Unfinished wood flooring

Definition: Hardwoods that have only been cut to shape in boards. There has been no sanding done, stain applied, or seal applied.

Newly purchased unfinished wood flooring requires extra care. Unfinished wood flooring should be kept away from moisture to avoid swelling. It should not be exposed to rainy or snowy weather even in just the short amount of time when loading or unloading. In addition to storing unfinished wood flooring in a dry place prior to installation, the materials need to be in the home for at least 2 days so that the boards can adjust to the new location.

Unfinished wood flooring is a great option for new home construction. It is usually best to have unfinished wood flooring professionally installed because of the extra work required when compared to pre-finished wood floors.

Once installed, unfinished wood flooring is then sanded, stained, and sealed. These steps take some skill, especially sanding. If you do not know how to use a sanding machine properly, you can gouge the unfinished hardwood flooring and damage the wood. Waiting until after the complete floor is down to do this process allows the finish to look more uniform and be more moisture resistant compared to boards that are individually finished prior to being nailed down.

Unfinished engineered wood flooring comes in different qualities. Generally, the higher quality boards are more expensive. Here are some of the common grades of unfinished wood flooring:

Clear. This grade is the highest quality. It is generally comes in longer pieces, has very few knots or blemishes, and is the most uniform in color.

Select and Better. Comes in longer pieces as well, has very few knots or blemishes, and is very uniform in color.

#1 Common. These boards are shorter on average and light and dark in color. These unfinished wood flooring pieces have some visible natural characteristics including some knots and pinholes.

#2 Common. Boards are shorter and light and dark in color. More natural characteristics are noticeable including larger knots and checks.

Short. Extremely short board that are light and dark. A lot of natural character with very visible knots and pinholes.