How Much Does Hardwood Flooring Cost in 2024?

Hardwood flooring costs range from $2,245 to $6,110, with most homeowners paying an average of $4,140 for a single room.

Hardwood is the flooring material that adds the most value to a home. On average, homeowners nationwide spend $4,140 to install solid hardwood flooring, with prices ranging from $2,245 to $6,110.

While the total costs can vary significantly depending on the type of wood, the space’s size, and the installation’s complexity, the average cost of hardwood flooring per square foot ranges from $7 to $16.

In this cost guide:

Average Hardwood Flooring Costs in 2024

National Average Cost$4,140
Typical Price Range$2,245 – $6,110
Extreme Low-End Cost$1,065
Extreme High-End Cost$11,605

The average cost of installing hardwood floors typically runs from $2,245 to $6,110 for a 200-square-foot room. Of that total, 25% to 50% is used to pay for labor.

If you’re on a budget but still want the beauty and warmth of new hardwood floors, consider the following tips:

  • Choose a less expensive wood type, such as pine.
  • Install the wood in a straight pattern.
  • Purchase the flooring in bulk.
  • Refinish your existing hardwood flooring instead of installing a new one.

Hardwood Flooring Cost Estimator by Size

The square footage of the area highly influences hardwood flooring installation costs. Typically, installing hardwood costs between $7 and $16 per square foot, including labor and materials, but these costs can decrease or increase depending on the wood grade.

The costs estimated below are based on the average costs per square foot, so you can use them to estimate your project’s cost:

Project Size Average overall cost 
100 sq. ft.$700 – $1,600
200 sq. ft.$1,400 – $3,200
300 sq. ft.$2,100 – $4,800
400 sq. ft.$2,800 – $6,400
500 sq. ft. $3,500 – $8,000

Hardwood Flooring Cost Estimator by Wood Type

When looking for the best hardwood floors for your home, you might have noticed that different types of wood have different price points. That can be due to various factors, including the wood’s quality, availability, and demand. 

Next, we will show you the differences between the most common wood types, including their costs: 

Wood TypeAverage Cost (Per Square Foot)
Pine$3 – $6
Cypress$4 – $6
Cherry$4 – $7
Bamboo$2 – $10
Hickory$4 – $9
Red Oak$5 – $9
Maple$5 – $10
Mahogany$6 – $8
White Oak$6 – $11
White Ash$7 – $10
Brazilian Walnut$8 – $14
Teak$9 – $13

Pine

Pine flooring is a relatively inexpensive option for flooring. It can give your home a warm and natural look, but because it is a softwood floor, it is prone to dents and scratches, so it may not be the best choice for high-traffic areas or if you have pets.

Price (material only): $3 – $6 per square foot.

Cypress

Cypress wood has a distinct light yellow color. It is durable, resilient, and termite-resistant, so you most likely won’t have to worry about those icky insects feeding off your flooring. However, cypress is also a softwood, and as such, it can become scratched and dented.  

Price (material only): $4 – $6 per square foot

Cherry

Cherry hardwood flooring is a relatively soft wood, with a Janka rating of 950 (a measure of hardness for each wood), which makes it more appropriate for low-traffic areas such as bedrooms. However, cherry flooring is prized for its beautiful reddish color and can give your home an elegant touch. 

Price (material only): $4 – $7 per square foot

Bamboo

Bamboo is not considered hardwood because the Bamboo plant is a type of grass, not a tree. However, Bamboo is a renewable resource that grows quickly, making it more sustainable than other types of wood flooring. In addition, this type of flooring is durable and prone to fewer scratches than other hardwood flooring options.

Price (material only): $2 – $10 per square foot

Hickory

Hickory is known for its sturdiness and durability, making it a popular choice for high-traffic areas or homes with pets and children. In addition, hickory has the highest Janka rating, which means it is the hardest flooring option and doesn’t dent or scratch easily. 

Price (material only): $4 – $9 per square foot

Red Oak

Red oak hardwood flooring has a beautiful grain pattern and natural luster, which give it a sophisticated look. It is a popular choice for flooring due to its strength and ability to resist stains, and it can be finished in a variety of ways to achieve different looks.

Price (material only): $5 – $9 per square foot

Maple

Maple has a Janka rating of 1450, meaning it is a sturdy option for hardwood flooring. Maple flooring has a light, creamy coloring with a subtle grain and is typically finished with light or neutral stains. This type of hardwood can be used in high-traffic areas and can last for generations if cared for properly.

Price (material only): $5 – $10 per square foot

Mahogany

Mahogany hardwood floors have a rich brown-red color that can warm up any room. It is a hard and stable type of wood that won’t fade easily with sunlight. It can also withstand wear and tear reasonably.

Price (material only): $6 – $8 per square foot

White Oak

White oak flooring is a strong and durable wood that can be used in high-traffic areas and even in kitchens, as it is more resistant to water than red oak. It has a light color but can be stained in multiple color options.

Price (material only): $6 – $11 per square foot

White Ash

White ash hardwood floors are a durable and modern option for more contemporary homeowners looking for stain-resistant flooring. It has a bold grain design, medium density, and a light color.

Price (material only): $7 – $10 per square foot

Brazilian Walnut

Brazilian walnut, also known as ipe, is a dense and durable wood resistant to wear, rot, and most insects. It also has moisture resistance and can be installed over radiant heat systems. It is a popular choice for flooring because of its versatility and attractive appearance.

Price (material only): $8 – $14 per square foot

Teak

Teak hardwood flooring has a deep brown tone with a straight grain, making it look elegant in every home. It is a dense type of wood with high oil content, giving it a shine with no need for additional treatments. It can last for decades with very low maintenance necessary, as it is also resistant to water and most insects.

Price (material only): $9 – $13 per square foot

Other Factors That Affect Cost

Hardwood flooring installation is not a straightforward process. Multiple factors can significantly affect your total budget:

Labor

You can expect to pay between $3 and $8 per square foot for labor for hardwood flooring installation or between 35% and 50% of total costs. Labor costs will vary depending on the type of wood and the complexity of the installation. Most pros include trim and molding in the total.

Labor and installation costs are also influenced by the hardness of the different types of wood. For example, the Janka rating refers to the hardness and density of hardwood floors. Wood types with a high Janka rating, such as walnut and hickory, are more challenging to install than softwoods like pine and cypress and will end up costing more. 

Something else that drives up labor costs? Intricate patterns and complex room layouts will also cost more in labor as they require more cuts.

Style

The pattern in which you choose to install hardwood flooring can significantly affect the project’s overall cost. The simpler the pattern, like straight and linear patterns, the lower the costs:

StyleAverage Cost Per Sq. Ft. (Materials and Labor)
Wide Plank$3 – $15
Herringbone$5 – $16
Click and Lock$10 – $14
Wood Look Tile$13 – $20
True Parquet$20 – $45
Parquet-Style Tile$7 – $15

Wide Plank

Wide plank flooring consists of wider boards covering a larger surface area, meaning fewer planks are required to cover a given space. Installing hardwood in planks is the most common type of installation because it is faster and, therefore, more cost-effective. 

Installing wide planks costs between $3 and $15 per square foot.

Herringbone

Installing hardwood flooring in a herringbone pattern typically costs more than installing planks in a straight pattern due to the increased time and labor required. That happens because herringbone requires the contractor to carefully lay the wood in a zigzag pattern to achieve the desired visual effect.

Installing hardwood in a herringbone pattern costs between $5 and $16 per square foot.

Click-and-Lock

Click-and-lock flooring is a popular option for DIYers because it doesn’t require nails or glue. In this flooring style, the floorboards are designed to interlock with each other, allowing you to simply click them into place without needing screws or glue. However, click and lock is usually an engineered wood flooring option rather than solid hardwood.

Installing click-and-lock flooring costs between $10 and $14 per square foot.

Wood Look Tile

Wood look tile is an excellent option for flooring if you want the appearance of hardwood but in areas prone to high humidity, like bathrooms and kitchen floors. Although it’s not real wood, it can give you a warm, natural look without the need for maintenance real wood requires.

Wood look tiles can be made from porcelain, which is usually more durable, or ceramic, which is more affordable. Wood look tiles cost, on average, from $13 to $20 per square foot.

True Parquet

Parquet is a type of wood flooring made of small wooden blocks arranged in a geometric pattern. Installing parquet is a labor-intensive process. It requires the flooring installer to measure the blocks carefully and cut them to fit together in the desired design, so it usually costs more. 

Installing parquet flooring costs between $20 and $45 per square foot.

Parquet-Style Tile

If you like the look of parquet but don’t want to pay the exorbitant prices, there is an alternative: parquet-style tiles. They can be made from ceramic or porcelain, and they mimic the appearance of parquet.

Parquet-style tiles cost between $7 and $15 per square foot.

Wood Grade 

The grade of hardwood floor refers to the quality and appearance of the wood, with high grades having more quality and, therefore, being more expensive. Factors that can affect the grade of a hardwood floor include the presence of knots, color variations, and other natural imperfections.

Higher grades of hardwood usually are smoother, more consistent in color, and have fewer imperfections, while lower grades may have a more rustic and imperfect look.

Grade of WoodAverage Cost Per Sq. Ft. (Materials and Labor)
Low Grade$6 – $10
Mid Grade$9 – $16
High Grade$12 – $22

Wood Dimensions

The dimensions of the wood planks used for hardwood flooring can have a significant impact on your project’s overall costs. Here’s how:

Thickness

Most planks used for flooring are ¾-inch thick, costing between $3 and $8 per square foot. This sort of wood thickness allows you to refinish your floors up to 10 times. 

On the other hand, thinner wood planks of 5/16-inch cost less, about $2 to $5 per square foot, but will make refinishing more tricky. Finally, thicker pieces of wood of about ⅞ inch may cost between $4 and $11 per square foot.

Width

Wood planks used for hardwood flooring are typically 3 inches wide. Still, getting wider planks is possible if you are willing to pay a higher price, as these planks will require more raw material. However, installing wider planks is easier and may reduce labor costs, in addition to giving your home a more upscale look.

Length

Traditional hardwood floors are typically made in 3-foot long planks. Still, it is possible to get shorter or longer planks depending on your personal preference and the style of your home. Logically, longer planks are more expensive because they are made with more solid wood.

Subfloor and Joist Repairs

The subfloor is the layer installed over the structural floor of your home, giving your flooring a level and stable surface to be installed on. When the subfloors and underlayment are not in good condition, it can cause issues with the flooring installation and decrease its lifespan.

Repairing subfloors can add between $500 and $775 to your budget.

It is also common to discover that the joists, the structural beams beneath your flooring, are damaged. In that case, it is essential to address this problem, as it can lead to serious structural issues in your flooring.

Repairing joists cost between $40 and $60 per square foot.

Finishing and Coating

Because solid wood is a natural material, it is more prone to wear and tear, scuffs, dents, and water damage. Therefore, to protect the wood, a finish or coating is applied to the surface. Several types of finishes are available, including polyurethane and penetrating resin finish, with penetrating finish on the higher end.

However, the most crucial factor regarding costs and finishes is whether the wood is prefinished or unfinished. Prefinished wood flooring has already been sanded, stained, and coated at the factory, so it usually costs more upfront. Still, unfinished flooring requires the contractor to perform all of these steps on-site after the installation, which will also increase labor costs.

Related Services 

In addition to the flooring installation, there are a few related services that can help you get the most out of your hardwood floors:

Radiant Floor Heating

Radiant floor heating is a home heating system that uses hot water or electricity to heat the floors, which is then diffused into the surrounding air. It is energy efficient, quiet, and can improve indoor air quality by reducing the circulation of dust and allergens.

Before installing hardwood flooring, consider making your house as comfortable as possible with a radiant heating system. They cost between $1,705 and $6,020, with an average price of $3,835.

Refinishing

After installing your hardwood floors, you won’t have to worry much about them for the next 10 or 20 years, which is when you’ll need to refinish them. Refinishing is the process of sanding down your floor’s top layer and applying a new coating to it to restore the shine and protect it from wear and tear.

Refinishing costs between $3 and $8 per square foot and can turn your old flooring from lackluster to brand new.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl might be the answer if you’re looking for a budget-friendly alternative to hardwood flooring. Vinyl can look like wood; it’s scratch resistant, can be installed in bathrooms and kitchens, and is an excellent option for DIY projects.

Vinyl flooring comes in various styles and colors, so you can choose what best fits your home’s style. Installing vinyl flooring costs, on average, $2,120, with most homeowners paying between $865 and $3,330, or $2 to $11 per square foot.

Cost of Hardwood Flooring by Location

The costs for hardwood flooring installation can vary depending on where your home is located. In general, contractors in metropolitan areas charge more for their services than those in rural areas due to the higher living costs and demand. 

Additionally, suppose you live in an area away from suppliers. In that case, you may need to pay more for the transportation of the wood planks to your home.

FAQ

Can you Install Hardwood Flooring DIY?

Although it may seem tempting to save on labor costs by installing the flooring yourself, it’s not worth the risk. Hardwood is not an easy DIY project like click and lock floating flooring or vinyl sheets, and when poorly installed, it can lead to warps, splits, and shrinking. It’s best to hire a professional to ensure that the job is done correctly and avoid having problems in the future.

Is Wood Flooring Cheaper Than Carpet?

No, it isn’t. Carpet installation costs between $760 and $2,335, while hardwood installation costs between $2,245 and $6,110. Although carpet installation costs less than hardwood flooring, hardwood is often considered a better investment in the long run. It is more durable and adds the most resale value to a home. 

Do Wood Floors Increase Home Value?

Wood flooring is the flooring option with the most significant return on investment. They are desirable for many homebuyers nationwide because they are elegant and can last for many decades with proper care. In addition, they can be refinished, which allows for a fresh look without having to renovate the flooring completely.

Final Thoughts 

Hardwood floors can be a great home improvement project for any home looking for a warm and elegant look. However, it’s important to keep in mind that proper installation is key to ensuring that your floors will last for years to come. So be sure to find a flooring contractor near you to get more bang for your buck.

Note: LawnStarter may get a referral fee for matching you with contractors in your area.

Main Image Credit: Mitch Barrie / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Maria Isabela Reis

Maria Isabela Reis

Maria Isabela Reis is a writer, psychologist, and plant enthusiast. She is currently doing a PhD in Social Psychology; and can't help but play with every dog she sees walking down the street.