When it comes to upgrades or renovations in the home there are few things that can transform the interior as dramatically as the installation of hardwood flooring. Not only does it look better than carpet, it is also far easier to maintain and keep clean and comes in a variety of colors and wood types that can be chosen to match the existing style and décor of the room you are installing it in. If you are considering making the change, then you are probably wondering exactly what the hardwood floor installation cost will be.
How much does it cost to install hardwood floors?
There are a number of factors that have to be considered when thinking about the total cost, not least of which is the price of the flooring itself, but we will get to that in a moment. After purchasing your flooring you are going to have to decide if you want to install it yourself, keeping in mind that you will have to do a lot of exact measuring and cutting to make sure it is done correctly. That may be enough to make you decide upon a professional flooring company to do the work for you, and if that is the case, you really have to do your homework to make sure that you get a trusted, reliable outfit to do the work.
Installation pricing can differ wildly depending on your location, but for the purposes of this piece we are going to look at average costs to give an idea of what to expect. If you want to save a bit of money on installation then it’s a good idea to buy hardwood that has been pre-finished, and also take the time to remove any existing carpet yourself. Those 2 simple tasks can save you an average of around $6 per square foot, a substantial savings if you have a larger space.
There are 3 types of installation methods, each with their own price per square foot; nailed down floors will run around $3 S/F, glued down is $3.25 S/F and floating hardwood floors come in around $2.75 S/F. Molding and borders can run from $1.25 – $3 per linear foot, and if you are including hardwood on the stairs you can expect to pay $60 per step.
Hardwood flooring prices
As mentioned earlier, the price of the wood itself depends on style, thickness, wood type and whether or not it has been pre-finished or not. To get an idea of the price difference, here are a few different styles and prices, all of which can be found on Amazon.com.
- 5 inch Greenland Solid Hardwood Brazilian Cherry $0.99 S/F
- Robbins Armstrong 9/16 Kempas Natural Engineered Hardwood $1.69 S/F
- Bruce Hardwood 3 Springdale Plank Timberland Collection Oak Gunstock $2.09 S/F
- Red Oak Natural Engineered Floating Wood Hardwood Flooring $2.99 S/F
- Asian Walnut Acacia Solid Pre-Finished Hardwood Flooring $3.99 S/F
- Brazilian Black Tiger Solid Pre-Finished Hardwood Flooring $4.59 S/F
As you can see, there is flooring to suit all styles and budgets and making the decision of which one to choose really does just boil down to personal preference and how much you are willing to spend to improve the look of your home.