All About the Finish: The Most Popular Hardwood Flooring Finishes

The finish you choose for your hardwood flooring has two dynamic implications. The first is aesthetic. What will the finish look like on your flooring? Or more pointedly, what effect will it have on the natural beauty of the wood, its radiance, its grain pattern, its predominant color tones, and its variations in color and brightness? The second is about durability; that is, which finish will best help protect your floor from scratches, gouges, and dents.

Of course, there’s no one simple answer. Each wood species used for flooring has its own unique characteristics that may compel the choice of one type of finish over another.

Historically, homeowners had to make a difficult choice between two distinct categories of traditional finishes: surface finishes and penetrating finishes. As you'll see below, each comes with significant compromises. However, as the industry has evolved, modern prefinishing techniques—like our proprietary hybrid process—have emerged to offer the best of both worlds.

Before we look at the modern solution, let's explore the traditional options and why they often force homeowners to choose between beauty and durability.

TRADITIONAL SURFACE FINISHES

With a surface finish on your floor, you are walking on and making contact with the finish rather than the wood. And as wear occurs on the floor, it is the finish rather than the wood that is being worn away. Surface finishes function by combining a resin and a solvent. The solvents, which allow the resins to be fluid, then evaporate once the finish is applied, leaving the resin to establish a film coating on the wood.

Surface finishes have their pros and cons. The hard surfaces these finishes form are easier to clean than most penetrating finishes, but they can show scratches and are harder to repair, most likely prompting a complete refinishing as opposed to a touch-up.

Polyurethanes: The most popular surface finishes are oil-based and water-based polyurethanes. Water-based polyurethane dries quickly, has low odor and low volatile organic compound (VOC) emission, and maintains a clear, smooth, shiny finish. Oil-based polyurethanes require fewer coats but emit strong fumes and VOCs, requiring a ventilator. Oil-based poly has an amber tone that will immediately darken the wood and will deepen over time.
Shellac: Shellac is created from a resin secreted by the lac beetle. It has no odor and is quick drying. It has excellent adhesion characteristics, making it a good choice for oily or pitchy woods. However, shellac does not have the durability of urethane-type finishes.
Acid-Cured Finish: Also known as Swedish finish, this is an extremely durable option often applied to exotic wood floors. On the downside, it has a very high VOC content, which includes formaldehyde, and a difficult application process that suggests hiring a professional.
Aluminum Oxide: Found naturally as a crystal, aluminum oxide can be ground into a powder and used as a fortifier for urethane, providing high-level protection from wear and tear. It dries clear but does not enhance grain patterns as much as polyurethane. When scratching does happen, it shows up with a whitish powdery look and is harder to repair.

PENETRATING FINISHES

When you touch a floor to which a penetrating finish has been applied, you are in contact with the wood rather than the finish. This, along with most oil’s natural origins (linseed from flax seeds, tung from nuts, etc.), provides purists with a robust rationale for penetrating oil finishes. Additionally, they tend to enhance the natural colors and qualities of the wood, and their low sheen leaves the floor looking less adulterated.

On the downside, these finishes don’t provide strong resistance to solvent damage or staining. However, unlike most surface finishes, scratches can often be repaired by recoating the damaged area rather than requiring an all-out refinishing.

Penetrating Oil Sealer: Because the oil penetrates the wood, it can deepen the color and highlight the grain. Most are combinations of natural oil (like linseed or tung) with additives to improve hardness and drying. Though less durable than polyurethanes, they will not crack, craze, or peel, though they can water spot.
Hard Wax Oils: A non-toxic, no-VOC option that acts as a barrier against stains and moisture. Hard wax oil finished floors are more water resistant than polyurethane-finished floors because the cells of the wood are not closed off, allowing them to breathe. These finishes create a warm, natural matte appearance and are easy to spot repair. However, they do require a periodic coat of maintenance oil applied by the homeowner.

THE MODERN SOLUTION: HYBRID PREFINISHING

For decades, choosing a floor finish meant choosing between the rich, natural depth of a hand-applied penetrating oil and the rugged, low-maintenance durability of a factory surface coating.

At Vermont Plank Flooring, we didn't think you should have to compromise.

That is why we developed a proprietary hybrid prefinishing process in-house. By seamlessly combining traditional, hand-applied craftsmanship with high-precision coating technology, we deliver prefinished floors that possess both unmatched visual depth and industry-leading durability.

Here is how we offer the best of both worlds:

Hand-Applied Artistry: Our craftsmen hand-apply all basecoats, stains, and custom oils. Every single plank is meticulously hand-coated, placed on drying racks, cured, and then treated again. This ensures deep, even penetration that brings out the true personality and rich depth of the timber, much like a traditional penetrating finish.
High-Precision Roll-Coating: Next, the planks move to our advanced roll-coating production line for the application of clear protective layers. This automated process ensures perfectly smooth, mathematically uniform protection from wall to wall.
The Ultimate Shield: For our clear protective layers, we use a premium, high-solids UV topcoat system pioneered by Renner. This specialized finish provides an elite level of structural toughness, mirroring the best qualities of top-tier surface finishes without the harsh chemicals or lengthy on-site curing times.

Because we handle this entire process in our facility, your floor arrives fully cured, flawlessly finished, and ready to install—with no messy on-site sanding, no lingering fumes, and no compromises.

Learn more about our proprietary Prefinishing Process here -->