How Much Does It Cost to Install Hardwood Floors? (Price Guide)

Hardwood flooring is priced by the square foot, and the total depends on three things: the wood you pick, the amount of floor you cover, and how much prep the room needs. A narrow strip of oak in a clean, flat room sits at one end of the range. Wide planks in an exotic species, laid in a herringbone pattern over a tricky subfloor, sit at the other.

The figures here come from published cost guides and a consumer review platform, last checked Oct 13, 2026. Rates are per square foot, and project totals follow so you can see what a real room or house adds up to.

Installed cost covers the boards, underlayment, and the labor to lay and nail or glue them. Solid wood, engineered wood, and parquet each price differently.

• Solid hardwood is milled from a single piece of wood. It can be sanded and refinished several times, and it is more sensitive to moisture and humidity.
• Engineered wood has a real-wood veneer over a layered core. It tolerates humidity swings better and often suits basements and kitchens better than solid wood.
• Parquet uses small pieces arranged in geometric patterns. It takes the most labor, so it costs the most. Prefabricated parquet-style tiles give a similar look at a lower price.

Split the job in two and you can see where the money goes. Materials depend on species and grade. Labor depends on the room, the pattern, and the installer's rate.

Labor tends to rise with complexity. Diagonal layouts, herringbone, wide boards, and rooms with many cuts all take longer than straight runs in a plain rectangle.

Species changes the material price. Softwoods such as pine cost the least, common domestic hardwoods sit in the middle, and exotic species cost the most. These figures cover material only, before installation.

Harder species resist dents better but cost more to buy and can be harder to cut and nail, which affects labor. Bamboo is technically a grass and is priced close to hardwood.

Square foot rates are easier to use once you apply them to an area. These totals show a typical room, a larger home, and a mid-range sample of quotes from Yelp.

The big gap between a single room and an entire house shows why measuring matters. Order a bit of extra flooring to cover cuts and waste, and ask your installer how much overage they recommend.

Several line items sit outside the basic installed rate.

Tear-out is the common one. Some installers include it in the quote, while others add it. You may also need subfloor repair or leveling, new baseboards or trim, door trimming, moving furniture, and finishing if you buy unfinished boards. Ask which of these are included before you compare quotes.

• Wood species and grade. Rarer woods and cleaner grades cost more.
• Solid or engineered. The two have different material prices and different installation methods.
• Board width and thickness. Wider planks and thicker boards cost more.
• Pattern. Straight runs are cheapest. Herringbone and diagonal layouts add labor.
• Room size and shape. Many small rooms with closets and doorways add cuts.
• Subfloor condition. Uneven, damaged, or moisture-prone subfloors need repair first.
• Prefinished or site-finished. Sanding and finishing on site adds labor and time.
• Removal of existing flooring. Carpet, tile, or old wood has to come out first.
• Location. Labor rates vary by region.

Different guides report different ranges because they define the project differently. One may sample a wide mix of species and patterns, while another is built on a pool of real quotes from local installers.

Compare the lower and upper ends of each range with the work you actually need. A guide that includes premium species will lean higher than one dominated by standard oak.

The sources in this guide price new installation, so no repair figure is listed here. Repairs range from filling small gaps and replacing a few damaged boards to sanding and refinishing a whole floor, and each is priced differently. A flooring contractor can inspect the damage and tell you whether a patch will blend in or whether a larger refinishing job makes more sense.

Choose solid hardwood if you want a floor that can be refinished multiple times and you have a stable indoor climate on a wood subfloor. Choose engineered wood if you need more moisture tolerance, a floating or glue-down install, or a floor over concrete. Both look like wood once installed. Ask the retailer about the thickness of the wear layer on engineered products, since that decides how many times the floor can be sanded.

Nail-down hardwood needs a pneumatic flooring nailer, a flat subfloor, and good judgment about layout and expansion gaps. Floating and click-lock products are more forgiving for a careful DIYer. Mistakes in acclimation, moisture control, or spacing show up later as cupping, gaps, or buckling. A professional install also tends to come with a labor warranty, and manufacturers may require proper installation for their product warranty.

• Does the price include tear-out, disposal, and moving furniture?
• Is subfloor prep included, and how is a bad subfloor handled?
• Is the flooring prefinished or finished on site?
• Who supplies the underlayment, trim, and transitions?
• How much extra material is added for waste?
• What is the warranty on the product and the labor?
• How long will the job take, and when can you walk on the floor?