There’s just something about hardwood floors. The warmth, the timeless elegance and… the natural glow when oil finished. Are you weighing whether to oil finish or urethane finish your new hardwood floors? Let’s look at the differences.
Oil Finish vs Urethane Finish
Oil finish hardwood floors have a more natural matte appearance over a urethane finish floor. This is due to how the oil penetrates and becomes part of the wood itself, verse polyurethane, which just sits on top of the wood and gives a wax-like appearance. Moreover, synthetic finishes tend to dull out over time, while oil finished floors maintain their beauty year after year with proper maintenance.
Why an Oil Finish Hardwood Floor?
- Preserves and enhances the natural beauty of the hardwood
- Penetrates into the wood
- Develops a richer patina over time
- With proper maintenance, floors do not dull over time and only look richer
- Floor maintenance is easier, less expensive and less time consuming
- Spot repair is easier (you don’t have to strip the entire whole floor in most cases)
- Oil finish minimizes surface scratches
- Over their lifespan, properly maintained oil finish floors never need a complete sanding, just periodic re-application of oil for maintenance
- Preferred oil finish brands such as Provenza do not contain any volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are better for you and the environment
As a Central Indiana hardwood flooring expert, we can’t stress enough that hardwood flooring installation and oil finishing should always be done by an experienced professional.
Over our 15 years in the industry, we’ve been called in late in the game on several jobs where either a homeowner tried to tackle the job themselves or sourced an installer who wasn’t well-versed in the intricacies of hardwood floors.
We’re passionate about flawless craftsman flooring, and it always takes us back a bit when we walk in on a horribly butchered hardwood flooring job. Something so beautiful and timeless should never be treated haphazardly. Laying and finishing a hardwood flooring is an art form. Avoid jobsite hiccups and hurdles, vet your hardwood installer and go with a trusted firm with proven hardwood flooring experience and National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) certified technicians.
Hardwood floors are an investment. With proper subfloor prep, expert installation, floor care and maintenance, your floors will be breathtaking for years to come.
Are you in the Westfield, Carmel, Fishers, Zionsville, Noblesville, Geist or the surrounding Indianapolis, Indiana area? If so, we’d be happy to help with all your hardwood flooring needs. Check out all our hardwood flooring options here.
Need to purchase quality hardwood floor cleaning and maintenance products? We can help there too!
Have questions? Give our team a call at 317-596-1777.
