Most cost guides give one number for installing hardwood. That number usually hides two or three separate jobs. This guide splits the price into the same lines we put on our quotes. Add up the ones that fit your room, and you have a real estimate.
Hardwood Floor Installation Cost Per Square Foot
Our quotes list each part of the job on its own line. Most lines are priced by the square foot. The floor itself is always the biggest one.
| Line on the quote | Typical price | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| The floor, supplied and fitted | $7.50 to $17.75 per sq ft (about $10 typical) | Every job |
| Taking out old hardwood | $3.00 to $3.25 per sq ft | When there is a wood floor now |
| Carpet removal | About $200 for a single room, more for larger areas | When there is carpet now |
| Sanding and finishing | $4 to $6 per sq ft | Only for unfinished wood |
Add the lines that fit your room. That gives you a working estimate.
One more thing shows up in our numbers. A single room usually costs more per square foot than a whole floor. If you plan to do one room now and more later, ask us to price it both ways.
How the Type of Wood Changes the Price
The wood you choose changes the price more than anything else. It matters more than the size of the room. The first three rows are typical prices across our quotes this year. The last two are real premium jobs. Each one covers the floor, supplied and fitted.
| Floor | Supplied and fitted |
|---|---|
| Luxury vinyl plank | About $8.50 per sq ft |
| Unfinished hardwood, nailed down (finishing is extra) | About $10.35 per sq ft |
| Prefinished hardwood | About $12.25 per sq ft |
| Quarter-sawn white oak, unfinished | About $19.30 per sq ft |
| Brazilian cherry, select grade | About $22.75 per sq ft |
Quarter-sawn white oak costs almost twice as much as typical unfinished hardwood. The crew and the work are the same. The difference is the wood.
Patterns also change the price. Straight rows go down fastest. Herringbone, chevron and borders are laid one board at a time, so they take longer and cost more.
It helps to see the wood at full size before you choose. Our Holmdel showroom has full-size samples of every floor we install.
Want a price for your own room?
Free in-home estimates across Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Mercer counties. See our hardwood floor installation services.
Prefinished or Finished in Your Home?
This choice explains the difference between the two ranges at the top of this page. Hardwood comes in two forms, and each one is priced differently.
Prefinished boards come with the stain and top coats already on. They are finished at the factory. Once they are down, you can walk on them almost right away. There is no sanding in your house.
Unfinished boards arrive as bare wood. After we install them, we sand the whole floor flat and finish it in place. That step adds about $4 to $6 a square foot.
For that extra step, you get a flat, smooth surface with no small grooves between the boards. You can also pick any stain color, and we test it on your own floor first. We finish with Bona Traffic HD, the same water-based finish we use when we refinish floors. It comes with a 10-year finish warranty.
Here is the part that surprises people. Prefinished boards cost more per square foot, about $12 against $10 for unfinished. But unfinished wood still has to be sanded and finished in your home. Once that is added, the unfinished floor usually ends up a little higher, around $15 a square foot. The gap is often small. On some jobs, the two land at about the same price.
So the choice is less about price and more about the result. Prefinished is faster, with no sanding in your home. Site-finished gives you a custom color and a smoother look. We will tell you which one fits your room.
One Room, Two Prices
Here is how that choice plays out in a 500 square foot room. That is about the size of a living room and dining room together. Both examples use typical prices from our quotes. Both leave out removing the old floor, since it costs the same either way.
Prefinished hardwood. The floor costs about $12.25 a square foot. Total: about $6,125.
Unfinished hardwood. The floor costs about $10.35 a square foot, or $5,175. Sanding and finishing it in place adds about $2,250. Total: about $7,425.
The prefinished boards cost more, but they skip the finishing step. The two quotes end up about $1,300 apart. Neither one is padded. So before you compare two quotes, check which kind of floor each one is pricing, and whether finishing is included.
These examples also leave out subfloor repairs and extras like new shoe molding.
What It Costs to Replace an Old Hardwood Floor
Replacing a hardwood floor costs the same as a new install, plus the cost of taking the old floor out. On our quotes, pulling up old hardwood adds about $3.00 to $3.25 a square foot. In the 500 square foot room above, that adds about $1,500 to $1,625 to either quote.
Before you replace an old floor, find out if it can be refinished instead. It often can, and it costs much less. More on that below.
What Happens Under the New Floor
A floor is only as good as what is under it. Before the new floor goes in, we take out the old one and check the subfloor and moisture.
On a nail-down job, we first screw the plywood subfloor to the joists. This helps stop squeaks. Next comes a moisture barrier. Then we nail the new floor down one board at a time.
Vinyl plank is floated or glued instead. Engineered hardwood can go over a concrete slab or radiant heat, where solid wood cannot.
New hardwood also sits in your home for a few days before we install it. This lets the wood adjust to your home's temperature and humidity. Skipping this step can lead to gaps or cupping later.
We check the subfloor and moisture during the free estimate. If the subfloor needs work, it shows up on the quote, not halfway through the job.
Other Costs You May See on a Quote
Not every job has these. When one applies, it gets its own line and its own price. Nothing is hidden inside the floor price.
| Line | Typical price |
|---|---|
| New shoe molding and trim | About $2.50 to $3.50 per linear foot |
| Moving furniture | About $75 for a single room, usually $150 to $400 for larger jobs |
| Material delivery | $200, or pick it up at the warehouse |
Stairs are their own job. Once the new floor is down, older stairs next to it can look dated. Our stair and rail team prices stairs separately, and we can schedule both at the same time.
Installing Your Own Flooring, or Buying Material Only
Install only. If you already bought your flooring, we can install it. You pay for the labor and prep, not the material.
Material only. If you only need the flooring, we can order it for you from our suppliers. We buy the flooring on your behalf, and it ships from the supplier. Delivery is $200, or you can pick it up at the warehouse.
Could You Refinish Instead?
If you already have hardwood, even under carpet, you may not need a new floor. Refinishing usually costs $4 to $8 a square foot. That is well below the cost of a new floor. If the wood is sound, refinishing often gives you the better floor, too.
The main limit is how much wood is left to sand. We check that at the estimate. Then we tell you which job you need, even when it is the cheaper one.
→ How much hardwood floor refinishing costs
→ Our sanding and refinishing service
Why National Cost Sites Show Different Numbers
National cost sites list ranges as wide as $6 to $25 a square foot. They average the whole country. They also rarely say what their number includes.
Our numbers come from our own quotes in New Jersey. They are split into the same lines you will see on your quote.
If a quote comes in far below these ranges, ask what it leaves out. The most common gap is sanding and finishing on an unfinished floor.
We install hardwood, engineered and vinyl plank floors across Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Mercer counties. That includes Holmdel, Middletown, Red Bank, Rumson, Colts Neck and Marlboro.
