Cost To Install A Hardwood Floor
These estimates are for BASIC work performed in serviceable conditions by qualified trade professionals using MID GRADE materials. Work not mentioned on this page and/or work using master craftsman, premium materials and project supervision will result in HIGHER COSTS! Explore the full range of red oak flooring new installation labor options and material prices here.
These estimates are NOT substitutes for written quotes from trade professionals. Homewyse strongly recommends that you contact reputable professionals for accurate assessments of work required and costs for your project – before making any decisions or commitments.
The cost estimate includes:
- Costs for local material / equipment delivery to and service provider transportation to and from the job site.
- Costs to prepare the worksite for Hardwood Floor Installation, including costs to protect existing structure, finishes, materials and components.
- Labor setup time, mobilization time and minimum hourly charges that are commonly included for small Hardwood Floor Installation jobs.
The cost estimate does NOT include:
Real Cost Of Hardwood Installation In Vancouver
Hardwood flooring installation is well worth the investment. The unique atmosphere, comfort, touch and look that hardwood floors bring to your home are worth every dime invested as long as the cost is reasonable. We are going to look at what makes up a reasonable cost. The cost to install hardwood floors usually includes the following components: hardwood flooring, other materials and accessories costs, labor installation rate and other related services costs.
Handling The Engineered Hardwood
- Its critical to unpack and acclimate the engineered hardwood flooring under monitored conditions.
- Be careful when laying out the engineered hardwood flooring material. Ensure that joints have appropriate offsets and that you avoid discernable patterns.
- Check to ensure that the subfloor is flat within a minimum of an eighth inch over a ten-foot span.* If needed, apply a floor leveling compound to mitigate variances.
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How To Install Engineered Hardwood Floors
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Hardwood Flooring Installation Tip:
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2. Prepare Your Subfloor
Without a proper base, your new flooring wont have the support it needs. Make sure the area is moisture-free, level and clean before you dive into your project. Remember that it’s best to run your boards perpendicular to the floor joists beneath your subfloor. If you have to run them parallel, you can install another layer of plywood for added strength. Also, be very conscious about the subfloor you install on, says Kristin Warner of Floor Critics. Never install over heated floors or fresh concrete.
Youll also want to prepare any doorways ahead of time. If your hardwood flooring will sit higher than the bottom of your door jamb, youll need to cut it so the planks can sit underneath.
3. Bring In Your Flooring Materials
Measure the square footage of the room by multiplying the length by the width. Purchase about 10 percent more material than needed to account for warped or flawed boards. Let the boxes sit for 72 hours to allow the material to acclimate to moisture in the room. Some experts say its best to take the boards out of the boxes, as it allows the air to hit all sides.
4. Map Out Your Flooring
For a seamless look all the way through, youll want a strategy laid out beforehand.
Types Of Hardwood Flooring Installation

While there are many methods of hardwood floor installation to choose from, simplicity is key if youre installing the flooring yourself. These are the two most popular DIY installation designs for hardwood flooring:
This design is incredibly easy to install, relative to other options. As its name suggests, the end joints are designed to click and lock together without the help of adhesives, which helps your flooring joints hold tightly together.
Tongue and Groove: While this style is designed the same as click-lock, the end joints for tongue and groove flooring do not lock, so youll need to nail them down and/or use adhesive to glue the pieces together.
Hardwood Floor Installation Tip: Do Not Glue Click-Lock Flooring
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Breaking Down Hardwood Flooring Costs
Unfinished Hardwood Flooring Costs
$3,200 $3,600 |
= price performer
Once you pick a species, you can then determine if you want to keep the floor natural with just a clear finish or add some color by staining it. You will also need to determine what widths you want your flooring to be. Some people prefer a random width pattern while others like their flooring to be all one width.
Tom Ory | Enterprise Wood Products
Do You Have The Appropriate Space Time And Conditions To Acclimate The Engineered Wood Flooring
Engineered hardwood needs to acclimate, but different manufacturers require different things. Always consult the specific manufacturer for their requirements.
After your engineered wood products have been delivered, best practice dictates maintaining serviceable conditions within the building for approximately five days. Place open cartons of the engineered wood in the center of the room to promote adequate air circulation while avoiding exposure to direct sunlight. This placement helps to minimize expansion and contraction, which reduces the risk of moisture-related warpage.
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Types Of Hardwood Flooring
Before starting your project, its important to be familiar with the different types of hardwood flooring, solid and engineered hardwood. While similar in look, these types vary by composition, price and moisture resistance.
Solid Hardwood
As the name implies, solid hardwood flooring is made of pure, solid wood. Each board is a single piece of wood that is about three quarters of an inch thick. Solid hardwood floors are very durable, says Tom Ory, owner of Enterprise Wood Products.
Solid hardwood pricing varies depending on species and finishes, but when you factor in their durability, they are definitely a great purchase, says Ory. It is also known that having solid hardwood flooring in your home will increase its value, making it an investment as well.
With good maintenance, solid hardwood can last for over 100 years, and should be sanded and refinished about once every ten years.
Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood boards are made up of layered wood and plywood. The top and bottom of the boards are thin layers of solid wood, but between them lies a high-quality plywood base.
Engineered wood is typically less expensive than solid hardwood. Some premium engineered flooring can have added durability finishes or higher quality core layers, which can cost more than lower-end solid hardwood options.
The benefit of engineered hardwood is that it is less sensitive to moisture and easy to use in a DIY hardwood installation, saving you money on labor costs.
Sanding An Existing Floor
Before you replace the carpets in your home, pull them up and see whats underneath. If you find wooden flooring, youre in luck, even if its painted or looking worse for wear. Why? Because simply sanding that floor can make a world of difference and its so easy you could do it yourself. It will cost you in the region of $50 a day to rent the equipment. If youd rather leave it to the professionals, budget around $4 per square foot.
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What Are The Different Types Of Oak Flooring
Before we get into oak flooring costs, you should know somethingnot all oak flooring is created equal. There are different species of oak, and different ways that manufacturers make planks. So what does that mean for your wallet?
To answer that, lets take a look at the different types of oak flooring and how their prices differ.
Red Oak vs. White OakWhats the Difference?
Red oak and white oak are some of the most common wood floors around .
The main difference? A slight difference in wood floor colorsred oak has a dark pinkish hue and a slightly more pronounced grain pattern, while white oak is more of a light wood flooring option.
These visual differences become less noticeable when using a darker stain, but its important to note nonetheless.
When it comes to the cost difference between red and white oak, red oak is less expensive. As far as material costs, you can expect to pay $310/sq. ft. for red oak, with white oak costing around a dollar more per square foot.
When were talking about red oak vs. white oak installation costs, though, theres no difference between the two.
Services That Cover Engineered Hardwood Flooring
When budgeting the cost of installing engineered hardwood floors, it may seem like every step of the process requires a pro. However, this isnt so.
Some services may require DIY while others may need manual skills. Undoubtedly, by performing some tasks yourself, youll save money on your floor remodelling. The expenses that need the services of a hardwood installation expert include:
- Hardwood flooring cost: $900 $1,200
- Engineered hardwood labor : $1,050 $1,600
- Engineered wood materials and supplies : $110 150
- Project allowance : $40 $60
Optional duties include:
- Hardwood flooring garbage disposal: $75 $90
- Engineered floor removal : $270 $1,750
Now, a rough estimate for all these services will be around $4,000. Minus the optional tasks, you can expect to spend about $2,500 on hardwood flooring installation.
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Does Underlayment Reduce Noise
Yes, underlayment can reduce noise. It is composed of sound-absorbing material like, felt, cork, foam, rubber, and wood fiber that work as sound insulation. It creates a gap between the floor and subfloor and absorbs the effect of the sound waves that are being transmitted through nails. It can minimize both footfall and airborne noise.
Will A Radiant Heat System Be Incorporated Under The Engineered Hardwood Flooring

If so, engineered wood flooring is an attractive option here. The manufacturing process of the engineered wood creates a stable core that resists expansion and contraction from environmental changes. Verify that the radiant heat system you are considering is compatible with engineered wood flooring.
Have you planned to install your engineered hardwood in a way that is compatible with a radiant heat system? For example, nailing down or stapling an engineered hardwood flooring over a radiant heat system takes special care. Always consult both manufactures in the planning process.
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How To Cut Cost On The Price Of Installing Engineered Hardwood Floors
No doubt, the cost of installing engineered hardwood floors is quite an investment. Hence, well provide you with tips on how to save money while carrying out the installation.
- Replace your floors yourself .
- Perform the menial tasks yourself
- Opt for click-together hardwood floorings.
- Employ a local flooring professional.
- Buy materials from local retailers.
Repair Replacement Or Refinishing
Hardwood flooring may be expensive to install, but you can easily refinish it. A professional sanding and floor refinishing project costs $3$8 per square foot and will get rid of dents, dings, and even gouges. You may even refinish your floors yourself. Replacing individual boards will cost more, but it will still be just a fraction of the overall cost of having new floors installed.
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Differences Between The Glue And Nail Methods Of Installing Hardwood Flooring
There are several ways in which these two methods differ greatly.
- Cost Difference: The glue installation method is more expensive than the nail method as it requires special adhesive and professional installation.
- Time Consumption: The nail method of installation is less time-consuming than glueing.
- Subfloor Types: The nail method is only compatible with wooden subfloors, while the glue method is compatible with most subfloors.
Floating Floor Installation Cost
Floating wood floors arent actually attached to the subfloor at alltheyre click-together floors that use special grooves to connect the planks to each other, and are held in place by their own weight. While you wont see as much floating wood flooring as, say, loose lay vinyl plank flooring, its definitely more common than it used to be.
While there are somedisadvantages of floating floors, cost just isnt one of them. When compared to glue-down and nail-down installation methods, floating floors are easily the cheaper option.
Or, if youre feeling extra handy, you can eliminate installation costs altogether by installing your floors yourself! We always recommend hiring a professional, but the systems that floating floors use make self-installation a more realistic option for those who want to try their hand at DIY wood flooring.
One caveat to mention: floating hardwood floors are almost always made of engineered wood rather than solid wood. So, unfortunately, if you were hoping for a floating solid wood floor, it probably isnt going to be an option.
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Nail Method Of Installing Hardwood Floors
This floor installation method involves nailing down each hardwood tile to the subfloor with a nail gun or other appropriate tool. Nails are nailed at a 45-degree angle into the grooves at the side of the hardwood planks. This secures the wood floor to the subfloor and also to themselves.
The nail-down method is a lot faster and is also the least expensive method for installing hardwood floors. This is the best option if you are looking to save money. Nailed hardwood flooring is, however, less sturdy than the glued type of installation.
Average Hardwood Flooring Cost
The average cost of installing hardwood floors is $3$10 per square foot for materials and $3$8per square foot for labor, totaling $6$18per square foot. A single 200-square-foot room might cost $1,200$3,600, while a 2,000-square-foot house could cost $12,000$36,000. Wood quality influences price, with high-end flooring costing up to $25per square foot. Square footage is the greatest determinant of price. Still, the following factors also come into play:
- Type of flooring: Solid hardwood is traditional, but you can also opt for engineered hardwood or parquet.
- Tree species: The more durable and less common the wood type, the more it costs.
- Thickness: Thicker boards can withstand more refinishing and therefore cost more.
- Grade: High-quality boards cost more than low-grade ones.
- Cut/grain: The way the boards are cut from the tree can mean more or less labor and waste.
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The Average Cost Of Hardwood Floor Installation Sanding And Finishing
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Hardwood flooring upgrades a rooms aesthetic value, but it can be a costly undertaking. To keep things under control, you should estimate the final pricing, including the supplies and the hardwood floor installation. In some cases, you can refinish an older hardwood floor to look new, but of course, not everyone is lucky enough to have them in the home already.
Cost To Replace Hardwood Floors

If you need to remove hardwood floors to make way for new ones, the cost to remove a hardwood floor should be between $250 and $900 for a large living space of about 250 to 300 square feet or between $1 to $3 per square foot. The costs can be higher in certain cases, depending on the amount of labor involved. If the flooring contains , abatement may be necessary before continuing with costs starting at $200 to $400 per hour.
Remove hardwood floors if the cost of replacement is less than refinishing the area. You may also remove hardwood flooring if you want to change up the look of the space. Hardwood replacement cost includes initial charges for old floor removal.
Remember that some floor removal projects may be more expensive, depending on how many layers need to be removed. For instance, if the hardwood was on top of concrete, three layers of flooring may have to be removed. In this case, expect to pay closer to $6 per square foot. Labor and haul away may take an average of one to two days for a 300 square foot room. These charges are separate from any other hardwood replacement cost.
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Hardwood Flooring Cost By Square Foot
Hardwood floor cost on average $5 per square foot, with prices between $1 and $9 per square foot, depending on the type of wood you choose. Because flooring has to cover a flat surface area, the cost for hardwood flooring is measured bysquare foot. Installation for a hardwood floor could cost as little as $1500 or run up to $10,000.
The following table shows the average cost to install hardwood flooring per square foot:
Square Feet |
$6,300 |
Well Known As An Iconic Flooring Material
Wood floors have been used for centuries by homeowners and kings alike. It is exceptionally durable, adding character and integrity to the style of a home for many generations. It also increases the resale value of a home compared with most lower budget options.
With years of high-quality performance and comfort returning your initial investment, the purchase price of a hardwood floor hasnt dissuaded hundreds upon thousands of property owners, and its still one of the leading choices to put the finishing touches on a home.
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Oak Needs To Be Kept Dry
While white oak is a naturally water-resistant wood flooring, it should still be kept away from parts of the home that are prone to moisture and humidity. Obviously, that means its not ideal for things like mudroom flooring.
Honestly, this is a disadvantage of nearly all types of wood floorsnot just oak. There are a few good waterproof hardwood flooring options, but to be honest, theyre mostly laminate pretending to be hardwood. Keep in mind: your oak flooring costs are going to be higher if you do decide to go with waterproof wood flooring.
If this is shattering your dreams of a wood floor bathroom, dont be discouraged! There are many types of tile that are made to look like wood.