Prefinished hardwood costs less in labor and is done in two days; site-finished costs more, takes a week, and gives you a seamless floor in any color that can be matched to what is already in the house. At Wills Flooring's published rates, prefinished installs at $3.25 per sq ft. Unfinished installs at $2.75 and then gets sanded and finished at $3.99 natural or $6.50 stained, so $6.74 to $9.25 per sq ft in labor and finish. Material is separate for both.
In Edmonds this decision usually comes with a second question attached: does it need to match the old floor? Half the homes we work in near the Bowl and in Seaview and Westgate have original 1950s to 70s oak somewhere, and the new floor is extending it into a kitchen or a former carpeted bedroom. That pushes the answer one way. A clean-slate remodel of a Perrinville rambler with no old wood to match pushes it the other. Here is how the two options compare on the three things people actually care about: money, look and how the floor holds up next to the Sound.
The cost, with the math shown
| Line item | Prefinished | Site-finished (unfinished, then sanded) |
|---|---|---|
| Installation labor | $3.25 per sq ft | $2.75 per sq ft |
| Sanding and finishing | Included at the factory | $3.99 natural or $6.50 with stain |
| Labor plus finish subtotal | $3.25 per sq ft | $6.74 natural, $9.25 stained |
| 800 sq ft main floor | 800 × $3.25 = $2,600 | 800 × $6.74 = $5,392, or 800 × $9.25 = $7,400 |
| Material | Prefinished planks cost more per sq ft than unfinished | Unfinished planks cost less; the finish is in the labor line |
| Stairs | $125 per stair, hardwood | $125 per stair, plus $55–$75 per tread to finish |
Wills Flooring published rates, 500 sq ft minimum on installation and on refinishing. Material, underlayment, old-floor removal and subfloor prep are quoted at the free estimate. The material gap narrows the labor gap: prefinished planks are typically a dollar or two more per sq ft than the same species unfinished.
How the two floors look, up close and from the doorway
Prefinished
Micro-bevels and factory color
Each plank has a small beveled edge so slight height differences between boards do not show. From standing height it reads as fine lines across the floor. Colors are whatever the manufacturer offers this year, and the finish is identical from plank to plank.
Site-finished
One continuous surface
The floor is sanded flat as a single piece after installation, so there are no bevels and no lines. Finish flows across every seam and seals them. This is the look of an original Edmonds Bowl floor, and the only way to make a new room match one.
Color control
Site-finished means any stain, any sheen, tested on your own boards under your own light. Waterfront rooms in Edmonds get strong low afternoon light off the water, and the ability to sample three tones in place before committing is worth a lot.
Matching existing wood
If you are adding new oak next to 60-year-old oak, prefinished will never match: the bevels, the color and the sheen all differ. Unfinished boards woven in and sanded with the old floor become one floor. See our post on matching new hardwood to old for how we do it.
Price your Edmonds hardwood installation right now
Hardwood Installation Calculator
Installation pricing from our published rate card. Material is quoted separately based on the floor you choose.
Durability: factory finish vs finish applied in your house
Prefinished
Strengths and weaknesses
- Aluminum-oxide factory finish is harder than anything applied on site and resists scratches longer
- Cured under UV lamps, so it is at full hardness on day one
- Seams are unsealed, so a spill can wick between boards and under the finish
- Recoating later is harder because the bevels trap old finish and dirt
- Board-by-board replacement is easy if you keep a spare carton
Site-finished
Strengths and weaknesses
- Three coats of Bona water-based finish seal the seams, which matters in a wet Edmonds kitchen
- Can be screened and recoated at $1.99 per sq ft every 7 to 10 years to stay new
- Softer than aluminum oxide in the first month while it cures fully
- Quality depends entirely on the crew; Wills are Bona Certified Craftsmen
- Any future repair is sanded and blended, not swapped
The Edmonds humidity angle: Homes in the Bowl and along the bluff sit in marine air most of the year. Unsealed seams on a prefinished floor let that moisture cycle in and out of the board edges, which is where cupping starts. A site-finished floor's sealed seams slow that down. It is not a reason to avoid prefinished, but it is a reason to pick a prefinished floor with a good factory-sealed edge and to keep the house between 35 and 50 percent humidity.
Timeline in a lived-in house
- Prefinished · Day 1–2Acclimate 48 to 72 hours, install, done. Walk on it the same evening. Furniture back the next day. Ideal for a Seaview family that cannot be out of the kitchen for a week.800 sq ft: about two days on site
- Site-finished · Days 1–3Acclimate three to seven days, then install the raw boards over two days. The floor is walkable but bare.
- Site-finished · Days 4–6Sand flat, fill, stain if chosen, then three coats of finish. Rooms are closed. Socks after 24 hours from the last coat, furniture after 72, rugs after two weeks.800 sq ft: about six to seven working days plus acclimation
Which one is wrong for your house
- Prefinished is the wrong call when you are extending or repairing an existing hardwood floor, when you want a custom color or sheen, or when the room is a kitchen with a dishwasher and a history of small leaks.
- Site-finished is the wrong call when you need to be back in the room in two days, when the budget is tight and the floor is standalone, or when the house cannot handle a week of dust and closed rooms. Many Edmonds retirees downsizing into a Westgate rambler pick prefinished for exactly this reason.
- Engineered prefinished is the right call over a slab or in a condo where nail-down is impossible. Site-finished engineered exists but is rare.
- A hybrid works too. Prefinished in bedrooms, site-finished in the main living area where it meets the original floor. We do this often in older Edmonds homes.
What to ask before you sign either quote
- Is the finish line separate? A site-finished quote should show installation and refinishing as two rates, the way our hardwood installation page does, so you can compare apples to apples.
- Can I see stain samples on my boards? For site-finished, yes, always, on a spare board in your light. For prefinished, ask for a full plank, not a chip.
- Who is doing the finish? Ask for the certification. Wills Flooring are Bona Certified Craftsmen and every install and finish carries a 1-year workmanship warranty.
- What edge does the prefinished plank have? Micro-bevel, eased or square. Square-edge prefinished is closest to a site-finished look but shows height differences more.
Prefinished vs site-finished questions from Edmonds homeowners
Asked by remodelers in the Bowl, downsizers in Westgate and everyone matching old oak.
Is prefinished or site-finished hardwood cheaper?
Which lasts longer, prefinished or site-finished hardwood?
Can you refinish prefinished hardwood floors?
Does site-finished hardwood look better?
How long does site-finished hardwood take compared to prefinished?
Is prefinished hardwood okay in a kitchen?
See both options on your own floor
We bring prefinished planks and unfinished samples with stain swatches to your Edmonds home, measure, and hand you a written quote for each. Free, no obligation.
Wills Flooring serves Edmonds, Everett, Seattle, Sammamish, Lynnwood, Kirkland, Snohomish and the rest of Snohomish and King County from our Lynnwood showroom. See our hardwood installation service, published price list, engineered vs solid hardwood, matching new hardwood to an existing floor and hardwood installation cost.
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