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Some projects require a large monetary investment and time. But one of the biggest and most satisfactory is buying a home. Each part of its construction and adaptation can be complicated, but perhaps one of the most difficult elements to choose is the floor. This element practically defines the decoration of a room, which is why many people are slow to select a material. However, if there is something that never goes out of style and is always a correct option, are wooden floors. If you want to place a hardwood floor, surely you wondered ever “how much does hardwood flooring cost?” Here we will help you to resolve this question and give you some tools to calculate its cost per square foot.
Hardwood floors are gaining popularity among builders and owners of homes. It is elegant due to its wide variety of designs, and it is quite durable due to its composition. Acquiring hardwood floors translates into long-term investments. It is a guarantee that hardwood floors will not be damaged over the years.
This variety of designs and their resistance are causing the price of the hardwood floors to be higher than that of other coatings. However, that does not mean you cannot get one that fits your budget. Also, hardwood floor installation is not that expensive.
With the following guide, you will learn how much does hardwood flooring costs and the variants that determine this price. You will learn how to search among the different options of hardwood floors available in the market. And, most importantly, you will learn some tricks to reduce hardwood floor costs.
How to calculate hardwood flooring costs
As with other materials, you must take into account many things with hardwood floors. Are the hardwood floor water and shock-resistant? What are the available designs? The thickness of the hardwood floor? Even the installation affects hardwood flooring cost.
Everyone calculates the floors in meter or square foot. When acquiring tiles or porcelain, the price calculation is with the measurements of the floor. Similar case with hardwood floors. Even hardwood flooring installers calculate hardwood flooring installation in this way.
In addition, in the hardwood floor installation, you must take into account the existence of cuts and pieces that break. This is usually 5-12% more square footage to buy. Due to this, it is common that at the end of the work you have leftovers, but you can use them as a replacement in the future. Therefore, the hardwood flooring cost will be higher.
Other factors get out of hand and go beyond simple measurements. The work that the hardwood flooring installers have to do when installing the hardwood floor is one of them. For example, if the subfloor does not meet the requirements for laying the hardwood floor, they will need to fabricate a new one. The use of glue or nails for the hardwood floor installation can affect the hardwood floor cost too, although the change is minimal.
How much does hardwood flooring cost?
Different options per square foot
Hardwood floors are one of the coatings with more alternatives on the market. This means that no matter your budget, you are likely to find something that suits your tastes and needs. Hardwood flooring prices vary according to their physical qualities.
For greater convenience, hardwood flooring cost is divided into 3 large groups. Each one is characterized by the qualities of the material.
The cheaper option
In the first place, we can find woods such as pine or poplar. They are mass-grown softwoods whose hardness is not very high, so their market price is lower. Usually, you can found them for a cost per square foot between $3 to $6. These are not the options you are looking for if you want hardwood floors, but you have to keep them in mind for lowering costs.
The most versatile options
If we are looking for hardwood floors, then we are interested in the middle group. The vast majority of the woods used to cover floors are in this category due to their somewhat higher resistance. Trees like American cherry, teak, or oak make this level, which are still found in large quantities for sale. They usually cost per square foot between $5 to $10.
The great exponents
Finally, we reached the highest point where we found the most exotic hardwood floors of all, with a cost per square foot that can exceed $8 to $15. Some of the most popular are mahogany or Brazilian walnut. In addition to being striking, the resistance of these hardwood floors is very high, so they are guaranteed for many years with hardly any damage. Of course, the solid hardwood flooring cost will be pretty high.
It should be noted that you must add the hardwood flooring installation labor to these costs. Usually, this is 50% more than the cost of the hardwood floor, so if you spend $100, the installation will be an additional $40 to $50. If you have the tools and the knowledge, you can even install your hardwood floor yourself.
Manufacturing drastically affects hardwood flooring costs
Solid Wood – Achieve the best designs with solid hardwood flooring
Beyond the origin of the material, how it is processed can drastically affect hardwood flooring costs.
The first option that comes up when talking about hardwood floors is solid wood. They are boards whose composition is entirely wood, which has only been cut, beveled and varnished to be part of a solid hardwood floor.
Solid wood has certain advantages that could reduce the hardwood floors cost in the long term. The first is that the installation is mostly done with nails, which is a simple job and not that expensive.
Another advantage of solid wood is that, as it is a solid block, you can repair and sand it many times. In this way, you avoid having to replace a complete piece if it ever splinters.
Solid wood also has a couple of drawbacks that should be considered before purchasing it. The first is its cost: being practically all wood, the flooring cost is higher (especially if it is an expensive tree). The second problem is that solid wood installation must be precise. Leaving the wrong expansion joints could result in the hardwood floor bending. Solid hardwood flooring looks great, but you have to treat it very carefully.
Engineered hardwood – Economical installation and resistance to forces
A cladding alternative that emerged to replace conventional hardwood floors is engineered wood. This is made up of several layers of scraps of wood and other materials compressed to create a uniform and thin piece. A final topcoat of hardwood is applied to create the design. Since it is a synthetic material, the hardwood flooring prices are lower.
Engineered hardwood, in addition to being cheaper than pure wood, is more resistant to the forces generated by the expansion of the board. It is the hardwood flooring par excellence in large spaces
Another feature is that engineered hardwood installation can be done using glue, nails, or leaving it floating on a subfloor. That is because each piece comes with tabs to assemble them as tongue and groove. You can install hardwood floors of this type without prior knowledge.
The main drawback of engineered hardwood is that it hardly has a layer of wood on top, so it cannot be sanded much. This means that if the part begins to chip, you will need to replace the hardwood floor.
Both processes are especially notable when you ask yourself “How much does hardwood flooring cost?”
Installation of solid wood tends to cost per square foot $7. Engineered hardwood varies between $3 to $8 per square foot depending on the installer. More exactly, engineered wood can cost per square foot around $7 between installation and material purchase.
Data that will make your life easier
Give it a second chance
Wood is a versatile material: if damaged, it can be easily replaced. However, people forget that hardwood floors can be repaired with sanding and some paint. This process can be repeated several times until the top layer wears out completely, which will save you a lot of money on buying a new hardwood floor.
Hardwood flooring installation it’s a heavy job. You should not only ensure that you save money, but also save time and energy.
Change the mood with the right hardwood floors
Although it is not something unique to hardwood floors, the rooms can change drastically depending on the colors you combine in them.
Oak is a species of tree whose wood is quite clear and serves to create more cheerful and sober spaces. Using it as a hardwood floor can make any room look more cheerful.
On the contrary, walnut is an opposite alternative for those who want to create contrast or achieve an elegant atmosphere. You can test different combinations for different spaces as long as the flooring cost is reasonable.
Install hardwood floors according to the room and its use. For kitchens and bathrooms, it is better to opt for light colors for their neatness.
How much does hardwood flooring cost? – A difficult answer
As we have seen, choosing a single type of hardwood floor is quite complicated. However, it remains as one of the most durable, stylish, and useful materials that can be entrusted to any space in the home or business. Therefore, if you are willing to make an investment that will last many years, it’s worth spending the money on a hardwood floor installation.
Hardwood flooring prices are hard to calculate. In the end, it depends on the needs of each user. Our final recommendation is that, if you have a small budget for your hardwood floor, try to lower the flooring cost with small actions. You can install hardwood floors by yourself. You can select softwoods for the less transited sections. There are many tricks when it comes to hardwood flooring.
If you enjoyed reading this article about how much hardwood flooring costs, we also wrote about how to remove hardwood flooring, how to install hardwood flooring on stairs with nosing, how to repair scratches in hardwood flooring, how to remove glue from hardwood flooring, how to install engineered hardwood flooring, how to lay hardwood flooring, how to restore hardwood flooring, and how to choose hardwood flooring.