DontKnowFloors

Per square foot, hardwood flooring typically is on the high end of the cost curve. In addition, because it takes more time and skill to install hardwood flooring than, say, vinyl squares, installation costs are higher. However, if you’ll be installing it yourself as described in this website (Installing Solid Wood Flooring), the total cost compares favorably with other materials. In fact, by shopping around you can get the materials for installing hardwood floors for approximately 200 percent of the cost of typical vinyl flooring materials.

If you want to save on labor more than on materials, consider prefinished flooring that has been stained and sealed at the factory. You will install it in the same manner as unfinished hardwood flooring, but won’t have to then sand, stain, and seal the floor. The milled hardwood is coated with a polymer with additives to make it harder; aluminum and titanium oxide are popular additives to polymer coatings. The factory typically uses ultraviolet (UV) light to bake as many as eight coats of the polymer on the wood. The surface is harder than the one you could apply to unfinished hardwood flooring in your home.

Pro Tip

Once you know which solid hardwood flooring material best fits your needs, use the manufacturer’s SKU number to shop around for the best price.