What’s in these numbers

Each total is a typical job, priced the way a contractor’s estimate is priced:

  • #1 common solid oak flooring, unfinished, with the old floor taken up and 10% over the floor for cuts.
  • Sanded and finished in place, with a natural finish.
  • Overhead and profit: 20%, the standard markup on a contractor’s estimate.
  • Sales tax on the materials, at the state’s average rate.

The sizes are the floor’s square feet: a 12 by 12 bedroom is 144, about 150 with a closet.

Not in them: subfloor repair or leveling, stairs, stain colors, baseboard and shoe molding, moving furniture, and floor-to-floor transitions.

What moves the price

  • The wood and grade. Select and clear grades of oak cost more than #1 common; exotic species and wide planks more still.
  • Site-finished or prefinished. Unfinished boards sanded and finished on site, as here, against prefinished boards that go down finished.
  • Engineered wood. A plywood core under a wood veneer, which can float or glue down where solid wood can’t, such as over concrete.
  • Stain. A stain color is an extra step on top of the natural finish.
  • The subfloor. Soft or uneven subfloor gets fixed before the new floor goes down.
  • Where you live. Pick your state in the box above.

The flooring cost calculator compares laminate, carpet and epoxy for a room; the laminate cost guide has the lower-cost floor.

Common questions

How much does it cost to install hardwood floors in one room?

About $3,150 to $3,900 for a 150 sq ft room, typically $3,500, sanded and finished.

How much for 1,000 square feet of hardwood?

About $21,000 to $26,000, typically $23,250.

What does hardwood flooring cost per square foot installed?

$21.00 to $26.00 a sq ft for #1 common oak, sanded and finished, with the old floor taken up, overhead, profit and sales tax.

Is hardwood more than laminate?

Yes, on the same rooms priced the same way: a 500 sq ft job is about $10,500 to $13,000 in oak against $5,000 to $6,300 in laminate.