Having a varied appearance, unfinished hickory flooring has tan to reddish heartwood and white or cream-colored sapwood with fine dark lines. When unfinished, hickory has closed, rough grain with some definition and, with a Janka scale rating of 1820, is one of the harder domestic species. As a result, sawing, machining, sanding, and finishing hickory flooring with hand or power tools can be difficult, and stronger equipment, such as a belt sander, may be needed.

Unfinished hickory is one of the most sought-after hardwoods for flooring. In general, unfinished hardwoods are traditional and offer more possibilities for finishes and color schemes. Hickory, however, is difficult to finish. Because the red and white appearance is one of the notable qualities of this domestic species, staining it takes this aspect away.

Like any other species, unfinished hickory flooring has advantages and disadvantages. In addition to finishing, unfinished hickory flooring takes longer to install than prefinished varieties, and the area needs to be isolated. If you think the longer installation time adds to the cost, the costs of prefinished and unfinished hickory flooring even out once both jobs are complete.