Hardwood Floor Installation Cost in Cary & Apex, NC
There is no honest single price for a hardwood floor. The cost depends on the wood you choose, your rooms and what is under the floor today. This page explains what changes the price and what we need from you to prepare a written proposal.
What affects the cost
- The wood
- Solid or engineered, species, grade, plank width and the finish.
- Size and layout
- Square footage, and how many rooms, closets, hallways and angles the floor has to run through.
- The subfloor
- Whether it is flat, dry and solid, or needs leveling or repairs before the new floor goes down.
- The floor you have now
- Carpet, tile, vinyl or old hardwood, and whether it needs to be removed. Removal and disposal are charged separately and itemized in your proposal.
- Moisture
- Many Triangle homes sit on crawl spaces or slabs, and North Carolina summers are humid. Moisture has to be checked before hardwood is installed.
- Installation method
- Nail-down, glue-down or floating, depending on the product, the subfloor and the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Stairs and transitions
- Stair treads and risers, landings, and where the new floor meets doorways, cabinets and other floors.
- Trim details
- Baseboards, quarter round and thresholds.
Solid vs. engineered hardwood
Both are real wood on the surface. Neither is always the cheaper option: the price depends on the specific product, species and width.
Solid hardwood
- One piece of wood through its full thickness
- Can usually be sanded and refinished several times over its life
- Usually nailed to a wood subfloor
- More sensitive to humidity changes, so it is generally not installed directly on concrete slabs or below grade
Engineered hardwood
- A real hardwood top layer bonded to a layered core
- More stable when humidity changes
- Can go over more types of subfloor, including some concrete slabs, by nailing, gluing or floating, depending on the product
- How many times it can be refinished depends on the thickness of the top layer
What we need to prepare your estimate
- Photos of each room and of the floor you have now, including stairs and doorways
- The approximate size or number of rooms (a rough number is fine)
- The floor you have now, and whether it should be removed
- The wood you have in mind: solid or engineered, species or a product link, or “not sure yet”
- Whether the home is on a slab, a crawl space or a basement, if you know
- Your ZIP code and when you would like the work done
- Whether the rooms will be furnished during the work
Final measurements, the subfloor and moisture are checked in person before the price is confirmed.
How to request a proposal
- Text photos to (919) 525-4755, call us, or use the estimate form.
- We review what you sent and contact you about the next step.
- We schedule a visit to measure and check the subfloor, moisture and access.
- You receive a written proposal with the scope, price and schedule. Nothing starts until you approve it.
Cleanup after the flooring work is included in every flooring service. That means we clean the area we worked in when the flooring work is done. It does not cover areas we didn’t work in. Post-construction cleaning is a separate service, with its own scope and written price.
Cost questions
Why can’t you give me a price over the phone?
Because the biggest cost factors, like the subfloor, moisture and the exact measurements, can only be checked in person. Photos help us prepare, and the written proposal comes after the visit.
Is engineered hardwood real wood?
Yes. The top layer is real hardwood. The core underneath is made of layers that make the board more stable when humidity changes.
Do I need exact measurements to ask for an estimate?
No. A rough size or the number of rooms is enough to start. We measure during the visit.
