The Short Answer
On our estimates, engineered wood flooring costs about £45 to £95 per m² supplied and fitted, or £25 to £55 per m² to fit boards you've bought. Solid wood is £80 to £140 per m². An 18m² living room in engineered wood comes to about £810 to £1,700.
A room of 16m² or so is usually fitted in a day. I'd choose engineered for most homes: it moves less than solid wood and comes ready-finished.
Flooring cost calculator
Priced per square metre of floor, supplied and fitted or fitting only, with the extras that change the price.
Estimated total
£680 to £1,430
| Engineered wood, 15m², supplied and fitted | £680 to £1,430 |
Wood flooring prices
| Room | Area | Engineered, fitted | Solid, fitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom | 12m² | £540 to £1,150 | £960 to £1,700 |
| Living room | 18m² | £810 to £1,700 | £1,450 to £2,500 |
| Open-plan ground floor | 40m² | £1,800 to £3,800 | £3,200 to £5,600 |
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Fitting only, engineered, per m² | £25 to £55 |
| Fitting only, solid, per m² | £35 to £60 |
| Underlay, per m² | £3 to £10 |
| Levelling the subfloor, per m² | £6 to £30 |
| Floor fitter, per day | £200 to £300 |
Engineered or solid?
Quick-Step, a flooring maker, explains the difference:
- Engineered is built from layers of wood with a real wood top layer. It's much less prone to expanding and contracting, can be floated or glued down, and comes factory-finished, ready to use once laid. Its own boards, with a 2.5mm top layer, can be sanded at least twice over their life.
- Solid wood is one piece of timber, traditionally laid tongue and groove (slower to fit) and usually sanded and finished with oil, varnish or wax after laying. It can be sanded down to the tongue, so it can be refinished more times.
Engineered is cheaper than solid but can be refinished fewer times. I'd choose engineered for most homes, and solid only where you want a floor you can sand back many times over decades.
How long it takes
We estimate a 14m² room at 4 hours to a day, 16m² at 6 hours to a day and 18m² at a day to a day and a half. Herringbone and parquet cost more: herringbone fitting costs well above straight boards. If the floor below is new screed, it has to dry first (see floor screeding).
Can you fit it yourself?
Quick-Step says its click-fit engineered boards are designed to be laid yourself, floating or glued. I'd say that's realistic for a confident DIYer in a square room. I'd pay a fitter for glue-down or nailed floors, herringbone, or anything over an uneven subfloor, where mistakes are expensive to undo.
Looking after it
A worn wood floor doesn't need replacing: sanding and refinishing costs about £18 to £40 per m² on our estimates, a fraction of new. See floor sanding costs. For something cheaper that looks similar, compare laminate.
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Wood floors are priced per m², by engineered or solid and how they're laid.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fit engineered wood flooring?
On our estimates, about £45 to £95 per m² supplied and fitted, or £25 to £55 per m² fitting only.
Can you fit engineered wood flooring yourself?
Click-fit engineered boards are designed for it, Quick-Step says. Glue-down, herringbone or an uneven subfloor is a job for a fitter.
What are the downsides of engineered wood flooring?
It costs more than laminate, and it can be refinished fewer times than solid wood, because the real wood top layer is thinner.
How much do floor fitters charge in the UK?
About £200 to £300 a day on our estimates, or £25 to £55 per m² to fit engineered boards.
How we priced thisView sources (2)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- IndustryWhat's the difference between engineered and solid wood?, Quick-Step. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- IndustryHow long does screed take to dry before laying laminate flooring?, Quick-Step. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
