Which Hardwood Floor Finish Should You Choose

Posted in Posts - 2 March 2011 - No comment

In case you want to have a natural appeal and have attractive flooring in your apartment, you can consider getting a hardwood floor with a proper finish done over it.But you will need to see which of the surface finish or penetrating finish options would be more suited to you by looking at the ups and downs of each hardwood floor finish, and by also considering your household.

As suggested by their name, the surface finish makes use of a water based or an oil based varnish that needs to be applied on the wood, and once dried, this forms a protective layer that keeps the hardwood flooring durable.In case of penetrating finish, the liquid sinks into the wood and makes the wood itself more durable as opposed to creating a protective layer.Nevertheless, both these forms of hardwood floor finish provide different amount of durability due to their different ways of application and have their own pros and cons, which need to be taken into account.

While the surface finish provides good protection, the oil based finish is outlawed in some places because it emits volatile organic compounds.On the other hand, the water based surface finishes provide higher durability and do not have these emissions issues.The other benefit of the water based finish is that the floor can be cleaned just like normal floor and you can easily mop off if there are any liquid spills or other things on the floor, making it an ideal choice for households having more activity from pets or kids.

The penetrating finish makes the floor look more natural, since you walk over actual wood instead of a protective layer, but it does not provide the same durability and strength as the surface finish would provide.Apart from this, the wooden flooring will absorb any spilled liquids and it is difficult to remove stains, which makes this form of hardwood flooring more difficult to maintain.

For specific pros and cons of each of the finishes, and which would suit you more, you should discuss about it with your hardwood floor refinishing Company.To find out a good Company to do your hardwood flooring work, you could check online, with a phrase like Vancouver hardwood floor refinishing, in case you are in Vancouver and then based on the results you can look at the prices and reviews of the various Companies and make your decision.

Apart from this, most of the hardwood floor refinishing Companies also provide a free Customer Report, which provides in-depth information about the various types of finishes they provide and the pros and cons of each of those finishes, and then based on your budget and requirements; you can select a finish that is well suited to you.