The cost of Maple Hardwood is one of the most important factors to consider when it’s time to floor your home. Maple hardwood looks amazing on the floor, but it may be completely out of your budget. But that doesn’t mean you can’t save towards getting it.
Either you buy maple hardwood now, or you’re saving, understand the cost and influencing factors. Maple hardwoods aren’t as expensive as wood from Oaktree. But the colours ranging from creamy white to light brown make it feel extremely luxurious.
Maple flooring is commonplace in Canada, featuring in both residential and commercial spaces. You can’t go wrong with maple hardwood flooring. However, if you don’t have a comprehensive knowledge of the cost involved – materials and installation – you may pay more than you should. Hence, we offer this complete guide to the cost of maple hardwood flooring.
Why You Should Buy Maple Hardwood for your Floor
The major competitor of Maple hardwood for flooring is Oakwood. Although white Oak hardwood has several things going for it, Maple Hardwood has its perks. Here are the advantages of incurring maple flooring costs.
Great Appearance
The flooring is one of the most important aspects of your home’s interior. Maple hardwood floor has a vivid beauty. Maple hardwood comes in a variety of warm colours. These colours include; brown, red, chromatic grays, and beiges.
The various colours of the maple hardwood floor complement several interior décor schemes. Whichever way you décor your home, there is always a maple hardwood floor to fit. If, however, you want a darker floor, staining and dying are possible options.
The make-up of maple hardwood features fewer grains compared to other hardwoods. Hence, Maple hardwoods are smooth and appear clean. The clean and warm appearance makes it perfect for helping you achieve the classic European charming floor.
Hardness
In the hardwood family, Maple stands out. The Janka Hardness scale is used to know how hardwoods are. Maple is at 1450 lbʄ. For context, Oak hardwood ranks at 1290 lbʄ. Thanks to its incredible hardness, Maple hardwood is extremely durable. While other hardwood floors are denting, your maple floor will still be standing.
The hardness is the main reason for using maple hardwood floors, majorly for outdoor spaces. You’ll find maple hardwood floors in places like gyms and bowling alleys. These places are subject to lots of poundings; they need woods with great resistance to weight.
Ease of Cleaning
Maple hardwood floors are very easy to clean. Ensuring regular sweeping and frequent weekly mopping, maple hardwood floors will remain in top condition. While mopping, you don’t have to use any tough soap products. Instead, mild soap solutions will keep the floor shining as ever. You can, however, buff the floor bi-annually to retain its lustre.
Improves Indoor Air Quality
Looking to maintain the air quality of your home? Incurring the cost of maple hardwood is a smart move. Maple hardwoods are dust-resistant by nature. Hence, your home enjoys the prevention of airborne contaminants. You also won’t have to worry much about disease-causing allergens.
Cleaner; with less imperfection
Due to the unique graining system of maple hardwood floors, there are fewer imperfections. As a result, maple hardwood floors offer a clean, homogenous look that surpasses most other hardwoods.
They are Affordable
Maple woods are symbolic to Canadians, then the cheap cost of it makes them widely used. There are numerous types of maple hardwoods in Canada, causing it to be economically friendly. Various kinds of maple hardwood used for floors give you options. Consider the multiple types, choose the one that suits your budget.
They are Eco-friendly
The maple tree has a short growing phase. Hence, you don’t have to worry about the continuous felling of the tree. The fast rate with which the Maple trees grow up makes their wood preferred option.
Related Article: Is Maple Good for Hardwood Floors?
Cost of Maple Hardwood Flooring
Pricing of maple hardwood flooring is, technically, not on the expensive side. But, in the spirit of making smarter financial decisions, it’s best to budget it. There are different levels of maple flooring you can go for. First, there is the basic, then the better and best versions. These aren’t technical terms; they depict the degree of quality available.
If your budget is low, getting the basic installation of maple hardwood is great. The maple hardwood you’ll need costs between $390 and $475. The amount of materials you should buy depends on how big your home is. Per square foot, the average price of maple hardwood in the ‘basic’ category is $5.63.
The installation cost of basic maple hardwood floors is also lesser compared to other grades. You’ll spend between $125 and $135, though it may exceed this range.
Overall, you’ll be spending between $515 and $610 for the basic maple hardwood floor installation.
For the ‘better’ grade of maple hardwood, the materials cost between $490 and $555. Per square foot, the cost averages at $6.80. Installation costs between $150 and $165. Hence, the total cost of flooring will be anywhere between $640 and $720.
For the ‘best’ grade of maple hardwood, the material price ranges from $560 to $675. So per square foot, you’ll budget about $7.97. The cost of installation is between $170 and $190. So the total cost of installation will be between $730 and $865.
The costs we discuss here are only tentative. You should reach out to licensed companies that install maple hardwood flooring for an accurate quote. However, during preparation, installation and post-installations, some other costs may stack up quickly. Hence, it’s best to increase your maximum budget for the maple hardwood floor, especially if it’s your first time.
How to Save Money on Maple Hardwood Installation
Before diving into the factors that influence the cost of maple hardwood floors, let’s take a quick look at how you can get the best price possible.
- Before you settle for a contractor, get quotes from about three or more others. You can even let the contractors know that you are in contact with others. You’ll get the best possible price this way.
- You shouldn’t expect the price of materials and installation to be the same across different contractors.
- Wait till late fall or early winter before making your installation move. It’s the down season of contractors; hence, you can haggle better.
- Whatever amount you budget for your maple hardwood flooring, add 7 – 15% miscellaneously.
- Do your due diligence by meeting numerous suppliers until you get the lowest possible price for your desired grade quality.
Installing the perfect floor isn’t the only thing you want to do for your home. Hence, it would be best if you did everything possible to save as much as you can.
Factors Influencing the Cost of Maple Hardwood
The cost of maple hardwood premises on several factors. These factors include;
Quality of Maple Wood Used
There are different grades of maple wood materials. There are the low, medium and best qualities. Hence, you should be sure of the quality you plan to get. It’s a no-brainer that the ‘best’ quality material will cost the most.
The differences in the cost aren’t much for woods per square foot, but if you accumulate the price over the entire span of your space, it’s a huge difference.
The proposed location of your maple hardwood installation, however, determines the quality you should go for. For outside and public spaces, the best quality is your need. However, in low-traffic areas like your room, the low-quality maple wood is enough.
Location
Where you live in Canada also influences maple hardwood prices. If you live in the cities, the price will be higher than in the suburbs. You may, however, decide to import the materials you need. Doing this will cause you to incur extra charges on transportation.
The sourcing of the wood is a critical part. You can either source locally or internationally. There are pros and cons to both sources of wood. International wood will incur a shipping fee, storage and preservation costs. Your contractor will add these to the overall cost. Hence, the cost breakdown in the section above may not apply.
Once you are working with professionals on the flooring project, you’ll make the best choice.
How Complex the Installation Is
The complexity of floor installation directly influences labour cost. Also, how complex the installation will be, dictates the types and amount of installation props needed. The more complex the installation will be, the more you’ll have to pay. Complexity is one of the several things contractors prioritize. Having an idea of the complexity gives you insight into what to expect from the contractor’s quotes.
Size of your Space
How large the area you want to cover with the Maple hardwood directly determines the cost. The larger your space, the more wood you need, alongside other materials. The space’s size also directly influences the cost of labour.
Cost of Labour
In Canada, you need to consider labour costs carefully. Installing hardwood floors isn’t the easiest of jobs. Hence, you should be ready to pay the right price. Though, it’s always worth it to have a professional do the installation.
Several other factors influence the labour cost, as explain earlier. The extent of work required determines how much to install maple flooring.
Preparing for Installation
You can’t simply lay a new floor on the old one. Removing the old flooring is work in itself. Most likely, you’ll have the contractor do the removal, which influences the overall cost. You can also try to remove the old floor yourself. However, it’s best to leave it to the professionals before you damage any other thing.
Beyond removing the old floor, preparing for the new floor may cost you some more. For instance, the contractor may need to sand the old underlay to ensure that it’s smooth. You may need to, however, install a new underlay.
Post Installation Cleaning
When the installation is done, you may need the contractor to do the cleaning. When the contractor handles the cleaning, it reflects in the invoice you get. You can also hire professional cleaners for the job. Otherwise, you’ll have to do it yourself, which costs you time.
Underlays for Maple Hardwood Flooring; Cost and Benefits
To lay hardwood floors, underlays are important. Though, plywood subfloors can serve as an alternative. Underlays act as the middleman between the maple hardwood and the subfloor. Underlays add to the cost of maple hardwood flooring. The cost of underlays depends on the quality of the product you are getting. Underlays cost between $0.3 and $4, and there are several reasons the investment is worth it.
Vapour Barrier
To prevent your maple hardwood floor from moisture, underlays are important. Acting as an intermediary, the underlay prevents moisture from the subfloor from reaching the hardwood. If moisture comes in contact with the base of your maple hardwood, the repair cost will be enormous. You certainly don’t want to incur repair costs just months or few years after installation.
Floor Evenness
Subfloors aren’t even most times. Underlays mitigate the problem of unevenness. If you don’t use an underlay, the floor’s unevenness will not allow for an even distribution of pressure across the floor. Also, the outlook of the floor won’t be the best.
An uneven floor is also not safe. It can be a major trip hazard. Also, the uneven parts may cause the wood to break unexpectedly.
Using an underlay takes away all these problems.
Noise Control
On their own, hardwood floors make lots of noise. The only way to control the noise resulting from movement is with an underlay.
Movements will cause creaking sounds, coupled with thumping sounds by children, amongst other things. Thus, there are several potential causes of unnecessary noise for hardwood floors.
Once you use the proper underlay, it absorbs the noise. The absorption doesn’t depict a total elimination of noise; it’ll only reduce a great deal of it. When the noise reduces, you can nap better; and live without suffering from unnecessary disturbances.
Comfort
Maple Hardwoods can easily get cold during winter. Canadian winters are harsh; you can only imagine how cold the floor will be. Using an underlay mitigates the cold. In addition, with an underlay, you won’t have to worry about using a rug on the floor during winter. Hence, you won’t have to keep dealing with weather changes; in terms of buying a new wrong and stressing about laying it.
Beyond temperature, underlays also cushion the floor. When you walk on the floor, you feel the cushioning effect. The cushion of the floor, however, depends on the underlay’s quality.
Maintenance of Maple Hardwood Floors; Needs and Cost Implication
In the long term, maintenance adds to the overall cost of having maple hardwood on your floor. However, while maintaining the floor may cost a little more than the installation price, it’s better than replacing or repairing the floor in few years to come.
Identifying the Floor’s Finish
Firstly, you need to know the finishing of your floor; it determines the care routine you have to follow. So the details of your floor’s finish shouldn’t be alien to you once you were part of the process.
Pad the Foot of Furniture
You don’t want your furniture damaging your floor. Hence, place a protective pad under the foot of each piece of furniture. However, if you can afford it, you can place a rug over the entire floor or only on exterior areas.
Clean Regularly
Cleaning is a no-brainer. Regular cleaning of the floor keeps away abrasives and dirt. Also, when there is a spill, you should clean regularly. The extra cost here will be to get vacuum cleaners and other cleaning materials. Make sure you have the cleaning materials for your floor’s finishing.
Avoid harsh chemicals and wax as much as possible; they can dull the floor’s finish. In addition, inappropriate cleaning materials can damage the floor.
Reduce Solar Exposure
Continued exposure to the sun may damage the finishing of the floor. When you over-expose the floor to the sun, the finish fades. To correct the fade, you’ll need to refinish the floor, which is another cost on its own.
To ensure even exposure of the floor, consider the frequent rotation of furniture, rug areas, etc. Let the space be as dynamic as possible.
Monitor Humidity
Underlays are to prevent moisture from accumulating under the hardwood. You also need to control atmospheric humidity. You can monitor humidity with a hygrometer. You can hang the hygrometer somewhere on the wall.
Ensure that the room’s humidity doesn’t go beyond 35 and 50 percent. Humidity shouldn’t be too high or low. If the humidity goes below or above the recommended level, the maple hardwood floor can begin to warp. Warping will lead to damage.
You can control humidity by buying both a humidifier and a dehumidifier.
Cost of Maintenance
If you want to hire outside help for cleaning your floor, it will cost between $0.5 and $0.75 per square foot.
Buffing the hardwood floor can cost between $1.25 and $1.75, while coating will cost between $0.6 and $1.25.
Related Article: How Durable is Maple Hardwood Flooring?
Final Take
The cost of maple hardwood floors varies from place to place. Being the core factor to consider when deciding whether to install maple hardwood floor or not, costing requires your due diligence.
First, you’ll need to research across different contractors and vendors. Then, list all you need to achieve your dream floor and budget the cost against each item.
Once you outline all you need, please take a quick look around our online store for maple hardwood designs. LV Flooring is your reliable partner for maple hardwood flooring designs.
