How Much Does Hardwood Floor Installation Cost in Los Angeles?
Hardwood floor installation in Los Angeles typically runs $8 to $15 per square foot installed for engineered hardwood and $10 to $20 per square foot for solid hardwood; refinishing existing hardwood runs $3 to $6 per square foot. Green Design and Build is a licensed general contractor (CSLB #1110975), bonded and insured, based in Van Nuys and serving Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties plus western Riverside and western San Bernardino counties.
The engineered-vs-solid decision isn’t just about budget in this market — it’s largely dictated by what kind of foundation your house has, which is why that question comes before species or finish in almost every LA hardwood conversation.
Hardwood flooring cost by project type
| Scenario | What’s included | Typical Los Angeles range |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft engineered hardwood | Material + installation, standard subfloor | $8,000 – $15,000 |
| Solid hardwood, per sq ft | Material + installation, nail-down over raised foundation | $10 – $20 / sq ft |
| Refinishing existing hardwood | Sand, stain (if changing color), and finish coats | $3 – $6 / sq ft |
| Herringbone or chevron pattern | Pattern layout adds material waste and labor time | +30% – 50% over standard plank |
| Stairs | Per stair, treads and risers in matching or complementary wood | +$75 – $150 / stair |
| Removing existing flooring | Demo and haul-away of carpet, tile, or old wood before install | +$1.50 – $4 / sq ft |
| Subfloor prep | Leveling, patching, or plywood underlayment before glue-down or nail-down | +$2 – $6 / sq ft |
These are typical Los Angeles budgeting estimates, not a price list or a quote. Your project can come in lower or higher depending on the house, the scope and the finishes; the only real number is a written proposal after a site visit.
What changes the price
- Species. White oak is the dominant choice in current LA remodels for its neutral tone and hardness; exotic species and wider select grades cost more per square foot both in material and in the labor to work with them.
- Plank width. Wide planks (5″+) read as more modern and cost more per square foot than traditional 2¼”–3″ strip flooring, both in material cost and in the added care needed to keep wide boards flat during installation.
- Site-finished vs. prefinished. Site-finished floors are sanded and coated after installation for a seamless, flush look but add days to the timeline and require the house to be clear of dust-sensitive activity; prefinished planks arrive with the finish already cured, install faster, but show a slight bevel at each seam.
- Installation method. Glue-down, nail-down, and floating each have different labor costs and different suitability depending on your subfloor — this is where foundation type does most of the deciding, covered below.
- Subfloor prep. Uneven concrete, squeaky old subfloor, or moisture issues all need addressing before hardwood goes down, and skipping this step is the most common cause of problems showing up months later.
- Pattern. Herringbone and chevron patterns cut planks at angles, increase waste, and require significantly more layout precision — expect a 30–50% premium over a standard straight-plank installation.
- Removing existing flooring and stairs. Both add labor time beyond the open-floor square footage rate and should be itemized separately in any quote.
Slab vs. raised foundation: the decision that drives everything else
In Los Angeles, whether your house sits on a concrete slab or a raised foundation with a crawlspace determines what’s actually possible, not just what’s recommended.
Slab-on-grade houses — common throughout the flatter parts of LA — generally call for engineered hardwood installed glue-down. Engineered hardwood’s plywood-based core handles minor subfloor irregularities and slab moisture far better than solid wood, and glue-down installation eliminates the fastening problem you’d otherwise have nailing into concrete.
Raised foundation houses — more common in older hillside and pre-war neighborhoods — have a wood subfloor over a crawlspace, which makes solid hardwood installed nail-down a realistic option. Nail-down solid hardwood is the traditional installation method and performs well here because there’s a wood substrate to nail into and better airflow underneath than a slab provides.
This isn’t a matter of preference — installing solid nail-down hardwood over a slab isn’t really viable, and it’s one of the first things confirmed during a site visit before we talk species or finish.
The region’s dry climate also plays a role: wider plank widths that would be riskier for gapping in humid climates are more forgiving here, which is part of why wide-plank white oak has become the default look in a lot of recent LA remodels.
Do you need a permit?
No, in most cases. Installing or refinishing hardwood flooring is not permitted work by itself. A permit becomes relevant only if the project involves changing the subfloor structure — replacing damaged floor joists or sheathing, or if the flooring work is part of a larger remodel that already requires permits for other reasons. That’s identified during the site visit, not left as a surprise.
How long does it take?
Refinishing existing hardwood typically takes three to five days, including sanding, staining if the color is changing, and multiple coats of finish with dry time between each. New engineered hardwood installation for a 1,000 sq ft space typically runs four to seven days depending on installation method. Solid nail-down hardwood generally takes similar time but site-finished solid floors add two to three additional days for sanding and finishing on-site. Herringbone or chevron patterns add extra days for layout and cutting precision.
A real example: whole-home remodel in Encino
New flooring throughout is a common piece of a full gut renovation, and our whole-home remodel in Encino is a good example of that scope — the house was taken down to the studs and rebuilt, with new flooring installed throughout as part of the overall rebuild. Projects at this scale are where flooring decisions get made alongside subfloor and structural work rather than as a standalone retrofit. See the project gallery for more completed work.
How to compare quotes
- Confirm species and grade specifically, not just “hardwood” — select grade white oak and a lower rustic grade of the same species can differ substantially in price.
- Ask whether the quote is for engineered or solid, and whether that matches your foundation type — a quote that doesn’t ask about your foundation before recommending a product is skipping a step that matters.
- Get the installation method in writing (glue-down, nail-down, floating) along with subfloor prep scope.
- Ask about finish coats and type — number of coats and finish sheen affect both durability and price.
- Clarify if pattern work (herringbone, chevron) is priced as a percentage add-on or a flat rate, and compare that against the standard plank price for the same footage.
- Check what’s included for stairs and transitions separately from the open floor area rate.
Where we do this work
Green Design and Build installs and refinishes hardwood flooring as a standalone service and as part of larger renovations — kitchens and full-home remodels included — across Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, and western Riverside and San Bernardino counties. See our flooring service page for full scope details.
Hardwood floor installation cost FAQs
Should I choose engineered or solid hardwood for my Los Angeles home?
It depends primarily on your foundation. Slab-on-grade homes generally call for engineered hardwood installed glue-down, since it handles subfloor irregularities and slab moisture better than solid wood. Raised-foundation homes with a wood subfloor and crawlspace can support solid nail-down hardwood, the traditional installation method.
Why is white oak so common in current hardwood installations?
White oak’s neutral, adaptable tone works with a wide range of design styles, and it’s a hard, durable species that holds up well to daily wear. It’s currently the dominant species specified in residential remodels, which also keeps it well-stocked and consistently priced compared to less common species.
Is refinishing existing hardwood cheaper than installing new flooring?
Yes, significantly — refinishing runs $3–$6 per square foot compared to $8–$20 per square foot for new installation. Refinishing only makes sense if the existing wood is solid hardwood with enough wear layer left to sand; engineered hardwood with a thin veneer often can’t be refinished more than once, if at all.
How much more does a herringbone or chevron pattern cost?
Expect a 30–50% premium over standard straight-plank installation. Pattern floors require more precise layout, generate more cut waste, and take longer to install correctly than a simple parallel-plank floor of the same square footage.
Can hardwood flooring be installed directly over a concrete slab?
Not solid nail-down hardwood — there’s nothing to nail into. Engineered hardwood installed glue-down is the standard solution for slab floors, provided the slab is properly leveled and checked for moisture before installation.
How long does new hardwood flooring take to install in an average-size room?
A single room (roughly 200–300 sq ft) typically takes one to two days for engineered glue-down installation, or slightly longer for solid nail-down. Add time for site-finishing if the floor will be sanded and coated after installation rather than using prefinished planks.
Get a written hardwood flooring price for your house
We start every hardwood flooring project with a free, roughly two-hour site visit to check your foundation type, subfloor condition, and go over species, width, and finish options. You’ll get a written proposal within 48 hours, and we respond to every inquiry within one business day. Call (800) 348-3050 to get started.