Hardwood flooring
Typically $12.50–$19 per square foot installed · 50–100 years · very poor against water
What it is
Solid hardwood is a plank milled from one piece of wood, three-quarters of an inch thick, nailed to a wood subfloor and either finished at the factory or sanded and finished in the room. It is the floor buyers recognize and the one that can be refinished for a century. It is also the floor most sensitive to where it goes: it moves with humidity, it cannot go on a slab or below grade, and it will not forgive standing water.
Cost
Typically $12.50–$19 per square foot installed at national averages, materials and labor together; the full range runs $9–$22. Typical installed cost is the middle half of the national range, materials and labor at average rates. Builder-grade product with the cheapest crew runs under it; premium product with a specialist runs over. Hardwood Flooring Cost covers what moves it, and the calculator adds removal, prep, stairs and trim for your square feet.
Installation
Nailed or stapled to a plywood or OSB subfloor, never to concrete. The wood acclimates in the house for several days first; skip that and the floor cups or gaps within a season. A site-finished floor adds sanding and three coats over three or four days. Prefinished planks are walkable the same day.
Durability
The finish takes the wear, not the wood. A factory aluminum-oxide finish outlasts a site-applied one; either can be renewed. Dents from dropped things and claw marks show, especially on softer species and dark stains.
Water resistance
The weakest point. A spill wiped up is fine; a leak found a week later is a replacement. It is not for bathrooms, laundry rooms or basements, and a kitchen is a judgment call.
Maintenance
Sweep, damp-mop with a cleaner made for it, and refinish every ten to twenty years. No sealing. Rugs at doors and felt under chairs are most of the job.
Pros
- Lasts fifty years or more and can be sanded and refinished repeatedly
- The material buyers recognize and pay for
- Real grain, real variation, no repeating pattern
- Repairs are possible board by board
Cons
- Moves with humidity; gaps in winter, cupping in summer
- Cannot go on a concrete slab or below grade
- Scratches and dents show, especially under dogs
- Among the more expensive floors installed, and site finishing adds days
Best rooms
- Living rooms
- Dining rooms
- Bedrooms
- Upstairs halls
Worst rooms
- Bathrooms
- Laundry rooms
- Basements
- Mudrooms
Pets
A poor match for dogs and cats that scratch. Harder species (white oak, hickory, maple) and a matte factory finish hide claw marks best; a soft species with a glossy site finish shows every one.
Kids
Fine for spills that are wiped up and hard on knees. A rug under the play area solves both.
DIY
Not a first project. A rented nailer, a flat subfloor, expansion gaps and, for site-finished floors, a drum sander that can ruin a floor in one pass.
Lifespan
Fifty to a hundred years with refinishing. The floor outlives its finish several times over.
Alternatives
Engineered hardwood, Luxury vinyl, Laminate. Hardwood vs Luxury Vinyl Plank · Solid vs Engineered Hardwood · Laminate vs Hardwood
Who should buy it
- You own a house with a wood subfloor and plan to stay
- Resale value and the real material matter to you
- The rooms are dry living spaces
Who should not
- The floor is on a slab, below grade, or in a wet room
- You have a large dog or several
- You need the whole house done for under $8 a square foot
Where it ranks
A top-three pick for: for resale value.
Getting it quoted
What a good hardwood quote includes, and the three questions to ask every contractor before you compare prices.
The failure modes, the care schedule and the buying guide for hardwood are on FlooringFAQ. This page is the decision; that one is the education.
Don’t start with the flooring. Start with your home.
Eight questions about the rooms, the household, the subfloor and the budget. A ranked shortlist with the reasons, the watch-outs and a project estimate.
8 questions · about 2 minutes · no obligation
Ready for hardwood quotes?
A hardwood quote should name the species, the width, the grade and the finish, and say whether the finish happens in a factory or in your living room. It should price the subfloor prep separately, say how long the wood will acclimate in the house before it is nailed, and put the sanding schedule in writing if it is site-finished.
No obligation. You choose whether to contact the professionals who respond.