Most real estate agents say that installing hardwood flooring can increase the resale value of a home, making it much easier to market a property. According to statistics, getting new wood flooring is ranked #4 as one of the most popular projects to attract prospective home buyers. With this incredible benefit, no wonder why hardwood flooring is a perennial favorite in many homes across the US. Because it is considered a substantial investment in the long run, it makes hardwood flooring a stand-out as compared to other floor materials in the market. But how much does hardwood flooring cost? Is it worth installing a hardwood floor in your home considering its price tag? Let’s find it out in this blog.
Hardwood Flooring Cost Per Square Foot
The larger the coverage or project area, the more floorboards or planks you need. For hardwood flooring cost, the square footage is typically the unit of measurement by local hardwood flooring contractors. The average cost of installing a hardwood floor is ranging between $6 and $12 per square foot. This price includes the material cost of around $3 to $7 per square foot, while the labor cost usually ranges from $3 to $5 per square foot. Hardwood flooring cost varies, so it is better to get a free in-home consultation with a professional hardwood floor contractor for best pricing and recommendation.
Hardwood Flooring Cost By Wood Type
Not all hardwood floors are equal. Wood flooring comes from various tree species, color, grain, and texture, so the price varies depending on your wood choice. Here are some popular hardwood flooring types, including the average cost for each type.
Maple
The average cost of maple is between $6.50 and $11 per square foot. Maple is dent-resistant and a good choice for high foot traffic areas as well as studios and gyms. It has a creamy white to pale red appearance, which is an ideal option for the contemporary style of your home.
Pine
Pinewood is one of the softest types of hardwood, which makes it easier to get scratches and dents, especially in a high traffic area. However, it is less expensive than other wood types. The cost of pine wood is averaging between $4.50 and $10 per square foot. If you want to achieve a light beige color to a rich golden amber appearance of your hardwood flooring, pinewood is a good choice.
Bamboo
Typically, the cost of bamboo flooring ranges from $5 to $11 per square foot. This type of wood is exceptionally durable and sustainable. It is less prone to scratches and has resistance to termites. If you love bamboo flooring, you can expect that the color of your hardwood flooring is from pale yellow to green.
Hickory
With a Janka rating of 1820, hickory is the hardest type of wood for flooring. Because of its hard density and durability, this wood type is very ideal in high foot traffic areas and stairways. It also offers incredible color variation, so it will blend well with any décor inside your home. The average cost of hickory is ranging between $6 and $13 per square foot.
Brazilian Cherry
If you like to install Brazilian cherry for your wood flooring, you should expect to spend between $4.30 and $7.25 per square foot. Brazilian cherry adds elegance to your room with its rich, stunning color, the reason why it is a great choice for bedrooms.
Red Oak
The cost of red oak is around $8 to $13 per square foot. This wood type is very popular because it has a very consistent finish and offers a warm ambiance inside your home. With its reddish, highly noticeable grain, red oak increases the wow level on your flooring. Plus, it is exceptionally durable, so it can surely stand the test of time.
Brazilian Walnut
Brazilian walnut is an exotic hardwood with beautiful grains and richer stains. It is extremely durable and tough wearing, but it comes with a higher price tag. The average cost of Brazilian walnut is between $11 and $20 per square foot.
White Oak
The cost of white oak is slightly higher than red oak with an average price between $8 and $15 per square foot. As compared to red oak, white oak has more resistance to water or moisture, making it a great choice for wet, high foot traffic areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.
Mahogany
Mahogany offers a rich, reddish-brown shade on your flooring. Due to its elegance and variations in color, this wood type is a perfect choice in dining rooms and living rooms. The average cost of mahogany is ranging between $6.45 and $7.50 per square foot.
White Ash
If you are looking for a bold grain, contemporary design, white ash is the best choice. With a light tan to pale gray color, white ash hardwood flooring cost is between $9 and $13 per square foot. This wood type is a mid-range choice for household flooring, but it has a great level of durability and stability with a Janka score of 1320. While it is exceptionally durable, white ash is quite difficult to stain.
Hardwood Flooring Cost By Style
Hardwood floors can be installed in different methods and styles to match the type of wood you have chosen. No matter what wood species you want, you can always have several choices when it comes to style and installation methods. Let’s run down your options.
Herringbone
The average cost of a herringbone pattern ranges between $5 and $16 per square foot. With this wood style, the flooring is installed in a contemporary zigzag pattern. The wood is secured using a nail-down or glue-down method. A herringbone pattern typically requires extra tools and materials in the event that mishaps happen during the installation process.
Parquet
If you like parquet wood flooring, you should expect to pay about $7 to $10 per square foot. Parquet flooring creates geometric patterns or shapes using small, short woods. It has intricate details, so you need an experienced and professional wood floor contractor to install it. This style of hardwood flooring offers a stunning contemporary look to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home.
Plank Wood
Plank wood is the standard method of installing hardwood floors. The wood pieces are usually in uniform thicknesses, but lengths may vary. Longer planks and short wider planks require less labor, while wide planks and long strips may need extra materials and tools. Depending on the sizes and thicknesses of the planks, the average hardwood flooring cost ranges between $4.50 and $18 per square foot.
Click And Lock
Click and lock system is one of the easiest methods to install hardwood flooring. Engineered wood flooring is normally installed using this method. The floorboards can be laid down over the underlayment as a floating floor without the need to use nails or glue. On average, a click and lock system costs around $3,200 for every 300 square feet.
Hardwood Flooring Cost By Finish
No matter what hardwood floor type or style you prefer, you need a wood finish to provide extra protection against scrapes, scratches, moisture, and scuffs. Depending on the type of wood finish you want, the price will also vary. The list below includes the costs of different types of wood finish that you can choose from.
Unfinished Hardwood
An unfinished wood floor is completely raw and has not received any kind of treatment or finish before installation. The wood finish can be applied after installation, which makes it more labor-intensive as compared to prefinished hardwood floors. The cost of an unfinished hardwood floor is ranging between $2 and $6 per square foot.
Prefinished Hardwood
The cost of factory finished, or prefinished hardwood flooring is around $3 to $10 per square foot. You can expect that floorboards are already sanded and finished before installation. Most types of floorboards in big boxes are prefinished.
Penetrating Finish
A penetrating finish is quite difficult to apply because it goes deep into the hardwood. The price is much higher than other wood finishes, but you can expect it to last longer. On average, a penetrating finish costs between $10 and $12 per square foot.
Polyurethane Finish
To protect your hardwood floor against any damage from mold and moisture, a polyurethane wood finish can be applied. If you have a pinewood or any softer wood species, you can apply this type of wood finish to improve the durability of the wood. The average cost of polyurethane finish ranges between $2 and $3 per square foot.
Surface Finish
One of the fastest and easiest ways to apply on a hardwood floor is the surface finish. It is quite inexpensive with a typical cost of around $5 to $10 per square foot. However, this wood finish needs frequent reapplications, and it does not normally last that long.
Oil Finish
Oil wood finish provides extra protection and moisture resistance to your hardwood flooring. Because of this, it can make your floor more durable and last longer. Typically, you can apply and rub oil finish with a cloth into the wood grain to achieve its full effect. You may spend from $3 to $5 per square foot for oil wood finish.
Average Installation Cost Of Hardwood Flooring
On average, you can expect to spend between $6 and $12 per square foot to install hardwood flooring. High-end jobs are ranging from $13 to $25 per square foot. Mostly, about $3 to $5 goes to labor costs, while approximately 50% to 75% are spent on materials. Since hardwood flooring cost varies, our best advice is to schedule a free in-home consultation and talk to a professional hardwood flooring contractor.
Factors That Affect Hardwood Flooring Cost
Several factors influence the cost of installing hardwood floors. Let’s identify each factor.
Dimension And Size Of Project Area. The project size or coverage area affects the cost of installation. The larger the project area, the higher the cost of installing hardwood floors.
Ease Of Installation. As mentioned earlier, there are different types of installation methods and styles, which also influence the overall cost of the project. Complex rooms and layouts need additional time and effort to install hardwood floors. If you have a room with a lot of closets, small spaces, or tight angles, this will increase the hardwood flooring cost. The more complex or difficult the flooring project is, the more costly it can become.
Angled Patterns. Some patterns like herringbone need more cuts and require more time to install. With this, the complexity of wood patterns entails additional cost on installation.
Types Of Wood. Hardwood floors are available in various styles, finishes, and species. With this, the overall cost of installing hardwood floors is also affected. For instance, domestic hardwood species are less expensive than imported and exotic hardwood types. Polished hardwood floors are also less labor-intensive than hand-scraped wood floors, which makes the former less expensive as well.
Wood Hardness. When it comes to Janka rating and wood hardness, you can expect price changes as well. The harder or more durable the wood is, the longer the installation and the more difficult it is to work with. Hence, the higher the overall hardwood flooring cost. This is true in the case of exotic hardwood such as teak and Brazilian walnut. On the other hand, softer wood species like pine wood are less labor-intensive, so it is less expensive as well.
Engineered Wood Flooring
Although engineered wood flooring may not last longer than solid hardwood, the upfront cost is less expensive. If you are on a tight budget, but you still love the texture and grain of solid hardwood, then engineered wood is the best choice. Engineered wood floors are categorized depending on the thickness of their veneer and core layers. Thus, the costs of engineered wood types also vary accordingly.
Low-Grade. Low-grade or basic engineered wood has a veneer thickness of about 1/16 to 1/12-inch and three core layers. On average, it costs between $4.50 and $9 per square foot.
Mid-Grade. The average cost of mid-grade engineered wood is ranging from $6 to $12 per square foot. This type contains a five-layer core and has a thicker veneer layer.
High-Grade. High-grade engineered wood has the best-quality amongst all types because it has at least seven core layers. The veneer top layer normally comes from an exotic hardwood with a thickness of about 1/6 inch. On average, the cost of high-grade engineered wood ranges between $9 and $16 per square foot.
Average Cost To Redo Or Replace Hardwood Flooring
If it needs to remove existing hardwood floors to install new ones, you can expect to spend an additional $1 to $13 per square foot on top of the standard cost of $6 to $12 per square foot of installing a new one. However, the cost of replacing hardwood flooring can be higher depending on the complexity of the project and the amount of labor it entails. For instance, it is less labor-intensive and less costly to tear out a floating floor than removing a 40-year-old hardwood floor. Remember that several removal projects can be more expensive, particularly if more layers of flooring need to be removed. If your flooring contains asbestos, you will also need to hire an expert to handle that. It is important to consult with a professional hardwood flooring contractor near you before removing any existing hardwood floor.
Hire A Hardwood Flooring Professional Today
One of the biggest mistakes of hardwood flooring installation is trying to do the project yourself. Hardwood flooring installation requires expertise, experience, and knowledge to make sure that the project is executed properly. Improper installation will not only impact the aesthetic value of your home, but it will also cost more in the long run. With this, you need a professional hardwood flooring contractor to deal with possible mishaps during installation and guarantee that everything is perfectly done. Hiring an expert can also save your time and lessen any headache.
Now that you have decided to install or redo your hardwood flooring, feel free to connect with us today. Carpet Ready is a team of highly skilled flooring specialists dedicated to providing you with excellent results and a cost-effective solution for your next flooring makeover. Schedule a free in-home consultation now!