I’m contemplating having hardwood floors installed in my home. I was thinking of going with “pre-finished floors to save the hassle of the sanding and staining etc..
I was wondering what the pros and cons of unfinished vs. pre-finished are. Also I’m located on Long Island, New York, and was hoping someone could give me a ballpark figure on what I can expect to pay for the installation only, so I can figure if it’s something I can afford to do. A rough idea would be fine. I’ve been pricing out the wood, so I have an idea as far as that goes. Is there any differece in installation price for unfinished vs. finished? Appreciate any input.
Joe B.
Replies
$2 per square foot to install. $2 more per SF to finish.
There are cheap guys and good guys. You get what you pay for.
Prefinished = $4 per SF + $2 install => $6
Unfinished firewood-grade flooring = $2 + $2 + $2 => $6/SF
Prefinished is lots of little short chunks, but the durability
of the finish is excellent. You have to live with V joints.
It is not especially smooth.
Unfinished looks nicer. The finish will only
last a decade or two, depending on a million things. The
prefinished finish can only be factory applied and lasts "longer",
whatever that may be. I still prefer the look and feel of
unfinished. For a bottom-of-the-line project, the costs are
about equal. For something nice, unfinished is the only way
to go. $10/SF and up. Random width, wide boards, long pieces,
nice wood is even more.
If you want a flawless finish, buy plastic. If you want
something that looks like wood, buy wood. If you want
something that looks like it was made in a factory, get the
prefinished stuff.
Ditto Bobs post except in West. Pa. we get $3.00 per for install and $2.25 for sand and finish. Select white oak from a local mill runs about $2.75 per, we can find it cheaper but mill quality is tops and moisture content is always around 6% to 7%. Total install.... $8.00 per.
Right now there seems to be a lot of walnut available at about $3.50 per.
here on the west coast the cost for unfinished comes in at about 10.00 sqft installed and finished, pre finished mid grade about 13.00 sq ft. installed, of course that is for mid grade.
Long Island?
From a very reliable source, you could expect to pay as high as $6.00 per square foot for installation in certain areas of New York state. Sounds far fetched but true, as there is a shortage of skilled hardwood installers.
Ken Fisher
Naples/Bonita Springs, FloridaView Image