How long can we wait to sand and finish after install?

Q: How long can you wait to sand and finish floors after installing? 

We have other tasks to do, like stick on stone around our fireplace hearth.  Can waiting too long to sand and finish be detrimental to the unfinished floor?

A: The only issues would be if you were muddying the walls and dropping gobs of patch on the floor or were painting on bare wood and the overspray or spills got into the grain of the wood.  Otherwise, it doesn’t make any difference.