Engineered hardwood flooring costs $6 to $12 per square foot for materials alone, or $9 to $20 per square foot installed for a mid-range product, according to HomeGuide (updated October 2025)1. HomeAdvisor puts the average installation at $6,750 for 500 square feet, within a range of $3,500 to $10,000, and $7 to $20 per square foot installed (updated June 2026)2. Angi puts the national average at $4,750, with most homeowners spending $2,000 to $7,000, at the same $7 to $20 per square foot installed (updated October 2026)3. HomeAdvisor and Angi are corporate siblings; several of their tables match, which alone does not establish independent corroboration, and their averages diverge here, so each is labeled throughout this guide.
Cost by wood grade
HomeGuide's per-square-foot figures by construction, materials and installed (2025)1:
| Construction | HomeGuide materials per sq ft (2025) | HomeGuide installed per sq ft (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Budget, 3 core layers | $2 – $9 | $5 – $17 |
| Mid-range, 5 core layers | $6 – $12 | $9 – $20 |
| High-end, 7+ core layers | $9 – $16+ | $12 – $24+ |
HomeAdvisor and Angi publish identical grade figures – basic at $5 to $9, mid-grade at $6 to $12, and high-end at $13 to $20 per square foot, with basic carrying three core layers and high-end seven or more (2026); as corporate siblings sharing the figures, the match does not establish independent corroboration, and the pages do not state whether these are materials-only or installed23.
Cost by wood species
HomeGuide's materials-only per-square-foot figures by species (2025)1:
| Species | HomeGuide materials per sq ft (2025) |
|---|---|
| Bamboo | $2 – $6 |
| Brazilian cherry | $5 – $9 |
| Brazilian walnut | $5 – $10 |
| Cherry | $4 – $7 |
| Cypress | $4 – $6 |
| Heart pine | $2 – $4 |
| Hickory | $3 – $7 |
| Mahogany | $6 – $8 |
| Maple | $3 – $10 |
| Red oak | $2 – $6 |
| Teak | $9 – $13 |
| White ash | $5 – $8 |
| White oak | $4 – $7 |
HomeAdvisor's materials figures for six common species (2026)2:
| Species | HomeAdvisor materials per sq ft (2026) |
|---|---|
| Heart pine | $3 – $5 |
| Hard maple | $5 – $8 |
| White ash | $6 – $8 |
| Acacia | $5 – $10 |
| Brazilian koa | $7 – $15 |
| Brazilian cherry | $8 – $16 |
Angi publishes its own materials-only species table with figures that diverge from both – for example, heart pine at $2 to $5, acacia at $3 to $8, cherry at $4 to $10, and teak at $9 to $13 per square foot (2026)3. These are separately published figures with overlapping species priced differently, and no conclusion about which applies follows from the differences.
Cost by plank size
Angi's per-square-foot figures by plank thickness (2026)3:
| Plank thickness | Angi cost per sq ft (2026) |
|---|---|
| 5/16 inch | $2 – $5 |
| 3/4 inch | $3 – $10 |
| 7/8 inch | $5 – $15 |
Angi also puts specialty wide planks of 6 to 12 inches at $5 to $18 per square foot (2026)3. HomeAdvisor puts the added cost of thicker planks at $1 to $3 per square foot above standard half-inch planks (2026)2.
Cost by room size
Angi's installed figures by room type (2026)3:
| Room | Typical size (sq ft) | Angi installed cost (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Laundry room | 50 – 100 | $350 – $2,000 |
| Bathroom | 50 – 160 | $350 – $3,200 |
| Bedroom | 100 – 300 | $700 – $6,000 |
| Living room | 200 – 400 | $1,400 – $8,000 |
| Whole house | 1,500 – 3,000 | $10,500 – $60,000 |
HomeAdvisor's installed figures by total square footage (2026)2:
| Area (sq ft) | HomeAdvisor installed cost (2026) |
|---|---|
| 500 | $3,500 – $10,000 |
| 1,000 | $7,000 – $20,000 |
| 1,500 | $10,500 – $30,000 |
| 2,000 | $14,000 – $40,000 |
| 2,500 | $17,500 – $50,000 |
| 3,000 | $21,000 – $60,000 |
One within-source conflict to flag: Angi's FAQ states 1,000 square feet costs “$700 to $20,000,” which does not follow from its own $7 to $20 per-square-foot range, so that figure does not appear here3.
Labor and prep work
HomeGuide puts installation labor at $3 to $8 or more per square foot (2025)1; HomeAdvisor and Angi put labor at $3 to $10 per square foot or $60 to $80 per hour, roughly 50% of the total cost (2026)23. For finishing, HomeAdvisor and Angi put applying a protective coating to unfinished planks at $2 to $7 per square foot, and HomeAdvisor adds that pre-finished planks add at least $2 per square foot to materials (2026)23.
Angi's prep-work figures (2026)3:
| Prep job | Angi cost (2026) |
|---|---|
| Carpet removal | $150 – $250 |
| Old floor removal | $200 – $1,000 |
| Joist repair | $350 – $1,000 per joist |
| Subfloor replacement | $900 – $3,000 |
| Subfloor repairs | $2 – $10 per sq ft |
Other publishers' prep figures use different units or scopes: HomeGuide puts carpet removal at $0.70 to $1.60 per square foot or $140 to $320 per room, floor joist repairs at $500 to over $5,000 total, and subfloor repairs at $200 to $1,200 for minor work or up to $6,000 for major work (2025)1. HomeAdvisor puts subfloor replacement at $400 to $3,000 – diverging from Angi's $900 to $3,000 despite the shared corporate ownership, so both are labeled – subfloor leveling with poured concrete at $1,000 to $1,500, joist replacement at $2,000 to $30,000 per project, and old hardwood or tile removal at $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot (2026)23.
Repairs and upkeep costs
Angi's figures for later repair work: a repair kit at $20 to $75, individual plank replacement at $7 to $20 per square foot (or a contractor's minimum charge), and refinishing at $3 to $8 per square foot (2026)3. See our hardwood floor refinishing cost guide and floor repair cost guide.
Engineered vs. solid hardwood
All three sources put solid hardwood higher than engineered: HomeAdvisor and Angi put engineered at $7 to $20 per square foot installed against solid hardwood at $11 to $25, with high-end solid reaching $40 or more (2026)23, and HomeGuide separately puts solid hardwood at $11 to $25 per square foot installed (2025)1. The matching $11 to $25 figure appears on pages that state no shared sourcing beyond the corporate sibling relationship between two of them, so the match alone does not establish independent corroboration. See our hardwood floor installation cost guide.
Hiring a flooring installer
HomeGuide recommends comparing itemized estimates from at least three installers, verifying licensing and insurance, and getting a written estimate that breaks out materials, labor, underlayment, subfloor preparation, and old-floor removal (2025)1. For subfloor and installation-method requirements, follow the exact product's manufacturer instructions.
Related guides
Hardwood Floor Repair Cost
See our guides to hardwood floor installation cost, hardwood floor refinishing cost, bamboo flooring cost, and cork flooring cost.