Unfinished. I have hardwood in entire house including kitchen (not bathrooms) with children and dog and had it refinished once

Hmm. I always thought site finished was easier to fix damage and, once finished, less off gassing, etc. But I’m not an expert, just someone who dislikes the look of prefinished.

Lived with both. Did not like grooves, that collected dust, in prefinished. Much happier with the site finished.

The quality of unfinished floors depend on the skill of the finishers. The prefinished floors have a harder, more durable surface because it is factory applied. You can get prefinished floors that fit together closely and are just as smooth as unfinished floors.

Another vote for site finished. I have helped on a few prefinished installs and I just don't like the quality of the product I have worked with. If you have the budget for a higher end product, perhaps the better quality products will have a better finished look but at the lower half of the market, site finishing allows you to more closely control the final product

Another vote for site finished. Today there are many wated-based finishes that dry quickly, have little odor and good durability. My installer used Bona and I am very happy. Plus, site-finished is easier to repair in my opinion.

I looked at samples of engineered and prefinished hardwood at a store today. Sadly, all hardwood looked outdated- narrow planks, yellow tone finish. Many modern options for engineered.

If site finished - I understand that I can choose the width of the planks and more options for the finish? Hoping for a modern look like in photos. Is this a possibility and easy to obtain with site finished?

I am not sure where you are looking but factory finished floors come in a huge variety of widths; wood species and finishes. I just installed Mirage Floors which are engineered since I did not want to deal with having floors finished - once was enough for me.

As others have stated, the advantage of factory finished floors (beyond the logistics in terms of it being easier to have installed) is that the finish is more durable and you know exactly what the result will be.

I am not specifically recommending Mirage Floors but if you check out their website, your idea that there are only yellow narrow plank floors is not based on the reality of what is available. Other brands would have even more choices as Mirage is a "middle range" flooring company so doesn't stock some of the really exotic expensive woods that are available with a factory finish.

Mirage Floors

I believe the store I visited sold mostly engineered. Even the new construction, higher end homes in our area use engineered.

It’s good to know there are many options for hardwood/prefinished, but I would definitely like to feel it and physically look at it rather than online.

I've never had engineered hardwood floors but one worry might be matching them if you ever need to repair or replace a section. My current house has 91 year old site-finished oak floors that are still going strong. A prior owner damaged the flooring in the entryway, and a skilled floor guy was able to perfectly blend replacement boards into the old. I'm not sure if you can do that with pre-finished and engineered flooring. Anyone know?

You have the opportunity to have site finished white oak floors...that’s what I suggest.

We put white oak, site installed, throughout the home we gutted, 4 years ago. I was on oxygen at the time, and couldn’t be around dust and fumes. We stayed at a hotel for three or four days (can’t recall exactly), while the work was done. Returned home to beautifully finished floors. Love the stain color, and the floor is so easy to clean...even in the kitchen.

Site finished floors are are generally preferred, as they can be sanded and refinished many more times than prefinished. Also, the finish on site installed is tougher, if the floor is properly polyurethaned. Three coats of matte polyurethane were applied to our floors.

We didn’t care for any of the straight stains, so our contractor customized colors for us by mixing stains, and putting them on samples of the white oak. He then told the floor guy what we chose...a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of Great American and Natural. Here they are:

We currently have prefinished solid hickory, and in our new build we’ll have site finished solid white oak. The prefinished finish is very durable with a big caveat. While our floors don’t have big or deep scratches, superficial scratches show as white lines, and we’ve been told this wear is incredibly hard to get rid of, as ironically the finish is too hard to buff things out the way they might with a site finished. That’s why for our new build we’re going with a (theoretically, at least) less hard finish but one that is more repairable and refinishable.

I have site-finished oak floors in my house, the original ones are 71 years old. We had a 2nd fly pipe burst so some had to be replaced 19 years ago. They were able to match pretty well- wood available in the 1940’s had a tighter grain.

I prefer high high gloss poly on my floors - so easy to dust. I would have nothing else. They are truly forever.

We had about 1000 sq. feet to install in some large, open rooms. My installer recommended that I go with a slightly wider plank and I am so glad I listened. In such spaces the narrow planks would look busier. It only cost me about $500 more.

Yes to going with site-finished. Matt finish shows less scratches.

WE have done the factory finished in both DD's co-ops. It looks fabulous after many years. One DD fosters dogs as a hobby. (talk about wear and tear)

I think it depends on where you shop for it.

We have to do luxury vinyl is or Florida home. DH so wanted wood, but our moisture levels were way too high. We are going with a Coretec and it is so much cheaper than wood. it is bullet proof and can be dried out should your house flood. What they are doing now with this type of floor is amazing.

Yes to the wider planks.

Prefinished floor will have the finish cured at the factory so they wont have to off gas in your home like a site finished floor would. If you do want to go with site finished use a product like Bona Naturale' thats GREENGUARD certified. Let me know if you have any wood flooring questions. I do consultations every day. joel@oakandbroad.com