Prefinished vs. Unfinished Wood

When deciding to install a wood floor in your home, many things need to be taken into consideration. The first is, of course, your budget. Second should be if you want to tackle this project yourself (and perhaps save a bit of money) or hire a professional. Lastly, you need to decide if you want the wood prefinished or unfinished. ‘What’s the real difference?’ you ask yourself. Below is a description of each type of flooring along with a list of pros and cons to both prefinished and unfinished hardwood floors.
Prefinished flooring is a product that has been manufactured to be ready for installation with no further set-up required. The floor has been engineered with pieces of wood glued and pressed together then cut into strips. The sanding, varnishing, staining and coating has all been done before it is shipped to the retailer. Simply open and install.
Unfinished hardwood flooring is quite different. Usually, this is a solid piece of wood (such as plank flooring) that has not been glued or pressed together, hence the name “solid”. This strip of wood is in its natural state; no stains, varnish or coatings have been applied. This will all be done “on-site” which is another term for “inside your home”. Unfinished flooring is also available in grades (which the pre finished is not) allowing your more freedom to select the clarity of your wood floor and the appearance.
List of Pros and Cons:
| Prefinished | Unfinished |
| Easy/quick installation | Installation time 1-2 weeks |
| No sanding or varnishing | On site sanding & varnishing |
| Less expensive | More expensive |
| Engineered style (pressed wood) | Solid wood strips |
| Visible bumps from subfloor | No visible bumps |
| Beveled edging | Perfectly smooth “tabletop” |
| Difficulty fixing repairs (unable to sand down) | Easy to fix repairs (sanding) |
| Limited flooring choices | Unlimited options |
There are several more pros and cons to each type of hardwood floor, these are the most important.
When determining your budget, the prefinished flooring is the best immediate choice due to the quick installation, the ability to utilize your floor as soon as it’s installed and the lower cost. However, depending on your situation, whether you plan to live on this floor for the next 20 years or move, the repairs on a prefinished floor are more costly than an unfinished floor. Prefinished can’t be sanded down and stained to match the color perfectly, where the unfinished floor is one solid piece that can easily be sanded down a few layers and stained to make the flaw disappear completely. Short term savings with prefinished do not factor long term maintenance costs.
Hiring a professional to install either unfinished or prefinished floors will be costly, yet unfinished flooring requires more steps and commands several days to complete. The labor costs for unfinished flooring will be significantly higher.
These are a few things you must consider when deciding on a hardwood floor. Only you know what type of lifestyle you have and which floor will work best for your particular situation. What works well for others may not apply to you. As with any big project, do your homework and list your own pros and cons. After that, your decision will be an easier one.
For hardwood flooring go to:
True Hardwoods
516 West Belmont Drive
Calhoun, Georgia 30701
(877) 657-4400










Before the white settlers arrived, two groups of Indian tribes lived in the region that is now 

