Cost guide
How much does wooden flooring cost?
Fitting wood flooring costs £20 to £45 per square metre in labour. Herringbone and parquet run £45 to £90 because of the setting out and the waste.
Typical prices
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Engineered board, floating, per m² | £20 to £30 |
| Engineered or solid, glued or nailed, per m² | £30 to £45 |
| Herringbone or parquet, per m² | £45 to £90 |
| Sub-floor levelling compound, per m² | £8 to £18 |
| Lift and refit skirting, per metre | £6 to £12 |
Labour and materials are usually quoted separately for flooring. A price per square metre that sounds low is often labour only.
What moves the price
- Pattern. Straight plank is quickest; herringbone and chevron take two to three times as long.
- Fixing method. Floating on underlay is fastest, then secret-nailed, then fully glued.
- Sub-floor preparation, levelling and moisture testing on concrete.
- Removing an old floor covering and disposing of it.
- Scotia or lifting and refitting skirting to hide the expansion gap.
What the job involves
Preparation decides the result. A sub-floor has to be flat, dry and clean before anything goes down, and on a concrete slab that means checking moisture and often laying a membrane. Engineered board can float on underlay, be glued, or be secret-nailed to battens. Solid timber has to be fixed and needs an expansion gap at every wall, hidden by the skirting or the beading, because a solid floor fitted tight to the walls will lift.
Questions about wooden flooring
Solid or engineered wood flooring?
Engineered for anything over underfloor heating or on a concrete slab, because it moves far less. Solid where the floor may want sanding several times over decades.
Can wood flooring go over underfloor heating?
Engineered board can, within the manufacturer's temperature limits. Solid timber generally should not.
How do I stop a wooden floor squeaking?
Fix the movement rather than the noise: screwing loose boards down to the joists, and packing any gap between joist and board.