prefinished wood floors?

[GrumpyMom]

Does anybody have these? Dh and I are thinking about them. We have a large entry and kitchen area that currently has ceramic tile that we don't like. We're worried about the dust and chemicals with wood floors so we're considering the prefinished kind. My grandpa has them and the look really bad (they are "obviously" prefinished and have small gaps between the boards, are kind of convex, etc) but my friend just put some in that look really good. My grandpa's were put in like 8 years ago so I wonder if things have changed, or if it's because of different brands or materials (his are oak and my friends are maple). I'd love some feedback on your experiences. How do they look, how do you maintain them,e tc.

[canadiyank]

I grew up with them, my folks and grandpa installed them themselves. I think they look really nice. My dad waxed them yearly, I think. Maybe more? Every once in awhile he buffed them. They use dry swiffers now.

[2sunshines]

We put some in about a year and a half ago. In the entry way and kitchen. I really like them. They look really good. I just use the swiffer type thing on them.

[GrumpyMom]

Do you think that you can tell a difference btwn your floors and the kind that aren't prefinished?

[canadiyank]

Well, the obvious thing is they're not smooth...my folks are tongue and grooved together, whereas most of the not-prefinished ones I've seen they sand down and then finish, so they're all uniform. Plus my folks' colour varies quite a bit (different dye lots) but it's not as pronounced now that they've been staining/waxing it themselves for years.

[2sunshines]

Well, wait, what do you mean when you say prefinished wood floors? Are you talking like Pergo? Or do you mean something else?

[katiekind]

We have prefinished wood in our entry way--put in about a year and a half ago ourselves. It was relatively inexpensive because we went with a "tavern-grade" oak, but it looks great and has held up very well. I would use it throughout my house if we could afford it. My husband, however, has sworn off any future flooring projects because of the wear-and-tear-on-husband factor.

[canadiyank]

Well, wait, what do you mean when you say prefinished wood floors? Are you talking like Pergo? Or do you mean something else?


No. They're ummm, wood floors that come factory-finished. They're all wood, it's just that they're "pre-finished" so they're cheaper...they kind of fit together like a puzzle. Non-pre-finished ones (:lol) are installed, then most of them are sanded down so you can see the grain but the edges are flush, not beveled, then stained and finished.

Does that make sense? :think