Wood Flooring Installation Cost Per Square Foot

When determining your budget of both time and money for a project of this size you need to consider the cost factors of each area. The larger an area being covered by flooring the more expensive it will be for both material and labor costs. Due to this, we have included a chart for the cost per square foot for installation as well as the cost for different wood types.

Traditional Wood Flooring Cost

Most traditional wood floorboards are less than 3 inches wide while measuring 7 inches plus. Wood type, as well as wood quality, are used to determine to price for floor installation.

Lower priced softwoods on average cost $3 to $6 per square foot for materials and will require $3 to $5 per square foot for labor costs.

Mid-priced woods cover a wide range of woods like oak and cherry on average these will cost between $5 to $10 per square foot for materials and will require $4 to $8 per square foot for labor costs.

High priced woods are usually made of harder or exotic woods like cypress and tigerwood, but due to their price point these words are more expensive on average these will cost between $8 to $14 per square foot for materials and will require $4 to $8 per square foot for labor costs.

Engineered Wood Flooring Cost

Engineered wood flooring is a mixture of wood backing, plywood, and real wood veneer. These engineered floors come in different colors as well as different types of underlayers making them longer lasting than real wood floors.

Low cost engineered flooring has 3 layers as well as a top layer of wood veneer between 1/12 and 1/16 inches thick. On average materials will cost $3 to $5 per square foot with labor costs ranging between $3 and $10 as well.

Mid-priced engineered flooring has an increased number of layers as well as a thicker veneer. On average materials will cost between $5 to $10 per square foot with labor costs ranging between $3 to $10 per square foot.

High priced engineered flooring has 7 plus layers with a thicker top layer of veneer around 1/6-inch-thick of exotic woods. Costs will range between $8 to $13 per square foot as well as $3 to $10 in labor costs as well.

Installation Cost Considerations

The reason for such a range of labor costs is because there are several factors to include like the experience level of your contractor, market rates for the area you live in, and how large plus the complexity of your project. Depending on other tasks that need to be done before flooring can be installed like removing furniture, subfloor replacement, disposal of the old floor, carpet removal or appliance removal. Some contractors charge based on the project size as well while some contractors charge 20 cents per square foot for flooring removal.

Hardwood Flooring Installation Prices By Types

If you have pets or small children, then hardwood floors may not be an appropriate option for you. If you decide to go with the hardwood floor you would want solid wood floors because of their increased durability. Since hardwood floors can warp or stain due to water damage any spills or other accidents will need to be wiped up quickly to avoid damage that could potentially ruin your floors.

Hardwood floors are often referred to as one category of building supplies, but they are made up of several different trees with different colors, prices, and durability ranges. Below we have created a list of common hardwood floor wood types.

• Maple: Is hard and dent-resistant, makes them great for high-volume areas like hallways; these range from light red colored to white cream colors ($3.50–$6/sq. ft.)
• Pine: This wood is lighter colored ranging from ambers to light beige with knot patterns but is prone to damage like dents or scratches. ($1.50–$4/sq. ft.)
• Bamboo: This is the most durable and hardest wood available colors can range from stone grey to chestnut or even natural colored. ($2–$4/sq. ft.)
• White Ash: This wood is very durable and can be hard to stain so expect to see colors in a more natural cream color to a pale gray or light tan. ($5–$6/sq. ft.)
• Hickory: Is a hard, dense wood with color ranging from dark espresso to a lighter sea drift color or known as “mild to wild” colors. ($3–$6/sq. ft.)
• Red Oak: As the name implies red oak has a reddish tint, with visible grain and coupled with highly durable wood. ($2–$6/sq. ft.)
• Brazilian Walnut: This is an exotic wood mostly seen in brown shades and is very hard making it durable enough for high traffic. ($5–$9/sq. ft.)

Additional Cost Considerations

Regardless of your flooring type, your subfloors will need to be evaluated for their structural integrity to determine if there will need to be extra work done before the new can be installed. On average plywood, subflooring costs $22 for an 8-foot by 4-foot sheet of plywood. Most carpenters charge between $20 to $35 per hour for installation of subfloors as well as new floor joists. If you are installing hardwoods floor over concrete, most handymen would recommend not gluing the planks to the floor but instead to use a “floating floor”. Due to the high cost of having a floor installed it is best o check for potential leaks or moisture before the installation is done to reduce the chance of planks warping from water.

Other flooring types and their costs

If you are still undecided on which style or type of floor works best for you we have included a few handy resources as well as a refinishing cost guide.

• Average flooring installation cost per square foot
• Stone flooring types and their cost per square foot
• Hardwood floor refinishing cost

Urban Customs Installs Hardwood Flooring In Phoenix, Arizona

At Urban Customs we offer all types of flooring installation in Phoenix, Arizona, including Wood flooring, stone flooring, and bamboo flooring. Request a free flooring installation quote from Urban Customs today! Our address is 8050 N 19th Ave #127, Phoenix, AZ 85021.