Site-Finished vs. Pre-Finished Hardwood Floors – What I Chose For Our New Build

Flooring is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when you’re building or renovating, at least I think so. There’s a lot to consider. With our new build, I knew right from the start that I wanted hardwood floors throughout the first and second floor. Years of experience with carpeted bedrooms is what drove that decision. We’re not only a dog family; we’re a two dog family. And so functionality was definitely a driving factor, but of course, I also wanted something beautiful. The decision came down to site-finished or pre-finished hardwood. And almost two years living in our new home, I’m still happy with my decision to go with site-finished white oak.

Site-Finished Hardwood:

• is sanded, stained and finished after it is installed
• has a smooth finish with no grooves between boards
• offers a huge variety of finish options
• can be spot repaired by taping off boards and sanding individual boards
• can be buffed and recoated
• can be completely refinished multiple times

Pre-Finished Hardwood:

• is sanded, stained and coated with polyurethane in a factory
• has a beveled edge along each side of the board because each board has been finished individually, so there will be grooves between boards
• is typically more scratch-resistant because of the factory finish
• usually can’t be spot repaired, rather entire boards would need to be replaced
• can only be refinished once, possibly twice

With regard to cost, pre-finished solid wood floors initially cost more than unfinished wood flooring, but once you factor in finishing costs the price gap closes. In many cases pre-finished floors can end up being less expensive overall. But that really depends on finishing options and labor costs, which vary. All in all, unless you’re doing the install yourself, the cost variance is usually fairly minimal.

So choosing between the two options really comes down to personal preference. There’s no right or wrong. One isn’t better than the other. Which can make the decision even tougher.

What I Chose: Site-Finished White Oak

I opted for site-finished 5 inch white oak with a clear satin finish. I didn’t have our floors stained and instead chose to seal the unfinished wood with a clear protective finish in a low sheen. The floors look matte, but they do have a very subtle sheen. And I really love how warm and organic they look! The light color is very forgiving which is so appreciated with teenagers and dogs. And the wider planks feel more casual which suits the overall style of the house.

Why I Chose Site-Finished Hardwood

After looking at tons of options, I chose to go with a site-finished hardwood floor because I personally think that the smooth, un-grooved look feels more classic and traditional. From the start my goal was to give this new house an old soul, and site-finished hardwood felt like the right call.

It was also super important to me, because we’ve always been a two dog family and we plan for this to be our forever home, that we have the option of refinishing the floors if necessary in the future. And site-finished wood is generally easier to refinish. While pre-finished hardwood tends to be more scratch resistant, it isn’t scratch-proof. So having a refinishing option felt like a better fit for our lifestyle.

Last, and this was another huge reason I opted for site-finished floors, I wanted the final look to be more of a game time decision rather than something I had to commit to before paint went on the walls. When you’re building, flooring is one of the first things you select. Typically even before the house is framed or just after framing. Committing to a finish before seeing exactly how each space would receive natural light and before the walls were painted, felt too risky to me. Opting for site-finished floors, meant that I didn’t have to make a decision regarding stain or finish until after almost everything else in the house was already done. It meant I could test different stains and different finishes. And considering that I wanted hardwood throughout the entire house, that felt much more reassuring to me.

I get asked about a stair runner quite a bit, and I think this is another function over form decision. At least for me it is. I love the look of a stair runner, but so long as I have pets, I’ll leave the wood stairs as is. I appreciate the low-maintenance more than I’d enjoy the look of a stair runner.

I hope this post is helpful if you’re trying to decide between site-finished or pre-finished hardwood!