I was the district mgr for Bruce so I may be jaded. Prefinished is almost always an aluminum oxide finish so I'm not sure it makes a huge difference what brand it is. Bruce invented prefinished flooring so they have a lot of experience. Most is made in America but some lines are imported. The advantages of factory finished is its easily recoated no need to resand so it will hold up quite well. Most factory finished will out perform site finished but it will show scratches. Pick a grain with some character so it will hide any boo boos.

Thanks Dan! I especially appreciate the disclosure.

I have to admit to sheer ignorance when it comes to pre-finished hardwood, I don't know how the manufacturers differentiate from one another or even how the product lines differ.

I know Bruce is carried at Home Depot, but with a lot of other things (say, plumbing), the big-box stores get a dumbed down or cheapened version of what you'd get at a supply store. Am I better off going to another distributor, would they have other, better lines from Bruce? Also - who would you say is Bruce's main competitor, just for comparison purposes.

Thanks again for the help.

giantcrazy- I am also looking at pre-finished hardwood. I have looked at Bruce/Armstrong and Shaw. At one floor store I was quoted $4.00 a sq. ft for Armstrong Somerset Plank. At another I was quoted $5.60 sq. ft. for Shaw Family Reunion 3.25 in.

Both look about the same so I don't know which has a better finish. The Shaw salesperson says Shaw is better (they also sell Bruce/Armstrong)- better top coat finish and made in the USA. She also told me Bruce/Armstrong would cost more. Which it did not at the other store.

Would love it if Dan or another expert would weigh in!