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
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your room.
| 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 money buys: laying solid and engineered board.
Who quotes for it
242 of the 1,142 carpenters and joiners listed on this site take on wooden flooring.
Where most of them are based: Leeds (5), Leicester (5), Sunderland (5), Aberdeen (5), Ipswich (5).
Questions about wooden flooring
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.
Do skirting boards need removing?
Not always. The expansion gap can be hidden with scotia beading instead, though lifting the skirting gives a cleaner result.