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Factory Pre-Finished Flooring

With site-finished flooring your floor will be totally flat. But with most factory, pre-finished flooring you'll have what's called "bevels" or "micro-bevels" on the edges of each board on all sides. This is the way MANY brands of pre-finished flooring are manufactured. These bevels are milled onto the 4 edges of each board to compensate for inconsistencies in the height differences from one board to the next.The bevel on the board breaks the edge of each board to compensate for a lack of perfect match. In other words, when boards are installed beside one another there is a v-groove created from the two bevels that will hide height differences in each board that neither the eye nor the foot can see or feel. With a Custom, Site-Finished Floor, we sand and flatten/smooth the wood before applying our finishes. But since pre-finished flooring is already finished BEFORE installation, there's no fixing a height difference EXCEPT through the use of bevels or micro-bevels. However, because of this slight height difference with most brands of pre-finished flooring, there will be definite wear in the finish showing in these areas.

Some customers like the contemporary look of pre-finished flooring with this v-groove. Other customers just consider it to be a "dirt catcher". Dirt does seem to cake-up and harden over time in these v-grooves.

Pre-finished flooring has water-based polyurethane sprayed on it at the factory where it's put through hot driers. Sometimes this polyurethane is called "aluminum oxide" finish. These are merely minute particles of aluminum oxide suspended in the finish when being sprayed on. (Aluminum Oxide finishes are available for Site-Finished Flooring, too) But there's NEVER the millage or thickness of finish that you get with a Site-Finished Floor.

These finishes used on Pre-Finished Floors will give a nice, clear appearance similar to a clear lacquer. They generally will not change appearance over time therefore staying clear-looking. And all polyurethanes are "film building" which means they lay on the surface of the wood only and never truly penetrate into the wood. Compare this to the Site-Finished Floor where the finish will become deeper, richer, and warmer as the penetrating finishes used by Delta Plus penetrate into the wood. (see Custom Site-Finished Flooring) PRE-FINISHED FLOORING WILL ONLY LOOK AS GOOD AS THE DAY YOU INSTALL IT.

Many people are swayed toward Factory Pre-Finished Flooring because of the warranties given. Delta Plus will give the same warranties according to the same industry standards. Regardless of the warranties, there will be a time when your pre-finished flooring will need attention. But, by the nature of the finish, it takes an extremely well-trained professional to be able to either refinish the flooring or give it a facelift with a fresh coat of finish over the old.

CAUTION; If you've purchased an engineered flooring, many of them have such a thin wear-layer of veneer on top that they CAN'T be refinished or repaired. Call Delta Plus before ever purchasing a floor.