Hardwoods: prefinished vs. unfinished

IESPITE the advantages

Ll of consistent quality and quick installation offered by prefinished hardwood products, most builders still prefer to finish hardwoods on site, especially with major projects such as flooring, staircases and paneling. Yet there are tradeoffs to both practices.

Manufacturers apply finishes in a controlled environment. They don't have to contend with the effects of o.ther building trades working nearby. No dust, traffic, temperature or humidity to worry about.

As well, prefinishing operations work with lowpressure, high-volume spray guns in spray booths, more easily producing a uniformly good appearance from

Prefinished vs. Site-Finished

Factors

Surface Quality & Appearance

Unilormity

Cost

Jobsite lmpact

Quality Control

Tasks On-Site

Skill Level Required piece to piece. Maintaining consistency throughout an entire installation is much more difficult.

Yet when cutting or mitering expose fresh wood, a factory finish is difficult to match. Touch-ups can be tricky if there's damage done at the jobsite. Matching is easier with a supplier-provided touch-up kit. Most manufacturers can furnish stains and coatings from the same batch used on the materials. with instructions.

A builder often finishes a project in three steps - stain, seal, finish coat - but a manufacturer may go though four, seven, even 13 steps. Additional sanding and extra finish coats add richness and depth.

Prefinished hardwoods may sell for as much as $1.50 per linear foot more than unfinished products. However, although prefinished materials cost more initially, builders can save during installation. Finishing decorative millwork can take three days or more; finishing a hardwood floor to factory standards in the field can tie up ajobsite for five days.

Extensive site preparation and a finishing crew is also needed. Other

Prefinished

Olten considered superior; multi.step process adds durability, visual appeal. Consistent as it comes lrom supplier, but work and touch-up done on-site may match only with difficulty.

Initial material cost usually higher. lnstallation less dependent on other work in progress.

Typically strict. lnslallation.

Touch-up only.

Story at a Glance

Should you sell builders prefinished or unfinished hardwood products?

work may have to be halted that could jeopardize the quality of the finish, prolonging the construction schedule.

Site preparation is simpler with prefinished products and other trades can continue to work. A single carpenter or painter can complete touchup in a day or two.

The application may also influence the finishing decision. Flooring will be subject to minute inspection and must withstand much more wear than millwork or cabinetry. Finishing is typically considered the most troublesome and unpredictable phase of a fl oor installation project.

With cabinetry, a top quality finish is most easily achieved in the cabinet shop. Millwork, on the other hand, requires on-site cutting, fitting and at least touch-up finishing whether the

SiteFiniShed

Depends on site conditions, worker skills, time available.

Consislent finish possible across entire installation; field conditions may adversely affect overall quality.

Lower material cost; labor additional.

Ties up areas of sile lor days; impad of other work may compromise qualityr

High standards may be hard to main. tain in the field.

Installation, repeated finishing steps, repeated drying intervals.

High.

- Ptoti&d by me HaduN C&nd products are prefinished or finished on-site. Ordinarily, some elements will be beyond reach of close inspection after the installation is complete.

Attaining a high quality finish onsite is possible, but it requires planning, time and careful attention to detail. A deep, glossy, prefinished look requires more than the standard three steps. The keys are repeated sanding and multiple finish coats.

For those who elect to finish the hardwood themselves, suggest oilbased stains containing a pigment/dye combination that promotes even coloring. Oil-based stains are especially well suited for large areas because they dry more slowly, providing more time to wipe off excess stain.

As for a finish coat, advise polyurethane for its durability, although it is not recommended for some multi-coat millwork applications. Woodworkers generally prefer conversion varnishes or catalyzed lacquers for such projects because they dry quickly, saving time when multiple coats are required. In larger sections of decorative woodwork, however, they may dry too quickly.

(]OLID wood flooring is more than LJan attractive covering; it adds strength and stability to the floor sys-

Relative Cost of Selected Wood Flooring Species

Wenge

African Padauk

Black Walnut

Teak

Mesquite

Purpleheart

Heart Pine

Douglas Fir

Black Cherry

Riftsawn Red Oak

Santos Mahogany

Jarrah

Hard Maple

Quartersawn Red Oak

Birch

Brazilian Cherry

Australian Cypress

Merbau

Hickory/Pecan

American Beech

Ash

Plainsawn Red Oak

White Oak

Southern Yellow Pine

In addition, knowledge about the properties of wood in general, as well as those of individual wood species, is critical to proper installation. Many different factors, from the nature of the living tree to the way the lumber is sawed, can affect the way the finished floor will look.

"Choosing a species of wood involves more than selecting a color to match the decor," says Ed Korczak, executive director of the National Wood Flooring Association.

Appearance-related attributes such as texture, grain and color; mechanical properties like dimensional stabili ty, durability, machinability and ease in finishing, and finally, availability and cost must all be taken into consideration.

The natural properties of a certain species of wood can affect how it will appear when installed and how it will perform. The relative amounts of heartwood (the older, harder centrd portion of a tree) and sapwood (the softer, younger outer portion) may alter the way it accepts stain and finish, influencing the finished appearance of the floor.

Wood grain and texture are two key factors to be considered. Grain describes the appearance of growth rings as "fine" or "coarse." It also describes the dircction of fiben, as in straight, spiral and curly grain. The direction of the grain of wood can affect the way it is sanded, sawed and finished. Texture refers to the finer structure of the wood, ralher than to the annual rings.

The way a piece of wood is cut also affects its finished appearance. Wood flooring is either plainsawn, quartersawn or riftsawn. Plainsawn is the most common and least expensive cut; it produces the widest boards and results in the least waste. The board contains more variation than the other cuts because figure patterns resulting from the growth rings are more pronounced.

Quartersawing produces relatively narrow boards. More waste is left, therefore quartersawn lumber can be more expensive than plainsawn. Quartersawn wood twists and cups

Story at a Glance

Assist your customers in choosing the right wood species for their flooring ... key considerations: appearance, mechanical properties, availability, cost.

less, and wears more evenly.

Riftsawing is similar to quartersawing, but a slightly different angle. Riftsawing creates more waste than quartersawing, making it generally more expensive.

Mechanical properties of wood are other important concerns in selecting wood flooring. Moisture content plays a large part in how wood behaves, both during the machining and after installation. Most solid wood flooring will contract during periods of low humidity, sometimes leaving noticeable cracks between boards.

Probably the most important strength property for wood used in flooring applications is its side hardness, also known as Janka hardness. Side hardness represents the resistance of wood to wear, denting and marring.

There are many factors that affect the installation of wood flooring. The relative density and grain can make a species either easier or more difficult to work with.

Some woods are highly resinous and may clog sandpaper, in which case a different grade or method should be used.

Some woods may split when nailed or not hold certain types of nails securely. The density or grain of some species may make them difficult to cut or shape.

Some woods, especially imports, contain oil and chemical compounds that may adversely react with certain types of finishes to inhibit drying, dramatically change the color of the wood or both. Certain species do not accept stain as readily or evenly as others, such as hard maple, pine and fir.

And just as each individual wood species is dynamic and prone to change in response to its environment, so too is the market for all wood flooring species. Availability, location and time of year may influence the cost of a particular species.

Users should also have realistic expectations of how the wood will perform. Most wood used for flooring is essentially a by-product of more expensive wood-consuming industries (furniture manufacturing, for example), so it is usually not the highest grade of lumber. This does, however, make it quite economical in comparison.

Finally, if shoppers have further questions, refer them to the National Wood Flooring Association's consumer hotline at (900) 646-WOOD, where wood flooring experts reportedly can answer any question from maintenance and finish to installation and repair. The 90p-per-minute charge goes to pay for the service.

Floor Facts & Fallacies

Fallacy All wood floors require waxing.

95Vo of wood floors installed today do not require waxing.

Wood floors are difficult to maintain.

Due to the advanced finishing technology used today, wood floors require minimal maintenance. The key to care is sweeping and vacuuming when needed.

Wood floors do not belong in kitchens and bathrooms.

Wood floors work beautifully in kitchens, powder rooms and dry baths. Urethane finishes resist water and household stains.