Pre-finished hardwoods are non meant to last forever!  In-fact, they don't stand up up to heavy traffic like you lot were told in the big box store.  Pre-finished hardwoods have an aluminum oxide terminate coat that's baked on at a manufacture.  Pre-finished hardwoods are durable for some time.  Our team, has noticed over the years that pre-finished hardwoods testify scratches boldly.  There's something about pre-finished hardwoods that when they get scratched, it's only so noticeable.  Still, pre-finished hardwoods are a real solid hardwood.  Therefore, they tin can be sanded!  This is good news because well-nigh of the manufacture is installing pre-finished hardwoods present.

If you lot are a consumer looking to purchase hard surface flooring, please consider putting downward raw site-finished hardwoods.  Information technology'due south cheaper and you tin take it refinished upwards to 5 times throughout the lifetime of the flooring.  Pre-finished hardwoods can be sanded and refinished.  Nosotros do it all the time!  Nearly of the pre-finished flooring has a bevel in between each board.  That bevel can exist sanded flat, if you lot choose.  However, it requires additional sanding.  Thus, reduces the number of times that your floor tin be refinished throughout the lifetime of your pre-finished hardwoods.  If you lot choose to go out the bevel in the flooring then you will still have the opportunity to refinish your floors many more than times afterward.

Exercise Non FILL THE BEVEL!

That bevel we were just talking about above….ya, make sure that it never gets filled with wood putty (wood filler).  Why?  Because in a affair of half-dozen months, the filler volition exist cracking and peeling correct out of information technology.  And so, yous will have to have your floors refinished over again.  Non a lot of people are enlightened of this trade secret.  The rule of thumb, practice not fill any gap or crack in the floor that is larger than a quarter (money).  If you can fit a quarter (coin) in the gap then it should not be filled.  This is an manufacture standard set by the National Wood Floor Association (NWFA).  Be worried, if a contractor says that they tin can fill those big gaps and consider merely doing lath repairs or replacements.

Sanding Pre-Finished Hardwood Floor

The sanding procedure is very like to site-finished floor.  There's just a few actress things that must exist done.  By and large, nosotros like to cross cut on the showtime few rips.  This helps get the floor flatter and gets all of the oxide end off.  Using HEPA filters on vacuums is recommended so that y'all don't inhale aluminum airborne particles.  Ordinarily subsequently four passes the hardwood is ready for buffing.  We spray the entire floor with water to cheque for missed spots that are non detected otherwise.  This procedure is chosen h2o-popping and it also allows the stain to penetrate deeper into the grains of the woods flooring.

Seal and End

Once the flooring is has been stained then its prepare for sealer and finish coats.  Pre-finished hardwoods are identical to site-finished hardwoods once it's sanded down to raw woods.  The same process from here forwards every bit site-finished flooring.  One coat of sealer is practical.  This protects your color layer and gives the color it'south ultimate shine.  When the sealer is dry, and then ii coats of finish is applied.

Takeaway:  Your worn down pre-finished hardwood flooring can be refinished upwards to 5 times.  You can change the color of the unabridged floor each time that it'south completely refinished.  Go out the bevel in the floor and Exercise NOT have the bevel filled.  Pre-finished hardwoods bear witness scratches more than site-finished hardwoods.