The short answer
For a typical US home, expect $8 to $25 per square foot for hardwood installed, with most jobs landing between $12 and $18. A 500 square foot room therefore runs somewhere between roughly $4,000 and $12,500 once you include the things that are easy to forget, like removing the old floor.
That range is wide because “hardwood floor” covers a lot of ground. Red oak in a straight lay over a good subfloor sits near the bottom. Walnut in herringbone over a floor that needs leveling sits near the top.
Cost by wood species
Material is the line you control most directly. This table shows typical material prices, then material plus basic installation. It excludes waste, removal, finishing and trim.
| Species | Material | Solid, installed | Engineered, installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red oak | $4–8 | $7–16 | $6–13 |
| White oak | $6–11 | $9–19 | $8–16 |
| Maple | $5–10 | $8–18 | $7–15 |
| Hickory | $6–11 | $9–19 | $8–16 |
| Ash | $5–10 | $8–18 | $7–15 |
| Cherry | $8–14 | $11–22 | $9–18 |
| Walnut | $9–16 | $12–24 | $10–20 |
Per square foot, national average planning ranges. Engineered is modeled at 85% of solid material cost with lower labor.
Cost by room size
Total cost scales with area, but small rooms cost more per square foot because installers have minimum job sizes and more cuts. These totals assume red oak, solid, straight lay, 10% waste and nothing else.
| Room | Material + labor |
|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | $740 – $1,680 |
| 150 sq ft | $1,110 – $2,520 |
| 250 sq ft | $1,850 – $4,200 |
| 500 sq ft | $3,700 – $8,400 |
| 1,000 sq ft | $7,400 – $16,800 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $11,100 – $25,200 |
Labor versus material
Material typically runs $4 to $16 per square foot depending on species and whether you buy solid or engineered. Labor for nailing down solid boards runs roughly $3 to $8 per square foot, and engineered installs usually come in a little lower because gluing or floating takes less time.
Pattern is the big labor multiplier. Diagonal layouts add around $0.75 to $2 per square foot. Herringbone and chevron add $3 to $6, and also raise waste from about 10% to about 20% of the boards you buy.
Costs that sit outside the per-foot price
- Removing the old floor: about $1 to $3 per square foot plus haul-away.
- Subfloor prep: $0.75 to $4 per square foot depending on how much leveling or repair is needed.
- Sanding and finishing on site: $3 to $6 per square foot on top of the boards.
- Baseboards or shoe molding: roughly $1.50 to $9 per linear foot depending on whether you add or replace.
- Stairs: about $60 to $150 per step.
Rule of thumb: take the per-square-foot number an installer quotes, then ask what it leaves out. The difference between a low and high quote is usually in the extras, not the boards.
Build your own number
Averages only get you so far. Use the estimator to set your room size, species, pattern and extras, and read your total line by line.