Wow. Compare and contrast factory finished vs. site finished.
So...price of the raw wood material ONLY = $X. That is where you start. Then the price of install = $3-$8/sf depending on where you live and the stain/finish you choose. The installer will need to be a mid-range professional with SEVERAL years of sand/refinish experience. The choice of FINISH will dictate the LEVEL of knowledge needed. Do NOT hire someone who ONLY works with oil based urethane to apply Rubio Monocoat....it ain't going to be pretty.
A factory finished floor = $Y...install is roughly $3/sf. Installer can be a low level person with a nail/staple gun with the proper attachments. It doesn't have to be someone with HUGE amounts of training. Just someone with wood working knowledge and who has done it a couple of times before.
Both require acclimation. That is equal. The time needed to install the factory finish is literally the time it takes to nail/staple everything into place and vacuum the home. Could be 1-4 days depending on how BIG or how COMPLICATED your install.
The sand and refinish is going to be "time to nail/staple" + the SANDING + the stain (including decision time for the stain samples offered) + cure times for sealant + finish. This can be 7 - 21 days (or longer).
Without knowing what FINISH you are looking at (oil based, oil modified, water based, urethane, polyurethane, hard wax oil finish, Swedish Finish, etc) we can't tell you the length of time it takes to CURE.
Factory finish is quick and easy. The MATERIALS are more expensive but you save MASSIVE amounts of time. A fantastic $15/sf factory finished solid hardwood could end up cheaper than a site finished solid hardwood of the same species. It all depends on the look you are after.
Whew! That's a can of worms, hey?
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