.
Disadvantages of Hardwood Flooring
Next to choosing the best type of floor for your home, one of the biggest decisions homeowners will face is installation. Hardwood flooring installation takes time. While a professional can install floors faster, if you are trying to keep costs down and have the experience – this can be an excellent DIY project. Unfinished hardwood floors tend to fall under the category of being a do-it-yourself project. This means it can be more time consuming than average depending on your experience and the look you want to achieve. Also, this project can be extremely messy – ranging from an increased amount of dust created by sanding to the fumes associated with staining, sealing, finishing and polishing your hardwood.
Unfurnished Hardwood Flooring: The Perfect Customizable Floor Option
Compared to pre-finished hardwood, unfinished flooring can take more time and effort to install and complete the overall design. However, when installed and finished properly unfinished hardwood floors are a beautiful and elegant addition to any home. So if you are looking for a flooring option that is truly customizable, durable, long lasting, affordable and adds value – unfinished solid wood flooring is the perfect solution for you.