Unfinished Hardwood Flooring — Customization from the Ground Up
Unfinished hardwood flooring offers the purest starting point for a floor designed entirely to your taste. Delivered as raw, precision-milled boards, it allows for complete customization on-site, from stain color to finish sheen. At Cochran’s, we provide unfinished planks that highlight the natural character of Appalachian-sourced species, ready to be tailored by your installer or designer. This option is ideal for projects that demand exact color matching, unique finishing techniques, or the flexibility to adjust tones once boards are in place. Our careful kiln-drying and milling process ensures boards arrive stable, straight, and prepared for site finishing.
Why Unfinished Flooring Matters for Homeowners, Builders, and Designers
Unfinished hardwood flooring represents the purest form of choice and control in a wood floor. Delivered as raw boards, it allows you — whether you’re a homeowner, builder, or designer — to decide how the surface should look, feel, and perform. Unlike prefinished planks that arrive with factory-applied stains and bevels, unfinished boards give you the opportunity to shape every detail on-site.
Seamless appearance — Sanding and finishing after installation creates a continuous surface without factory bevels, giving rooms a clean, architectural flow.
Unlimited customization — Choose the exact stain, oil, or specialty finish to achieve the undertone, sheen, and texture that match your vision.
Future flexibility — Starting with raw boards means refinishing later is predictable and consistent, extending the life of your hardwood flooring.
Perfect matching — Essential for additions, restorations, or patchwork, unfinished planks integrate seamlessly with existing hardwood floors.
This makes unfinished hardwood flooring especially valuable for homeowners who want personalization, builders seeking reliable project integration, and designers aiming for precise aesthetic control.
Species Options For Unfinished Flooring
Every species Cochran’s mills can be provided as unfinished boards, allowing their natural qualities to shine:
White Oak — Known for its strength and versatility, White Oak has long been a favorite for custom hardwood flooring. Its even grain takes stain beautifully, and its durability ensures performance in both traditional and modern settings.
Walnut — With deep chocolate tones and a graceful, flowing grain, Walnut flooring offers a luxurious canvas that can be subtly darkened or highlighted with custom finishes.
Hickory — Among the hardest North American woods, Hickory provides exceptional resilience. Unfinished Hickory flooring lets you temper its rustic character with stains or highlight its dramatic contrasts.
European White Oak — Valued for consistent coloring and tight grain, European White Oak is ideal for wide-plank hardwood flooring. Its unfinished surface allows contemporary matte finishes or natural oils to emphasize its refined look.
Pine — Soft underfoot and full of character, Pine has been used in historic American homes for centuries. In unfinished form, it accepts a wide range of stains, from pale wash to rich amber.
Chestnut — Frequently sourced from reclaimed timbers, Chestnut flooring features distinctive wormholes and patina. Unfinished boards let you preserve its story or enhance it with protective oils.
Cherry — Distinguished by its natural luster, Cherry flooring deepens in color as it ages. Leaving it unfinished until site finishing allows for enhanced richness and tonal depth.
Structures & Profiles — Built for Flexibility and Longevity
Unfinished flooring from Cochran’s is available across our full range of structures and profiles, giving you control over both construction and style:
Solid hardwood flooring — Traditional, full-thickness planks milled from a single piece of wood. Built for nail-down installation and capable of multiple refinishing cycles, solid hardwood is the timeless choice for those who value longevity and heritage.
Engineered hardwood flooring — Crafted with a substantial solid wear layer over a stable Baltic birch core. This structure is designed for basements, radiant heat systems, and wide plank applications where dimensional stability is essential. It brings together authentic wood character and modern performance.
Tongue & groove joinery — Precision-milled edges lock boards tightly together, minimizing gaps and movement. The result is a seamless surface underfoot that reflects Cochran’s craftsmanship and stands the test of time.
Random width options — Mixing board sizes recreates the authentic character of historic homes and barns. The varied rhythm of different plank widths adds subtle dimension and personality to any space.
Wide plank availability — Boards up to 10” wide deliver bold design impact. Wide planks highlight the natural grain and character of the wood in dramatic fashion, making them an ideal fit for open floor plans and modern interiors.
Why Buyers Turn to Cochran’s for Unfinished Hardwood Flooring
Choosing unfinished hardwood from Cochran’s means aligning your project with a partner who understands different buyer needs:
For homeowners — You gain the flexibility to design a floor that matches your home’s personality and evolves with your family. Whether you want a seamless addition to existing rooms or a fully custom color, we provide the raw material for a floor that feels personal and lasting.
For builders and remodelers — Our consistently milled Appalachian hardwoods make installations smoother, finishing timelines more predictable, and client satisfaction higher. Reliable supply and uniform quality help your projects stand out.
For designers and architects — Unfinished boards open the door to limitless creative expression. From historic reproductions to contemporary wide-plank layouts, our flooring provides the canvas to execute your vision with precision.
At Cochran’s, unfinished hardwood flooring isn’t just raw lumber — it’s the beginning of a crafted surface that reflects your style, your craft, or your client’s lifestyle. With our heritage, milling expertise, and dedication to quality, we deliver more than material; we deliver the foundation for inspired spaces that endure for generations.