Solid Wood Flooring Cost

How Much Does Solid Wood Flooring Cost?

Soft Woods: DIY $1,300-$2,500; Installed $2,400-$4,400

Hardwood, DIY: $2,000-$4,000

Hardwood, Installed: $3,700-$7,800

What most people think of as traditional wood flooring is made using boards (usually about 3/4-inches thick),solid wood flooring is generally available in strips (boards less than 3 inches wide) or planks (up to 7 inches or more), although it can be made in geometric squares (parquet).

Typical costs:

Soft woods such as pine run about $3 -$6 a square foot for the boards; adding nails/staples, baseboards/trim and other supplies, materials can be $1,300 -$2,500 for DIY installation of a 400-square-foot family room. Do-it-yourself installation requires at least intermediate-level carpentry skills. The Family Handyman magazine provides instructions and estimates it costs $5 a square foot and requires two weekends per room. Professional installation adds another $3 -$5 or more a square foot, making total installed costs (materials and labor) about $2,400 -$4,400 for a 400-square-foot room.
Hardwood flooring like oak, American cherry or teak runs $5 -$10 a square foot or $2,000 -$4,000 in materials for a 400-square-foot room. Professional installation adds another $4 -$8 or more per square foot, making it around $3,700 -$7,800 for labor and materials.
Less expensive wood may have more knots, color variations and other natural imperfections. Depending on the species, more expensive wood should be more consistent in color. A North Carolina homeowner paid $9 a square foot to have a prefinished wood floor installed, while California homeowners paid $20,000 for 1,400 square feet (about $14.30 a square foot) of white oak solid plank flooring in varying widths of 4-, 6- and 8-inches with high-quality on-site finishing.
Exotic hardwoods such as mahogany, cypress or Brazilian walnut can be $8 -$14 a square foot uninstalled, or $3,200 -$5,600 for materials for a 400-square-foot room.

What should be included:

Most solid wood flooring is tongue-in-groove, meaning the boards fit together before being nailed or stapled onto a plywood sub-floor. (There are some thicker products -- 5/16th- instead of 3/4-inch -- that can be glued down on a concrete subfloor.) Because it's sensitive to moisture, solid-wood flooring should never be installed in a room below ground level, such as a basement. HomeTips.com provides a brief overview. BobVila.com displays a video showing the installation of solid pine flooring, and Lowe's provides a how-to video for prefinished solid wood flooring.

Additional costs:

There can be extra charges for furniture removal and replacement; ripping out and disposing of old flooring material; repairing or replacing a damaged subfloor; and removing and then re-hanging doors.. A Conneticut installer charges an extra 20 cents per square foot to remove old carpet, another 20 cents per square foot for moving furniture and $15 per appliance moved.

Shopping for solid wood flooring:

Major manufacturers of solid-wood flooring include Armstrong, Columbia, Country Plank and Lebanon Oak. Solid-wood flooring is available from most home improvement centers and flooring stores/contractors.
The World Floor Covering Association provides a directory of retail floor stores by zip code.
Installing a solid wood floor requires moderate to advanced skills. Ask about the installer's training and experience with solid wood flooring, and request (and contact) references from satisfied customers. Some companies provide photos of previous projects. Request confirmation that they're properly bonded and licensed (state licensing requirements vary), and check for complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau.