What kind of flooring are you talking about? I can see unfinished tongue and groove wide pine flooring working just fine. live-wire-oak - Why would it have to be installed like flooring is installed? Why does it need a "subfloor" (so to speak)? Couldn't it be nailed to the floor joists or rafters? How is unfinished flooring that different from car siding? If the ply is needed to achieve some effect (like not having the seams all lined up along a joist) wouldn't the same be needed for car siding, anyway? What am I missing? You can buy it and finish it before putting it up. Depending on the size of the ceiling, that wouldn't be all that difficult. (The difficulty, in my mind, comes in when you have to find a place to lay all the boards for staining and sanding.) And because the purpose of a floor is very different from the purpose of a ceiling, you can be a lot less careful than you would be if you were laying floors. I might not even sand it at all. And, it could also be finished in place with a long-handled tool, depending on the finish. I agree, though, after painting just one ceiling in my house, that any ceiling work generally seems hellish. :-)

We did our wide plank pine floors in tung oil and I loved the look and feel, but given our particular circumstances, I'd have to say that overall it was a mistake. On the plus side, the finish was gorgeous for someone like me who does not like a high-gloss look or feel. It was warm, returned light beautifully without any glare and without being able to see where the wood left off and the finish began--which my husband stil laughs at, but I reallly can tell with a lot of high gloss floors. I absolutley loved the way it felt under bare feet. There definitely WAS an odor with application, but I don't think it comapres to polyurathane. Now for the bad news. Neither we nor our installer had any experience with softwood floors or tung oil finish. Neither did any of the other flooring companies we talked to (we lived in LA, and this more historic look just wasn't in vogue at all, although it looked great in our beach house). Add to that the facts that we had an active, 70 pound dog, we had more-than full time jobs and little time for maintenance, and we really did not know how to care for our floor or how to make interim repairs to the finish--well, we really could not have chosen a worse finish for our practical needs. It and the soft wood underneath it scratched easily and deeply, it wore away in high traffic areas very quickly, and changed color pretty dramatically between sun exposed and darker areas (honestly, the last didn't really bother me much--I WANTED it to turn redder over time, and it definitely did, and I had no need to relocate my rugs). The floors looked like they needed a complete overhaul maybe three years after we had them laid. It really was a disaster, and yet I can't feel too sorry--it still felt and looked so warm and organic in all the areas we hadn't trashed! When we sold it, the first thing the stagers did was strip it, sand it, and stain it the much more fashionable espresso color you see in so many LA homes. C'est la vie! So, if you have the right wood, more knowledge, more time and more know-how than we did, I think you could get really beautiful floors with tung oil. If not, I'd go with a harder finish! Best of luck!

Sophie has beaten me to it. The heat/cooling system MUST BE on and running at "ideal living conditions". And that needs to be consistent for several DAYS BEFORE the wood is DELIVERED. Once the wood is DELIVERED to the PERFECTLY CONDITIONED home (ahem....we are missing step 1.), then the wood acclimates to the house conditions for several days to several WEEKS (time is HIGHLY DEPENDENT on the WOOD MOISTURE readings at the time of DELIVERY....sigh). Good, now that the home and the wood are in sync (ie. everything is at living conditions for days and days and days - or even weeks) AND the moisture readings on the wood are PERFECT, you can then install the floors. After installation, the home must REMAIN in the "PERFECT ZONE" for ever and ever amen (pass the ketchup)! No turning off HVAC/AC while away on holidays. As it stands RIGHT NOW....you have to turn on the HVAC and WAIT for days and days and days (or even weeks) before you can install the wood. Ooops. Too late. So "next best option" = finish install ('cause you've already messed up and the warranty is TOTALLY void) and then WAIT. Don't do ANYTHING to these floors. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Niente. Nix. Cover floors with ram board and get that HVAC installed ASAP! Test the wood RIGHT NOW!!! Document what you find. Read the INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS and the WARRANTY instructions while you are waiting for the HVAC guys to show up! Now you turn on HVAC and set it PRECISELY to what is needed (as per wood manufacture's requirements) and then WAIT until the WOOD reaches that point. Good. Now FIX ALL THE PROBLEMS in the floor FIRST (and this could take a while....hopefully you have TREMENDOUS amounts of waste/overage) and THEN start your sand and finish. I'm sorry to say but this floor could be your biggest nightmare come true. With a little luck and a SUPER HIGH END HVAC system that is many THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS MORE than the average HVAC system, you can save your wood. Your situation is all too common. And builders need to be taken to task for allowing the installation in an unconditioned space. Please get the GC to sign a waiver stating that if this floor fails it is HIS/HER fault and he/she MUST TAKE ALL REQUIRED STEPS to remove and replace this floor to your satisfaction...and put a time limit of 5 years on that baby. Just to make sure the builder NEVER does this again! S/He who allowed this to happen MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE for it! And that means a MASSIVE FINANCIAL HIT!

Geoffry_b is on it. Print off the NOMFA grading system. Take them with you when you go shopping. Have them beside you when you look at flooring samples. Notice the amount of variation (or no variation) that appeals to you. Then figure out the "other" things that come with that variation. Like knots. And allowable LENGTHS of boards that fit into that criteria. Here's an example: I'm someone who LOVES variation. It is referred to as 'movement'. Hickory is HIGHLY variable - especially in the "Select" grade (one step lower than "Clear". I also LOVE the look of "short ends" hardwood. The "short ends" refer to the average length of the plank....which vary from 18" (1.5ft) to 48" (4ft). Those are VERY short. That is one step DOWN (cheaper) than "Select". I also KNOW that "short ends" white oak has PLENTY of movement....just like hickory. The lower grade, short cut white oak planks have LOTS of variation and are SUPER cheap. That means I can "trade in" my pricier love of Hickory if I simply switch to the lower grade, lower priced, shorter planked white oak. So....My flooring choice (even without budget constraints) would work out to be: Select Grade White Oak in "short ends". I get EVERYTHING I want...in the LOOK that I want (and I know I will pay more for install because "shorts" are a pain in the A$$ to install - no one likes them). Now...on to your situation. Take your instructions for "grading" along with you and have them ENTERED INTO your CONTRACT. Your contract for your order/installation will include the words, "Grading of wood product will follow NOMFA Grading parameters set out in copy 'X' below". Then you list the grade you want as listed in the NOMFA criteria that most closely matches your esthetics. Excellent. Now pay the price for your selection and be secure in the knowledge you have done everything you can to ensure you will get the "floor you ordered" with the criteria you have accepted as "Nice".