There are six common hardwoods used in the United States.
If you have a hardwood floor there is a good chance that you have one of these woods present in your home. If you want a hardwood floor it’s natural to ask, “How much do hardwood floors cost?”
To answer this we first have to look at what makes up a hardwood floor. How much do hardwood floors cost is a question that involves more than the raw materials or wood. There are other factors to consider as well, such as labor, sealant, etc.
Raw Materials
It is no secret that hardwood can be expensive. Most hardwood comes from trees that do not grow fast and can’t be harvested in the same quantity as softer woods. This means that the supply is always less, and therefore the cost per foot will be more.
A great example of this is oak, which is perhaps the hardest wood commonly used in construction. Oak is beautiful and durable but it can be incredibly expensive. It can also be difficult to get certain types of oak because of the availability and cost associated with them.
In the end it is your decision that will impact the cost of the raw materials. There are choices, and you have to decide which one makes sense for your home. You want to balance the look, durability, and cost when making this decision so you get the floor you want without paying too much.
When it comes to hardwood flooring options, there are cheaper woods to consider. These woods, like poplar, can be very beautiful and if stained almost impossible to tell apart from other, more expensive woods. The difference between woods can be considerable, ranging from around 3 to around 7 dollars per square foot.
Benefits of Hardwood Floors vs. Risks
It is true that there are a lot of reasons why people want hardwood floors. Most of us want them because of how beautiful they are, and what they do to a home. A hardwood floor can completely open up a home, making it inviting and brighter.
One thing that is also true, is that hardwood floors can be difficult to keep clean. This is especially true when it comes to water. In damper climates hardwood can be notoriously difficult to deal with, the wood can even warp if water soaks into the boards themselves.
To deal with the danger of water damage, you can use waterproof hardwood flooring.
The Size Of The Floor
A major component when determining the cost is going to be the size of the floor you want to be done. Home hardwood floors are priced by square foot. The larger the square footage that you need to be covered, the more the floor is going to cost.
The cost of raw materials, for instance, has to be multiplied by the size of the floor. This is why the difference of only a couple of dollars per square foot can make a huge difference in the hardwood flooring cost. The effect on the cost is multiplicative.
The other consideration is the length of time that it will take. If you’re hiring someone to do the floor, the longer it takes the more will be paid to the labor involved. This is why the size of the floor along with the materials chosen will make the single largest impact on the overall cost.
There are a few inferences we can make from this, however. The average cost for a hardwood floor runs between 6 and 12 dollars per square foot in total. This means that the average room will cost between $1,500 and $2,400 for an average size room.
Labor
Another consideration to make is the amount of labor that is going to be used. Each person who works on your floor is paid for their work, so that amount gets passed on to you. While this is an important consideration, it is not always true that the larger contractors cost the most.
The reason for this is that with a large enough crew, the job gets done very quickly. When this happens you may even find yourself saving some money over what you thought.
However, there is no debate that installing the floor yourself will save you money overall. If you have the skills and equipment, this is always an option for you. Minus the skills and equipment and you’ll be spending more on tools that you may only use once.
Sealant and After Installation
You may think that once the floor is installed that will be the end of it. On the contrary, there are several things you can have done to your floor. From staining it to look different to sealing it, protecting it against the elements, each choice has a price.
The more you want to be done to your floor, the more it will cost. This does have direct benefit though, as a sealed, stained hardwood floor is a lot more resilient. You can balance the cost of this also against the cost of maintenance, which will increase as the floor ages.
Figuring Out How Much Do Hardwood Floors Cost
Something that has to be considered is the area that you live in. Depending on where you are, the prices of various hardwoods could be different and they could also fluctuate. Find out what your local market looks like, it could save you tremendously.
Regardless, make sure that you don’t cut any corners. Using the best materials for the job and taking all recommended steps by your contractor will help you in the long run. You don’t want to get stuck with a floor that fails to deliver what you wanted in the first place.
We hope you enjoyed this, please take the time to look around the link above, and find out what we can do for you. How much do hardwood floors cost varies, but hopefully now you will have a better idea of the cost of your project.
