Prefinished hardwood comes already finished from the factory ready to be installed. Unfinished hardwood needs to be sanded, stained, and finished in the home after installation thereby causing more dust and odours to travel in your home.

Prefinished hardwood can be walked on right after installation. Unfinished hardwood, once installed, requires a waiting period for the stain and finish to dry; therefore it can take up to three times longer to complete the flooring job.

Prefinished hardwood has aluminum oxide hardeners added into the finish to extend their durability, making them ideal for high traffic areas in the home. Hand applied finishes do not contain these hardening agents, thereby making factory finished floors up to three times harder than on-site finishes applied in the home. Therefore, prefinished hardwood floors are also warranted to last longer, typically 15 to 50 years versus 1 to 5 years for on-site finished floors.

Prefinished hardwood is manufactured in a controlled environment preventing the finish from getting foreign particles, hair, dust, etc into the finish. It is more difficult to control this during on-site applications.

Some prefinished hardwood floor manufacturers apply sun guard protection coatings to their floors which helps prevent the floor from yellowing over time. Unfinished floors do not have this feature in their finish.

Prefinished hardwood is more expensive to purchase but the installation is simpler and less costly; whereas unfinished hardwood is cheaper to purchase but is usually more expensive to install because of the added staining and finishing process required.

Prefinished hardwood is offered in many species, grades and colours. Unfinished hardwood is also available in many species and grades; however it has the added advantage of allowing custom colours to be applied to match existing hardwood that is already in the house.

Prefinished hardwood has small bevels around each plank giving dimension to the floor boards once installed. Unfinished hardwood has square edges around each plank creating a uniform and uninterrupted look to the floor which complements the traditional decor and the architectural integrity of historical homes.