At dave s we have 40 years of installing hardwood flooring and generally we have noticed this decision comes down to these main factors.
Installing unfinished wood flooring without sanding.
Sanding levels the edges of the floorboards which can vary from one another by as much as 1 4 inch.
Not sanding a freshly laid hardwood floor and finishing it as is makes the installation less messy and time consuming but it would be a mistake.
But once you factor in finishing costs prefinished ends up.
With unfinished you have the ability to refinish easily as well as enjoy the natural imperfections of the wood and with prefinished you appreciate the convenience of being able to choose a perfectly.
In the past if you wanted to install your own solid wood flooring you also had to take on the task of sanding and finishing it.
It is one of the most abundant.
Prefinished solid wood floors initially cost more than unfinished wood flooring about 2 per square foot for a good grade of red oak.
How to install unfinished oak hardwood flooring.
Despite the ever increasing selection of hardwood flooring materials available oak continues to be the standard.