They are two of the most common questions asked when it comes to wood flooring – what is the difference between prefinished and site finished wood floors, and which is better?  The first question is rather easy to answer.

Prefinished floors are delivered to the jobsite already coated, many times, at the factory.   Job finished floors are installed sanded and finished on site.  Some of the advantages to prefinished wood floors include –

• Ease of installation – Once the wood is installed, you’re done.  Site finished flooring must be installed, sanded, and then finished which can take up to 10-days.
• Prefinished usually costs less than site finished.
• Because of multiple factory finish coats, prefinished floors are very durable.
• The finish is under warranty by the factory.
• Unlike finishing the floors on site, there is minimal mess and smell.

What are some of the disadvantages to installing prefinished floors?

• Beveled edges show on most prefinished wood floors and dirt can get trapped.    Edges are sanded smooth and seamless on site finished floors.
• Prefinished floors will conform to the subfloor, so if there are high and/or low areas, you’ll see it in the wood.  Site finished floors are sanded flat.
• When refinishing floors, you typically have to remove more wood on prefinished floors, shortening the lift of the wood.

Now you see why it’s more difficult to answer the question – which is better, prefinished or site finished hardwood floors.  You be the judge.  Whatever your decision, wood floors are beautiful and a great choice for any new home.  There are many choices when it comes to wood flooring.  Buying wood floors made of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood guarantees the lumber is taken from forests which are properly managed.

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In order to provide you, our clients and friends, with content you find interesting in the best way possible we are launching a quarterly newsletter filled with photos, advice, inspiration, and information from Hibbs Homes. Signing up is simple, just head over to the box on the right hand side of the page and provide your email address and we will send the first issue of our newsletter directly to your inbox later this fall. It just takes a second, and we aim to make a newsletter that is engaging and valuable for you! Thanks for all of your support.

Recycling in St. Louis has never been easier- the City of St. Louis has 26 locations where residents can drop of their recyclables, and St. Louis County has 26 locations with four full service, refuse facilities. St. Louis City is currently piloting a curbside program, and St. Louis County now requires that all municipalities incorporate curbside programs into their residential waste programs.

As recycling becomes is simplified it is becoming a part of routine waste disposal for many households, but a lot of residents still have questions about what can be recycled and where their recyclables end up. To help answer these questions, here is a guide to Recycling in St. Louis:

• What Can Be Recycled: Most items around the house can be recycled in some way, in fact almost 70% of the average person’s trash can be recycled. However, you do have to pay attention to what makes it into the bin to ensure it can be made new again.
  • St. Louis City- The city’s recycling facilities accept most standard items for recycling, but they do have some specifics that residents must pay attention to when dropping off their items. They accept
    • Aluminum
    • Aseptic Packaging from goods like soymilk, broth, etc.
    • Gable top containers from cartons on milk and juice
    • Glass bottles and jars
    • Steel bottles and cans
    • Catalogues and magazines
    • Junk mail
    • Newspaper
    • Corrugated cardboard, carrier board, chipboard, and paperboard
    • Do not include: food contaminated items, ceramics, dishes, drinking glasses, lightbulbs, mirrors, Pyrex, windows, blue glass products, containers that held hazardous materials, diapers, frozen food bags, plastic bags, styrofoam, books, postcards, thick magazines/catalogues, coated or lined boxes, bags with handles, and non-paper shopping bags. You can find a list of acceptable and not-acceptable materials for recycling on St. Louis City’s website.
  • St. Louis County - Each recycling program has it’s own specific set of guidelines for what can be picked up, but at a minimum the county expects all cities to offer recycling for
    • paper products and cardboard (anything that tears)
    • glass food and beverage containers
    • aluminum/steel/tin cans
    • all plastics marked with a recycling symbol except those marked with a #6.
    • Do not include: items that are soiled with food or drink (so make sure you rinse everything before pitching it), heavily soiled cardboard, lightbulbs, mirrors, windows, ceramics, dishes, and drinking glasses, paint cans, scrap metal, plastic toys, pipes, and containers that once held hazardous materials.
• Drop Off Locations: Single-stream, curbside recycling service is growing in St. Louis County, and St. Louis City has many locations that accept recycled goods. Here is where you can find recycling locations in both the city and the county:
  • St. Louis City- Residents can drop off their recycling at many of the firehouses, public school facilities, and public libraries. There are also a variety of drop off points located roadside on many side streets. You can download a list of St. Louis City recycling facilities to find the collection point closest to your home.
  • St. Louis County- If your municipality hasn’t implemented a curbside program yet, or if there is an abundance of recyclables that you would like to drop off, there are four full-service locations throughout the county:
    • Kirkwood has a 24 hour recycling center located at 350 S Taylor Ave that accepts most materials and additionally cellphones and textiles
    • Shrewsbury has a recycling center at 7309 Melbourne Ave that accepts most materials and cellphones
    • Florrisant has a facility on St Ferdinand Park Dr. that accepts most standard recyclables and books less than 1.5 inches thick
    • University City accepts most standard recyclable items and additionally textiles at their location at 975 Pennsylvania Ave.
    • You can download a list of  recyclingfacilities in St. Louis County and the specific items they accept to find additional locations that accept non-standard materials such as metals and batteries.
• What Does It Become? Many manufacturers are using post-consumer materials in the goods. Curious about what the future of your recycled goods holds? St. Louis’s recycling makes it’s way all over the country to be made new again. Here is a glimpse at where your trash is headed from St. Louis City’s Recycling webpage:
  • Aluminum Cans- Kentucky and Tennessee to be made into new aluminum cans
  • Cardboard – Oklahoma, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Iowa, Mexico and China to be made into medium board
  • Brown, clear, and green glass – Pevely, Missouri to be made into bottles for Anheuser-Busch products
  • Junk Mail- Ohio and Oklahoma to be made into tissue paper
  • Magazines – Arizona to be made into newspapers
  • Mixed Office Paper- Arizona, Kentucky, and Mexico to be made into newspaper and boxes
  • Newspaper- East St. Louis to be made into insulation, mills throughout the US to be made into newspaper, Ohio to be made into paperboard
  • Paper and chipboard- Joplin, MO to be made into roofing materials, Ohio to be made into new paperboard
  • Plastic Containers – Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and Iowa to be made into clothing, carpeting, new containers, lumber, drain pipes, and trash bags
  • Cans – Illinois and Indiana to be made into car parts, appliances, and various other items.

Recycling continues to become a much easier solution for St. Louis when we can’t reduce and reuse, and new materials are always being added to the city and municipal’s acceptable list. You can stay up to date on your local recycling program by subscribing to your city’s newsletters, and checking out their sanitation department websites. St. Louis County produces a quarterly, paperless recycling newsletter that you can subscribe to via their website, and St. Louis City has a Twitter account for their recycling program to keep residents updated.