how can i tell between a sealed hardwood floor and unsealed hardwood floor

Sealed means the wood has been treated with a waterproofing/protective compound. Like varnishing.

It doesn't mean the gaps have been filled with sawdust + glue.

:)
 
Oh, and in answer to your question, take a teaspoon of water into a corner and make a small puddle. Let it sit for a minute and then wipe it up. If it leaves a wet stain then it is Not treated (and will dry up shortly). If it's treated the water will wipe right up leaving nothing behind.

Note that some untreated hardwoods won't work with this test. They're called hardwoods for a reason. :D
 
the vast majority of wooden floors are finished/sealed. you need a special type of wood to leave a floor unfinished
 
aScotiA said:
the vast majority of wooden floors are finished/sealed. you need a special type of wood to leave a floor unfinished
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Pre or post installation? Not arguing, just curious.

Back when I was a teenager I did a bit of tongue-n-groove (aaaaOOOOOOga!) :brows: It was all untreated wood until we got done with it. It was usually sealed at the customers request.

I have no idea what the flooring industry is like these days. :)
 
i'm pretty sure when they seal a floor it is not only for protection but also to put a layer between the cracks so liquids don't find their way down into the wood/ under the wood.
 
You are correct, but actually that's a different process with a different name (I can't f'ing remember).

We did it by laying the floor then using an industrial floor buffer with a large 3M pad to smooth it out. This generated fine sawdust that we collected and mixed with (I can't f'ing remember). This was troweled into the cracks and allowed to set. Then it'd get buffed a final time, cleaned thoroughly and then sealed.

If done right your waterbed could burst and the neighbor downstairs would never know. :bigthumb:
 
I just had my floors done. They can do 1 of 2 things:

1) buy prefinished wood - the planks come with a number of layers of varnish already, so they just need to be installed. This is more expensive wood, but less expensive to install.

2) buy unfinished wood - doesn't matter the type - maple, oak, walnut, etc. can all be purchased either finished or unfinished.

If you have the installer put down unfinished wood and do the finishing himself, you will end up with dust everywhere but you will have no tiny "mill gaps" between the boards because they get sanded away. If you have the guy install prefinshed wood, there is no sanding, thus no sawdust, but you will have very tiny angled grooves between each plank - not a huge deal, but makes for a good dust collecter.

I can't imagine any circumstance where you'd want to install unfinished wood, and leave it that way. Either install prefinished, or install unfinished wood and sand / finish it.
 
or you could do engineered or laminate, but I assume we're talking straight up wood floors here.
 
how do you tell the difference between a sealed wooden club and an unsealed one?

Spoiler
 
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