Prefinished
A pre-finish, or factory finish, creates a no muss, no fuss installation. There's no dust from sanding, no fumes from chemicals, no waiting for the finish to dry. These floors are warranted to last longer than site-finished floors–typically 15 to 25 years, versus three to five years. This is because factory applied urethane finishes are much tougher and longer lasting than site-applied finishes.

With all the color choices available in pre-finished hardwood flooring, there's no need to custom stain site-finished floors to get just the right look for your home. If you like the look of site-finished flooring, but want the durability of prefinished flooring, choose a product with a square end and edge.

Site-Finished
Advocates of site-finishing like the fact that the floor can be sanded after it's installed to even out any imperfections. Site finishing also gives you the widest selection of stain colors to choose from. However, on-site sanding and finishing can produce heavy fumes, messy dust and significant waiting time from when the floor is laid until it can be enjoyed. In addition, labor costs for on-site finishing may drive up your installation costs.

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Care & Maintenance Waxing, once a necessary evil for wood floor owners, is not necessary on floors with a polyurethane finish. Simply sweep and touch up periodically with a no-wax floor cleaner, in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Any solid hardwood or an engineered hardwood floor with a top layer 1/10" thick or more: When these floors begin to scratch or gouge, it's time to sand and refinish. Refinishing can make a floor look brand new. It also presents an opportunity to change the look by choosing a different stain color. Refinishing should only be necessary every 15 to 25 years.

Engineered wood with a top layer thinner than 1/10" thick: These floors cannot be fully sanded and refinished. However, they can be recoated with a fresh layer of polyurethane whenever necessary. This will refresh the look of the floor and eliminate surface scratches. With this process, you cannot change the color of the wood.

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