Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - pre-finished vs unfinished

I think I've decided against having 3/8" engineered wood installed. Now I'm trying to decide between pre-finished and un-finished hardwoods. I need some opinions. How good are the pre-finished 3/4" hardwoods? Do they look as good as unfinished with sanding and 3 coats of finish? Are the grooves a big problem? HELP!

It really is entirely up to what you want to do. Prefinished is very good in that a lot of times the finish will come with a decent waranty and obviously saves the trouble of having to finish it yourself. Unfinished is good in that it will be cheeper if YOU sand and finish it. As for the grooves I wouldn't worry about that at all. Everything is tounge and groove and has a nice snug fit if done correctly. I am not sure where you live but here in the northeast I don't recommend installing untill the later fall time because of the humidity factor. Wood shrinks a bit when it is cooler or less humid so if it is layed down in the fall it will be "shrunk". People who lay a floor down in the summertime are usually dissapointed in the winter/fall because larger than average grooves show up between boards.

Thanks for the reply. Since I'm not doing this myself, its actually cheaper installing the pre-finished. A lot less labor involved. I know if you sand and finish AFTER installation, its one smooth surface as opposed to individual boards. I guess that's what I'm asking about. I live in NC so we know the meaning of humidity. The installer said he would wait 10 days between installation and sanding/finishing so it can adjust to conditions.

"The installer said he would wait 10 days between installation and sanding/finishing so it can adjust to conditions."

Nice to always hear of the more preferred or suggested methods of doing things. Sounds like you have a knowledgeable professional Dew:)

So, what about pre-finished, Hardwood Guy? How good are they, and how good do they look in a few years. I have cats and I really don't want to have to board all of them for a week. That's my concern.

Oh heck, I thought you were set on site finished. By all means go with the prefinished. You can't get a better warranty and finish with prefinished products thesedays. However it does depend on the manufacturer.

Have you looked at our manufacturer ratings? Not all offer solid 3/4" products.

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwoodinstaller/manu.htm

Thanks, that really sets my mind at ease. And thanks for the link. Our estimate is for 3/4" x 2-1/4" but it doesn't mention the manufacturer. I'll be sure to ask. A lot of people said that site finished was the only way to go because of the smooth finish. Just wanted a professional opinion of someone who was NOT competing for my business. Thanks again.

I agree with hardwood guy. It is hard to beat the quality of a good quality prefinished floor nowadays. Seriously do not think twice about the whole groove thing. It really is so un-noticeable that I think it is a non-factor. I just went to my friends house whom I work with laying down and refinishing floors. He has been doing this for twenty years and he put down some pre-finished floors in his living room that look amazing. I actually liked the texture that the wood had betwwen each other. He put in some unfinished wood in his bedroom and finished it himself. It looked equally wonderful. The key to this little rant is the word "equally". If done right, and it sounds like you have someone who knows what they are doing, they will both look fantastic. Plus with the prefinished you get a great waranty. I have seen some prefinish that comes with a 25 year waranty!! How can you beat that?!? Best of luck to you.

Thanks to everyone who helped me make informed decisions. My floors were finished Saturday. I went with pre-finished and they look wonderful. This site was a huge help, from painting my panelling first, to choosing the flooring.