Wood is the perfect option in residential flooring. It is beautiful. long-lasting and offers many health and comfort benefits. You can choose flooring that is installed in your home, then sanded stained and finished, or, prefinished, which is ready-to-go from the mill.
A prefinished floor is one on which the stain and finish (a clear protective coating) are applied at the factory. We offer refinished flooring in a vast array of colors and tones- all the variety given to us by Mother Nature, and a rainbow of stains. We carry hundreds of beautiful choices.
ADVANTAGES OF PREFINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORING
There are many choices offered today in prefinished wood flooring. While you do not have the virtually infinite choices that you have in a floor that is custom finished, manufacturers have responded to the need for a floor that can be installed and used in less time, with less mess than traditional flooring. Prefinished flooring installation eliminates most (not all) of the odor, dust and noise factors involved in the job-site finishing process, so if you want to have us install hardwood flooring while you are living in your home, this is a good option. Though your finish and stain choices are more limited than they would be with unfinished wood, there are still hundreds of beautiful products on the market from which you can pick.
THE HIGH QUALITY MATERIALS USED IN OUR PREFINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORING PRODUCTS
We offer lower-VOC adhesives and promote woods from forests that are responsibly managed. The factory/manufacturer applied finishes on these products, especially at the higher end are very tough, and more durable than those applied on the job to unfinished wood. You can choose from a number of types of finishes from an oil penetrating finish which provides a matte finish, natural look, to polyurethanes which coat the wood and are available in matte to high gloss. We can show you samples of all of them, and explain the benefits of each for your own, particular needs.
Many prefinished, and most of the floors that we sell can be sanded at least once. Most distressed floors cannot be sanded to raw wood and refinished, but can be recoated when needed.
We suggest that you purchase 1-2 extra boxes of flooring in case you ever need repairs of small areas in the future due to mishaps such as water intrusion, gouging of the floor or other accidental damage. Manufacturers sometimes discontinue certain floors so it is handy to have some material for possible future needs.
YOUR MANY CHOICES IN PREFINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORING
As members of the National Wood Flooring Association, we have access to the most reliable mills with the best and most beautiful products from all over the world. Through our Association membership, we are kept up-to-date on the latest installation technology so that we can give you a superior, long-lasting floor.
We carry hundreds of samples in our Tampa showroom (open by appointment) so that you can have a prefinished Reclaimed floor, Cork or Bamboo, distressed or handscraped floor, or a wide plank floor, and all in many colors of beautiful woods, with varying grain patterns. And, we can also bring samples to you.
SMOOTH OR DISTRESSED- IN MANY WIDTHS
Wood floors for many years have been available in only a smooth surface. Today, you can get a distressed or handscraped floor that looks like it's 100 years old the day it is installed! You have many choices in distressed or handscraped flooring. This treatment provides an aged, rustic look. Most lines are treated by machine, but, more high-end lines are distressed by hand, with every piece being slightly different, producing a floor that is unique. The most beautiful are custom crafted at the factory to suit particular design needs. With these floors, the customer can specify the style of distressing, the degree of distressing, from light to heavy, style of edge treatments, color of stain and choice of finish, including wax or tung oil. Pegs, both round or square, or ornamental nails, can be inserted for a more hand-crafted appearance.
Wide Plank flooring adds a feeling of timelessness, showcasing the rich color and grain of each board. For best handle our changing climate here in Tampa Bay, we recommend engineered hardwood flooring for a more stable, long-lasting floor.
APPEARANCE OF PREFINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORS
In a traditional floor, after the raw, unfinished wood is laid, we make several passes over it with a sanding machine to fully level all sides of the boards where they join the next rows. We do not have the opportunity to sand a prefinished floor. This is done at the factory before the finish is applied. There are several ways in which manufacturers cut the wood at the factory (mill) to make a final floor appear flat.
Square Edge:
The edges of all boards meet squarely creating a uniform, smooth surface that blends the floor together from board to board. The overall look of this floor gives a contemporary flair and formal feeling to the room. High-end mills offer this option at a higher cost because each board must be cut with great precision. This floor will still not be as flat as a floor that has been sanded on site.
Eased Edge:
Each board is just slightly beveled. Some manufacturers add an eased edge to both the length of the planks as well as the end joints. Eased edges are used to help hide minor irregularities, such as uneven plank heights. Eased edge is also called micro-beveled edge.
Beveled Edge:
These products have a very distinctive groove in them. Beveled edge planks lend themselves to an informal and country decor. For a more rustic appearance, the bevel can be stained dark brown or black. With the urethane finishes applied at the factory today, the beveled edges are sealed completely, making it easy to sweep or vacuum dirt and grit out of the grooves.
If you want to avoid these characteristics of prefinished flooring, we suggest that you choose a traditional, unfinished floor.
We have been installing prefinished flooring for decades. We pride ourselves on our ability to help you choose the best floor for your needs, taking into account your tastes, your architecture and decor, as well as your lifestyle and activity level. We will deliver the most beautiful, long-lasting floor possible, quickly and smoothly.
We have samples of many of these brands in our showroom. Call for an appointment to view them, or fill out our contact form. Of course, we are always happy to bring samples to your home.
Aged Woods Floors - Antique re-milled plank in Heart Pine, distressed Oak and Yellow Pine and several other hardwood and softwood species are the beautiful choices from Aged Woods.
Anderson Flooring - Offers an extremely comprehensive choice of domestic and exotic engineered and solid hardwood floors, running the gamut from moderately priced collections to more costly hand scraped ones. Two of Anderson's lines are true, hand scraped lines made in the USA. The Olde Paint line reproduces the look of old and worn painted floors or furniture.
Antico Cadore Floors - Reclaimed and newly harvested European woods in strip and parquet, with a smooth, hand-planed of wire-brushed surface are the beautiful products of Antico Cadore.
Appalachian Flooring - One of Anderson's main brands and features 9 different lines, each with many species and styles of hardwood flooring. Appalachian offers many hand distressed and wire brushed lines, in both solid and engineered.
Armstrong Floors - Armstrong provides a full array of domestic and exotic engineered hardwood floors including a hand sculpted collection and a commercial line that is acrylic impregnated. Armstrong has incorporated the previous Hartco products brand into its label. Their Global Exotics line adds many woods from around the world.
Baker's Creek Flooring - Reclaimed and newly harvested American woods in engineered plank. All their products are made here in the USA.
Boen Floors - Boen is a European company with a variety of prefinished engineered plank, strip and parquet in domestic and exotic species. Their earth-friendly Ecoline product, is ready-to-lay, with a pre-oiled finish.
Boral Timber Flooring - Boral has imported solid unfinished hardwood flooring in over 20 species and grades for many years. Recently, Boral has introduced a line of engineered prefinished woods.
BR 111 Floors - A very popular brand offering solid and engineered exotic woods in strip, plank and accent strips, in plain, or hand-scraped with nail, glue, or floated installation. BR 111 uses woods from Brazil and focuses on sustainable forestry and has secured FSC Certification for many of its products.
Bruce Flooring - Moderately priced line of primarily domestic woods in solid and engineered strip, plank and parquet for nail, glue, or floated installation.
Cala Floors - Features African Cherry, African Mahogany, Santos Mahogany, Hickory, Jatoba, Maple and Tigerwood in both smooth and hand scraped finishes.
Columbia Flooring - Offers a large variety of prefinished engineered domestic woods, smooth or hand scraped in both select and rustic grades.
DuChateau Floors - A high quality European line of prefinished, engineered domestic woods in hand scraped, wire brushed, or hand cut designs, offering an oil finish. DuChateau is available in widths up to 12" wide and lengths up to 12' long. All DuChateau flooring is manufactured with a thick top hardwood wear layer that can be re-sanded several times. Some are as thick as solid 3/4" hardwood!
Forest Accent Flooring - Features 10 full lines of engineered wood flooring in smooth and hand sculpted prefinished plank, in both domestic and exotic species.
The Garrison Collection Floors - Prefinished plank, hand-scraped in domestic woods and Brazilian Cherry in both solid and engineered.
Hallmark Hardwoods Flooring - Offers a nice variety of domestic species in a prefinished, hand scraped product, including one line with a thicker (4 mm) veneer.
Hartco Floors - Now sold under the Armstrong name
Homerwood Flooring - Homerwood has recently introduced a line of engineered wood floors in Walnut, Cherry,Hickory, as well as Oak. Specializing in cuts that show the natural characteristics of wood, Homerwood produces both unfinished and prefinished lines, including their Amish Hand Scraped material which is made using Old World techniques.
Johnson Premium Hardwood Flooring - Johnson offers a full line of exotic, primarily South American, prefinished hardwoods, including some of the hardest and most unusual woods such as Patagonian Rosewood. Most of these are available both in solid and engineered. Johnson also produces hand scraped flooring in domestic and exotic woods.
Kahrs Flooring - Kahrs is a European company with many species and styles of prefinished engineered plank, strip and parquet in domestic and exotic species that can be floated, nailed or glued. Kahrs offers moderately priced as well as exquisite and unusual floors at the high end.
Lauzon Floors - Famous for its square edged prefinished engineered lines that appear as smooth as a site finished floor, Lauzon produces engineered and solid, prefinished domestic and exotic, strip and plank flooring.
Legend Flooring - An engineered line with smooth and hand sculpted finishes in domestic and exotic plank, including unusual woods from the Caribbean.
LM Flooring - LM offers a wide line of smooth and hand scraped floors in domestic and exotic species.
Mercier Floors - Prefinished solid and engineered wood flooring in domestic and exotic species.
Mirage Flooring - One of the most respected names in engineered flooring, Mirage is a Canadian company offering an extensive line of prefinished solid and engineered wood flooring in domestic and exotic species.
Mohawk Floors - An engineered, prefinished brand which includes domestic and exotic lines with some distressing and hand scraping.
Mountain Lumber Flooring - Reclaimed Antique woods from around the world. For many years they offered only solid unfinished flooring but now offer Entique, a prefinished engineered line in reclaimed Oak, Heart Pine, and Chinese Elm.
Mullican Floors - Solid and engineered strip and plank in a variety of domestic and exotic species. Mullican mills a very full line of woods and is now offering hand sculpted floors as well.
Oshkosh Flooring - Oshkosh makes borders and inlays using dozens of different species and many materials such as stone and metal, that can be used with engineered floors.
Owens Plank Floor - Owens, with its 3/16" wear layer, looks exactly like solid wood flooring and can be glued, nailed or floated. Recently Owens introduced a very high quality prefinished collection.
Patina Old World Flooring - Patina floors are custom created in the factory for each project. They offer many options in styles of distressing, grades of wood, types of bevels and shapes of pegs. All are available up to 10' long and in extremely wide widths.
Pioneer Millworks Floors - Featuring reclaimed hard and soft domestic woods and Jarrah, with the choice of a rustic or more refined appearance, Pioneer has the most extensive species selection of any reclaimed company. They now offer both unfinished and prefinished reclaimed wood flooring with a thick 4.8mm wear layer.
Preverco Flooring - Preverco offers two engineered lines, both prefinished, in many domestic woods as well as some imported species. One line can be installed by nailing, stapling, gluing, or it can be floated and the other one has self-locking joints, for rapid installation. Preverco floors have a very thick wear layer and come in longer lengths than many similar products.
Robbins Floors - A popular brand offering solid and engineered domestic and some exotic woods in strip and plank, in plain, or hand-scraped with nail, glue, or floated installation.
Scandian Flooring - An engineered product available in many South American exotic woods as well as Cherry and Maple.
Shaw Floors - Shaw sells a full line of engineered hardwood flooring through its carpet dealers. It is similar to other common brands such as Bruce and Robbins.
Somerset Flooring - A line primarily of prefinished domestic, with some exotic woods in smooth and scraped, strip and plank.
UA Flooring - Offers five different lines of prefinished engineered wood flooring, including long lengths with a thick wear layer. UA comes in many domestic species including reclaimed, and several imported ones.