Unfinished engineered hardwood offers a unique approach to flooring. For people who crave complete control over the final look of their floors, it provides a blank slate for customization. Due to its versatility, engineered flooring has gained a strong foothold in the hardwood floor industry. As the name implies, unfinished flooring doesn’t have a final layer of finish, so once installed, it needs to be sanded and finished, similar to natural hardwood flooring. In a few circumstances, unfinished engineered flooring is more desirable than prefinished.
More Customizable Options
If engineered flooring is the best choice and you are headstrong about a particular color choice, you may have to go with unfinished. Unfinished engineered floors can be sanded and finished, similar to unfinished solid wood floors. You can stain and finish or apply a finish for a natural look on a special species. The ability to select unique colors with unfinished engineered flooring is very appealing to homeowners.
Wider Variety of Wood Species
Along with the color options, unfinished engineered flooring comes in a wider variety of wood species. This is great if you have a client who wants to match their kitchen’s custom-stained White Oak floors with the matching-color floors in their basement. In this scenario, solid wood is not rated for below-grade installation.
Engineered floors are ideally suited for below-grade installation, but you’ll struggle to find that custom color in a prefinished engineered floor.
Selecting unfinished engineered flooring can also be a matter of species preference. While most prefinished products are based on plain-sawn oak, if a client wants another species of wood, the best option might be unfinished engineered flooring.
Benefits of Unfinished Engineered Hardwood Flooring
There are many benefits of unfinished floors, including the following:
- Unfinished engineered flooring retains the rough, natural grain of the hardwood layer on top.
- Since they are finished on-site, you have more customization options when it comes to sanding, coating, and finishing unfinished engineered hardwood flooring.
- Can have a beautiful furniture quality finish
Cons of Unfinished Engineered Hardwood Flooring
Some drawbacks include:
- Unfinished engineered hardwood flooring requires more time and effort to install. It needs to be sanded, treated, and coated.
- Achieving a flawless finish requires skill or professional help.
- Finishing materials and labor can increase the budget and add additional costs.
Indiana Floor, Inc.: Your One-Stop Shop for Quality Flooring Products
Since 1993, Indiana Floor has been the leading choice of contractor supply to the hardwood flooring trades. We offer a vast inventory of finished, unfinished, engineered flooring, sundries, and tools to meet customers’ needs. With 5 locations in the MD and VA areas, we are dedicated to providing quality flooring products to our clients. Contact us today at (703) 550-0020 or fill out the contact form on our website!