Types of hardwood floors and finishes

• Standard unfinished hardwood. This is the most common and often the least expensive option available. It is easy to work with and repair, and if maintained properly, it will last forever. Once installed, this wood will need to be sanded and stained or coated with a urethane sealer.
• Pre-finished wood. Unlike standard unfinished hardwood, pre-finished floors arrive to your home already stained and sanded. Once they are installed, they require no additional work. Because of this, there is no mess or dust from sanding and coating with urethanes. These wood floors are often an engineered floor, which means that they are not solid wood.
• Laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is designed to recreate the look of hardwood flooring, often at a reduced price. Most people could not tell the difference in the appearance between hardwood and laminate flooring. Laminate is designed to be very resilient and durable.

• Oak – Oak is a common wood for flooring that has been used for many years. It has strong and highly visible grain. Red oak, which is indeed reddish in color, is a dense wood that resists wear very well. White oak, though, is even more durable and hard than red oak. White oak is brown in color and can look grayish.  

• Maple – Maple is a light-colored wood with fewer variations in the grain.
• Pine – Pine is a soft wood that creates a more informal or rustic look.
• Cherry – Cherry ranges in color from light red to reddish brown. Like pine, it is a soft wood so it is rarely used for a full wood floor, but rather for decorative accents.
• Birch – Birch looks very similar to oak and can be less expensive.