How to Distinguish Different Types of Hardwood Finishes

Whether it has been a while since you refreshed your hardwoods or you are going in and installing brand new floors, buying hardwood floor finishes may seem like a no-brainer. You just saw an advertisement for a sale down at your local home improvement store and were planning to simply go there. While it may be easier on your budget to get them on clearance at a big box store like that, there may be quality considerations worth taking before you go in.

To start with, it’s unusual to find contractors and tradespeople buying hardwood floor finishes at big box stores, despite their great sales and low prices. Tradespeople work with finishes and floors all the time – they will be more familiar with pricing structures across the board of options, and they will be well-acquainted with the quality levels of each floor product. Homeowners would do well to be wary of buying home products anywhere that they can’t find home professionals – as experts, home professionals know where to shop to get the best quality product for a fair price.

On one hand, should you decide to follow the lowest prices, you might end up with a decent quality finish that lasts for a little while. But oftentimes, when you sacrifice quality for low prices, you pay for it sooner rather than later. Down the road, you may find that your finish is wearing out prematurely or scratching too easily – even sooner than that, you may find that fewer coats of finish are inadequate for the task. When you run into these sorts of situations, the answer is usually buying more finish, and the cheaper option may end up becoming more expensive than it originally appeared.

In short, getting quality commercial hardwood floor finishes the first time around may be the better option. With a larger investment up front, you may end up saving money later.