Wooden flooring costs

Wooden flooring is one of the most popular choices for flooring in the UK because it looks so good and doesn’t go out of style. Easier to keep clean than carpet, it’s a great choice if you have pets or small children.

Wooden flooring costs anywhere between £60-£160 per square metre to install, including the flooring itself. But what factors make up this cost? We’ll go through it in this guide.

How much does wooden flooring cost in the UK?

How much wooden flooring costs in the UK depends on where you live, the type of wooden flooring you choose and how difficult it is to lay, but these are the average costs to expect:

How much you spend on labour for your wooden floor will vary depending on where you live. London and the south east tends to have the highest rates, while labour is cheaper in the north and Scotland.

HaMuch has a huge database of hourly and daily rates for carpenters and floor fitters across the country, so we’ve compiled this data to provide average costs for most towns and cities across the UK. Take a look at the table further down the page to get an idea of how much carpenters charge in your area.

What affects the cost of installing wood flooring?

Size of room

The size of your room will have the biggest impact on how much it costs to lay wooden flooring. The larger your room is, the more you’ll have to pay – and if there are lots of corners or your carpenter will have to make lots of cuts, it will drive up the cost more.

For an average 17 square metre living room, expect to spend between £1,020-£2,700 on wooden flooring.

Type of wooden flooring

The type of wooden flooring you choose will affect the cost too. Softwood flooring options like pine are the cheapest real wood flooring, while laminate flooring, which gives a wood effect, is even cheaper.

There are a few different types of wooden flooring to consider:

Softwood: Softwood flooring is a good choice if you’re on a budget. Materials like pine cost around £30 per square metre and offer a light, pale brown colour.

Hardwood: Hardwood flooring is usually made from oak, maple, beech, bamboo and many others. Hardwoods generally last longer than softwoods with proper care and maintenance.

The type of wood you choose will depend on the look you want for your home – for example, ash flooring has a light-coloured finish, while cherry is dark red in colour.

Expect to pay around £30-£40 per square metre for hardwood flooring.

Engineered wood: Engineered wood flooring is made up of a thin layer of hardwood that’s bonded on top of a high-quality plywood. It’s more resistant to moisture so is a better option for kitchens and bathrooms than solid wood.

Oak, walnut and elm are popular wood species for engineered wood flooring, and they often come pre-finished, eliminating the cost of staining and varnishing the floor.

Engineered wood flooring costs between £40-£80 per square metre.

Pattern of your wood floor

If you want parquet flooring, which refers to a set of patterns of flooring like herringbone or chevron, expect to pay more.

It will take your carpenter longer to lay parquet flooring than a standard floor because they have to make lots of cuts and position the boards to ensure that the pattern flows throughout your room.

You could pay up to £200 per square metre for parquet flooring.

Your location

Where you live will have a big impact on how much you pay a carpenter to lay your wooden flooring. Carpenters tend to charge more in major cities where the cost of living is higher, while those working in more remote areas will charge less.

Take a look at our table further down the page to get a more accurate idea of labour costs in your area.

Wooden flooring video

What is the lifespan of wooden flooring?

Properly-maintained hardwood flooring could last as long as 100 years, although you’ll notice fading after around 25 years.

Softwood flooring will still last a long time, but is more susceptible to wear than hardwood – expect it to last between 25-50 years.

In contrast, laminate flooring will last much less time – it will start to look worn within 20 years in high-traffic areas.

Are wooden floors warmer than tiles?

Yes, you’ll notice that wooden floors are warmer than tiles. Tiles often feel very cold underfoot as they’re usually made from porcelain or ceramic that don’t have good insulating properties.

Wooden floors also feel softer, which can be good if you have young children who might fall over a lot!

Are wood floors cheaper than tile and carpet?

In general, wood floors are more expensive than carpets and around the same price as tiles. However, it all depends on the quality of the floor covering.

You could spend more on a luxury carpet than you would on a mid-range wood floor, or less on mid-range tiles than you would on engineered wood flooring.

Consider your budget and aim to get the best quality flooring you can for your money.

Do wooden floors add value in the UK?

Yes, wooden floors are bound to add value to homes in the UK. Wooden floors are becoming more and more popular, and due to their longevity and timelessness, they are very attractive to potential buyers.

However, it’s important to get your wooden flooring laid properly and maintained well, which is why we’d always recommend getting a carpenter to lay your wood flooring. If you try to lay your flooring yourself and get cuts wrong or stain it incorrectly, you could ruin its look – and therefore damage the prospect of a higher offer from buyers.

If you’re ready to get quotes for your wooden flooring, post your job on HaMuch now. We’ll put you in touch with qualified carpenters in your area that are available to do the work.

Estimates for common flooring specialist jobs;

Rates for other trades