Demand spurred by pandemic leads to shortages, delays. More than a year after the coronavirus oubreak in the U.S., the hardwood flooring industry is continuing to face supply shortages—and experts say the delays many wood floor pros are experiencing could continue through at least the rest of the year.
Hardwood flooring found itself in a unique predicament in 2020 — significant demand in the second half of the year coupled with raw material shortages made it tough to fill inventories.
A new analysis from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) states that rising softwood lumber prices have increased more than 250 percent since April 2020, causing the average price of a new single-family home to increase by nearly $36,000.
And additionally, hardwood flooring will never go out of style. If you're looking to replace your flooring in your home, hardwood flooring may be at the top of your list. Of all the flooring trends in recent years and historically, hardwood flooring has become a mainstay in homes all over the world.
The inventory is low, the demand is at an all-time high and so are the prices. Many are surprised to learn that the availability of white oak is not the issue— as many as 5.2 billion white oak trees cover 235,000 square miles in the United States.
Both hardwood types are affordable, but red oak tends to be less expensive than white oak. Prices, however, do fluctuate, and red oak might become more expensive than white oak depending on lumber availability. Prices vary, and brands, retailers, wood grade, and even plank dimensions can influence pricing.
As costs of materials, transportation and labor continue to increase, many manufacturers in the flooring industry have recently announced price increases, particularly on vinyl and hardwood products. The root cause of these price increases comes from many factors, said Russ Rogg, president of Metroflor Corp.
Hardwood Floors
No matter the decade, no matter the furnishing style, hardwood floors have always been prized. Like most natural materials, the organic texture of wood never loses its appeal.
1. Hardwood Continues to Dominate. Hardwood has remained at the top of the podium for decades now and continues to dominate the home flooring industry.
Lumber will be strong through 2021 and this drop in lumber prices is great news for homebuilders and real estate developers alike if they choose to take advantage of their low rates now.
The increased prices and supply shortage slowed down construction. Then, in summer 2021, prices fell back to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Now, lumber prices, like most commodities, are rising again.
Prices for hardwood floors have increased anywhere from 15 to 70 percent. The increased lumber costs are due to species scarcity, fuel inflation and a lack of truck delivery.
White oak is still the best all-around hardwood and remains in reasonably good supply. It is a valuable, rather expensive wood, but is usually less expensive than cherry and walnut.
Blonde wood flooring
While dark finishes like ebony and espresso have their place among 2021 trends, lighter colors have a way of making rooms feel larger, which complements the open floor layouts that are popular today. This effect has increased demand for more natural tones, including blonde wood finishes.
A choice of timeless hardwood floor colors
Brown Maple floors have hues of rich gold, amber and brown. Cherry floors feature a burnished auburn color that will darken over time. Hickory offers hues from lighter blonde sapwood to cocoa brown and beige heartwood. Red Oak comes in deep, salmon tones.
Wood is one of the most timeless materials available, which is why this wood-look tile is a top choice for our timeless flooring list. Mimicking the look of natural wood, the graining on this tile will have you questioning whether this is natural wood or tile.
In general, hardwood flooring is the most expensive material when it comes to flooring installation cost per square foot. Many national providers' websites show price ranges from less than $1 per square foot for laminate flooring to more than $10 per square foot for premium, hand-scraped hardwood brands.
Dark stained hardwood flooring is by far the best selection when it comes to overall popularity and resale value. Some of the best darks stains for wood are espresso, dark walnut, and antique brown. These darker colors often give way to more color combinations since they do not lean towards a yellow or orange tint.
How Long Will Grey Last? The Trend Is Ending. Prominent grey colored hardwood floors have been strong the last 6-7 years. With hardwood floors, strong trends usually last five years, then something else comes along or so it seems.
Installing hardwood flooring averages between $6 and $12 per square foot. On average, wood flooring costs between $3 and $7 per square foot for materials and $3 to $5 per square foot for labor. An estimate for installation of 1000 square feet of hardwood flooring runs between $6,000 and $12,000.
$4.50 – $7.00 Per Sq/Ft. The average labor costs to install hardwood is between $3 and $4 per sq/ft, but depending on factors like your location, the condition of your subfloor, the complexity of the project and the reputation of the installer this average baseline rate increases to $4.50-$7.00 per sq/ft.
Telling white oak and red oak apart: Check the endgrain
If you look at the endgrain and see that the pores are open and uncovered, it's red oak. The pores in white oak are filled with tyloses, which are outgrowths of the tree's xylem vessels. The pores of red oak lack this outgrowth, which makes them appear to be open.
Maple is among the harder wood species, with a 1450 rating on the Janka wood hardness chart. As one of the densest wood species, Maple is ideal for high-traffic areas. Oak is slightly less hard – White Oak has a 1360 rating and Red Oak a 1290 rating.