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What actually drives the cost of engineered oak, herringbone, solid hardwood and floor restoration — and how the options compare. Engineered oak from £65.99 per m² inc. VAT — see every collection's price below. Every quote from LIGNORA is itemised: material, subfloor preparation, installation and finish are broken out separately.
Short answer: At LIGNORA, engineered oak starts from £65.99 per m² and herringbone from £77.99 per m², including VAT, for supply. The total cost also depends on subfloor preparation, the pattern, the room layout and the finish; herringbone and chevron cost more to lay than planks. Every quote is itemised in writing. Updated October 2026 by the LIGNORA flooring team
How we quote: supply prices are listed below; installation is priced on your rooms, not a rate card. Subfloor condition, room complexity, product grade and access all change the figure, so we assess them in person and give you a written, itemised quote before any work is agreed.
Supply prices per m² for every LIGNORA collection. The price within each range depends on board thickness, width and grade — your written quote confirms the exact figure. With a 25-year structural warranty, even our most popular plank works out from about £2.64 per m² a year.
Priced per project — depends on the source timber, design and lead time
One-of-a-kind floors
Prices are for supply only, per m², and include VAT at 20% unless marked ex. VAT. Delivery, adhesive, underlay and installation are quoted separately — or ask for the full package. Builders, contractors and interior designers: ask about trade pricing. Not sure how much you need? Use our flooring calculator. Order free samples →
Supply & Install — How Options Compare
How Each Option Compares
Most Popular
Engineered Oak Straight Lay
Benchmarkfor most floors
The most common specification across London homes — engineered oak in a straight-lay configuration, glue-down on concrete or floating on timber. Cost depends mainly on board width, grade and finish type — pre-finished boards sit at the lower end, on-site finishing at the higher end.
Herringbone costs more than straight lay for two reasons: increased installation time from setting the datum line and laying to the pattern, and higher material waste from cutting boards to fit the chevron ends. Expect it to sit noticeably above the equivalent straight-lay floor. Glue-down on concrete is the standard fixing method for herringbone.
Datum line setting before any boards fixed
Higher material waste allowance than straight lay
Longer installation time vs straight lay
Border or feature strip available as optional addition
Premium Pattern
Engineered Oak Chevron
Highestof the patterns
Chevron sits slightly above herringbone in cost because the boards are cut at a specific angle at the mill — any point inaccuracy requires the entire board to be replaced rather than trimmed. Installation is slower and more precise than herringbone. Specified primarily for formal reception rooms and large open-plan spaces where the pattern has room to develop.
Mill-cut precision boards required
Higher installation time than herringbone
Best suited to larger rooms
Glue-down on concrete recommended
Premium Material
Solid Oak Installation
Comparableto engineered
Solid oak is secret-nailed to a timber subfloor — it cannot be laid on concrete. Where the subfloor is suitable, solid oak is the most enduring installation we carry out and can be sanded and refinished multiple times over its lifetime. The material cost is similar to engineered oak; the subfloor assessment and preparation costs may differ.
Requires timber subfloor — structural assessment included
Secret-nail fixing only — no glue-down or floating
On-site finishing: oiled or lacquered
Can be sanded and refinished multiple times
Restoration Service
Floor Sanding & Restoration
Sanding OnlyLightestthree passes, no finish
Dustless three-pass sand to bare wood. Includes edge sanding and corner work by hand. Does not include finish.
Full Restore & FinishMost commonsand, fill and finish
Three-pass sand plus hardwax oil or lacquer finish in two coats. Gap filling with sanding dust filler included.
Parquet RestorationMost involvedblock by block
Includes block re-adhesion where required, three-pass sand following the pattern direction, and hardwax oil finish.
Why Costs Vary Between Projects
Two floors of the same size can cost very different amounts. A handful of factors account for most of the difference.
Grade and width matter most for material cost. Prime-grade boards with minimal knot and character variation cost significantly more than rustic or character-grade boards of the same species. Wider boards — above 180mm — cost more per m² than narrower boards and require more careful acclimatisation.
Subfloor condition matters most for installation cost. A flat, dry, clean concrete subfloor requires minimal preparation. A subfloor that needs levelling, moisture treatment, or structural repair adds to the project cost — and we include this in the quote after assessing the subfloor in person, not as a day-rate surprise after the floor is down.
Board grade
Prime grade, with minimal knots and colour variation, costs more than classic or rustic grade of the same species and width. Grade affects appearance only — not durability.
Board width
Wide plank London above 180mm carries a material premium and requires longer acclimatisation. Below 150mm is typically less expensive per m². Herringbone boards are narrower than wide plank — the pattern cost comes from installation, not material.
Laying pattern
Straight lay is the most economical. Herringbone costs more for installation time and waste, and chevron slightly more again. Bespoke patterns — borders, medallions, mixed layouts — are priced individually. Our oak parquet flooring page shows each pattern side by side.
Finish type
Pre-finished factory boards are less expensive to install than boards finished on-site. On-site finishing (hardwax oil or lacquer in two coats) adds to the cost but gives better colour control and can match adjacent surfaces exactly.
Subfloor preparation
Levelling compounds, moisture barriers, structural repairs, and DPM add to the overall project cost. These are assessed and quoted before installation begins — not added as a surprise.
Room complexity
Rooms with many doorways, curved walls, alcoves, or radiator pipes take longer to install. Island kitchens and fitted furniture require more cutting. Access difficulties (stairs, tight doorways) add to programme time.
Full Comparison
Options at a Glance
Floor Type
Relative Cost
Best For
Notes
Engineered Oak — Straight Lay
Benchmark
Open-plan, kitchens, whole house
Most versatile option. Works on all subfloors.
Engineered Oak — Herringbone
Higher
Hallways, reception rooms
Higher installation cost — same material as straight lay.
Engineered Oak — Chevron
Highest pattern
Formal rooms, large open-plan
Precision boards required. Larger rooms work best.
Solid Oak — Straight Lay
Comparable to engineered
Properties with timber subfloors
Not suitable for concrete or UFH. Most durable long-term.
Bespoke / Made to Order
Quoted individually
Specific width, finish or pattern
8 week production lead time.
Floor Sanding Only
Lowest
Existing floors — Victorian, Edwardian
Three-pass dustless sand. Excludes finish.
Sand, Fill & Finish
A fraction of replacement
Original boards in good condition
Keeps the original timber.
Parquet Restoration
Below new herringbone
Original 1920s–1960s block parquet
Includes block re-adhesion where required.
Oak Staircase Treads
Quoted per tread
Matching floor to staircase
Includes nosing profile and on-site finish.
Restore vs Replace
If you have existing original boards, this is the most important cost comparison.
Restore existing floor
A fraction
of the cost of a new floor — sand, fill & finish
Keep What's Already There
Victorian pine and Edwardian oak boards are denser, better-quality timber than almost anything available new — restoring them preserves the character of the property and costs a fraction of replacement. We assess the condition during the home consultation. See floor sanding and restoration for what the work involves.
Suitable when boards are structurally sound, have sufficient thickness remaining, and are not beyond the point of meaningful restoration. We give an honest assessment at the visit — if restoration is not the better outcome, we say so.
New floor installation
Full control
over grade, width, tone and pattern
Start Fresh
New installation is the right answer when original boards are too thin to sand, structurally compromised, or simply not worth the restoration cost. It is also the only option for concrete subfloors where there are no original boards beneath.
New floors offer complete control over specification — grade, width, tone, finish, and pattern. Lead times: 2–3 weeks for pre-finished stock, 8 weeks for bespoke.
Common Questions About Cost
Do your quotes include VAT?
Our quotes always show VAT separately, so you can see exactly what the work costs and what is tax. LIGNORA is VAT registered and VAT at the standard rate applies to supply and installation.
Why do you quote after a home consultation?
Because the subfloor and the room decide the cost as much as the floor itself. We assess the subfloor, measure properly and bring samples, then give you a written, itemised quote. We do not quote remotely from photos or floor plans — that is how day-rate surprises happen.
Why does herringbone cost more than straight lay?
Two reasons. First, installation time: setting the datum line accurately and laying boards to the herringbone pattern takes significantly longer than straight lay across the same area. Second, material waste: herringbone requires cutting boards at the perimeter and at doorways where the pattern meets the wall — the offcuts are specific to the pattern and cannot be reused elsewhere. Waste allowance for herringbone is typically 10–15% versus 5–8% for straight lay.
Is subfloor preparation included?
Standard levelling and preparation is included in our installation price. Extra work — deep levelling compound, a moisture barrier or DPM, or structural repairs to a timber subfloor — is assessed at the home consultation and itemised in the written quote, never added as a surprise once work begins.
What decides the cost of a whole ground floor?
Mainly the area, the laying pattern, the board grade and width, the finish, and the subfloor. A herringbone ground floor costs more than the same area in straight lay; prime grade costs more than classic; on-site finishing costs more than pre-finished. Your itemised quote breaks each of these out so you can see where the money goes — and where to adjust if you need to.
Can I supply the material and just pay for installation?
We prefer to supply and install because it allows us to warrant the full project — material, acclimatisation, and installation. Where clients supply material from a known supplier, we assess the product before agreeing to install it. We cannot provide our seasonal installation warranty for client-supplied materials where we have not been able to confirm the specification.
How much does parquet flooring cost?
Engineered oak herringbone parquet starts from £77.99 per m² including VAT for supply, rising to about £126 depending on block size, grade and finish. Pieces from the Design Collection are priced per project, and we can price chevron on request. Fitting is quoted separately on your rooms, and pattern floors take longer to lay than planks.
How much does it cost to install wood flooring?
We price installation on your rooms rather than from a rate card, because the subfloor, the shape of the rooms and the laying pattern change the work involved. Straight-lay planks are the quickest to fit, herringbone takes longer and chevron longer still. Every quote is itemised, with subfloor preparation, installation and finishing shown separately.
