Around Denver, new hardwood installation generally runs about $8 to $25 per square foot including materials and labor. That is a wide range because the material choice alone can double the number before anyone picks up a saw. Solid versus engineered, the species, the grade, the width, prefinished versus site-finished, and what has to come out first all decide where your job lands. That is the market range, not a quote for your house.
Denver hardwood floors since 1994.
The material. This is the biggest lever. A common-grade domestic species in a standard width sits at the low end. Select-grade white oak in a wide plank, or an exotic species, sits at the top. Engineered and solid overlap in price, and within engineered the wear layer thickness is what you are paying for.
Prefinished or site-finished. Prefinished planks arrive with the finish on and go down faster, so the labor is lower. Site-finished floors are installed raw, then sanded and finished in your house, which costs more up front and takes longer, but gives you a flatter floor, sealed seams, and any color you want.
Tear-out and disposal. Carpet is quick. Old hardwood, tile, or glued-down flooring is not, and it is priced as its own line.
The subfloor. Nobody knows what is under there until the old floor comes out. Usually it is fine. Sometimes there is moisture, a soft spot, or an old layer of particleboard that has to go. We inspect before we commit to a schedule.
Layout. Open rectangles are efficient. Closets, halls, angled rooms, and lots of transitions mean more cuts and more hand work per foot.
Stairs. Quoted per step, separately. New hardwood stairs run about $75 to $200 per step around Denver.
| Choice | Lower end of the range | Upper end of the range |
|---|---|---|
| Species and grade | Common grade red oak | Select white oak, wide plank, exotics |
| Construction | Engineered with a thin wear layer | Solid three-quarter inch, or engineered with a thick wear layer |
| Finish | Prefinished, installed and done | Site-finished: installed raw, sanded, stained, finished in place |
| Tear-out | Carpet | Glued-down flooring, tile, old hardwood |
| Subfloor | Sound and flat | Moisture, soft spots, particleboard removal |
| Layout | Open rooms | Closets, halls, angles, many transitions |
| Stairs | Straight run, capped treads | Full replacement, winders, landings |
Solid three-quarter-inch hardwood can be sanded and refinished several times across its life. Engineered hardwood can be refinished if its wear layer is thick enough, and it is more stable in Colorado’s dry air and wide humidity swings, which matters in basements and over concrete. Luxury vinyl plank runs about $5 to $12 per square foot installed and is waterproof, but it cannot be repaired or refinished. If you are deciding between them, the LVP cost page and the full pricing guide lay out the trade honestly.
Two boxes of flooring can look identical in a warehouse and behave completely differently in ten years. The wear layer decides whether the floor can ever be sanded. The core decides whether it gaps in February and presses in July. Mill tolerance decides whether you feel ridges between boards under bare feet. And the finish decides whether it still looks good in year three. We use Bona finish systems on site-finished work and will explain the rest in more detail than you probably want.
We measure, look at what is coming out, check the subfloor where we can, and give you a written number that does not move unless you change the scope. Free, no obligation. If your existing floor is sound and refinishing would get you there for a fraction of the cost, we will tell you that too.
Brothers Flooring, Denver hardwood floors since 1994
Serving Denver and the metro area, including Wash Park, Park Hill, Congress Park, Sloan's Lake, Cherry Creek, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Englewood, Cherry Hills Village, Littleton, Aurora, and Lakewood
Licensed and insured
Bona Certified Craftsman
EPA Lead-Safe Certified
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Call (303) 366-0721
At the Denver market range of $8 to $25 per square foot, roughly $12,000 to $37,500 for materials and labor. The material you pick is the biggest variable, followed by tear-out and site finishing.
Not always. They overlap. A thick-wear-layer engineered plank can cost as much as solid. Thin engineered is cheaper but cannot be refinished.
Prefinished floors are often done in a few days. Site-finished floors add sanding, finishing, and cure time, so plan on a week or more depending on size.
Yes, with the right product. Engineered hardwood or LVP is usually the answer over concrete. Solid hardwood generally is not.
Usually, by a lot, if the floor is structurally sound. Refinishing runs about $3 to $8 per square foot in Denver against $8 to $25 to install new.
Since 1994.
Built on Quality — Rooted in Trust