How Much It Might Cost To Install White Oak Flooring In Your Home

White oak is a top-rated flooring option, so you might want to consider investing in it for your home. But before you break out your credit card and splurge on these chic floors, you should know how much to expect to spend and consider whether it's worth it, as white oak is not cheap. If you opt for solid white oak, get ready to pay between $4 and $8 for a square foot, while engineered white oak can be between $4 and $7. But regardless of what type of flooring you choose, installing white oak floors will likely cost an extra $3 to $8 for each square foot. Additional costs can be expected if you opt for a more complicated floor pattern like herringbone.

Since white oak is expensive, ask yourself whether you love it or only want it because it seems trendy. After all, white oak floors could go out of style at some point — TikTok user @kiahortman compared the look to honey oak, which was also trendy until it eventually wasn't anymore. So if you know you'll love white oak floors even if they follow in honey oak's footsteps and lose their popularity in the future, go for it, but if not, think twice before spending such a hefty price.

It's crucial to consider all the choices when determining the best flooring options for your home. So if you're interested in investing in white oak flooring, you should contemplate whether solid white oak or engineered white oak would be the better fit for you. Like any other flooring variations, solid and engineered white oak both have their pros and cons.

Engineered white oak is typically less expensive, and that extra cost per square foot will add up. Engineered white oak is less pricey because it's a white oak veneer on top of plywood. But because of that, it's better suited for apartments or condos where it can be glued to a concrete floor.

Solid white oak will likely be worth the extra splurge if you are passionate about natural materials and appreciate having all genuine wood features in your home. Also take into consideration where you live and the humidity or dryness in your home. Engineered white oak is typically better for humid atmospheres, while solid white oak is usually a better fit for drier settings or locations where you get humid summers and dry winters. 

Think about how you want to apply the white oak to your floors after determining whether you'll opt for solid or engineered. The most convenient, foolproof way to go about the installation is to hire a professional, and the labor will likely cost between $3 and $8 for each square foot in addition to the previously discussed white oak floor prices. 

If you don't want to spend so much on labor and are comfortable with DIY projects, installing the flooring yourself is another option, saving you on those labor costs that will quickly add up. However, keep in mind that doing it yourself can be very time-consuming. The installation process for applying the flooring to a room can take anywhere between one and five days, depending on the space's size. Would saving the money be worth all that time for you? If you have a very busy schedule, aren't sure how you would make time for such a significant project, and are intimidated by DIY-installing a floor, then paying a professional might be the more practical option.

If you still want to do it yourself, remember that whenever you take on such an intense DIY project, there's always room for something to go wrong. So if you don't trust yourself to make accurate measurements and successfully work with power and hand tools, you likely aren't skilled enough to do it yourself. Incorrectly installing the flooring will typically require you to pay for repairs that often cost between $500 and $1,500.