Hardwood Flooring Installation in Allentown, PA
What it costs, and what Allentown's housing stock does to the job.
Hardwood flooring in a 1952-median city
The median Allentown home was built in 1952 and 37.9% of the city’s housing
predates 1940. For hardwood flooring specifically, that is not background color — it is the thing that
decides the job.
Allentown splits into two different hardwood jobs depending on which side of the city line you are on. In the city, over a plank subfloor in a rowhome, nailed solid hardwood is straightforward and often the cheapest good answer. Out in the townships, over plywood in a post-war split-level, engineered and floating options open up and the price structure changes completely.
Allentown itself has a median build year of 1952, but Lehigh County as a whole sits at 1968 — a sixteen-year gap that is really two different jobs. Inside the city you are usually working over plank subfloor in a rowhome. Out in the township you are usually working over plywood in a split-level, and the two need different underlayment before the same plank goes down.
What it costs in Allentown
Lehigh Valley labor runs above the Pennsylvania baseline, which is why the range below sits higher than the statewide $6–$21. Installed, materials and labor together:
| Work | Allentown range | Pennsylvania range |
|---|---|---|
| Hardwood, installed | $6 – $21.5 a square foot | $6 – $21 a square foot |
An estimate, not a quote. These are planning ranges for Pennsylvania, not a quote. What you actually pay depends on your rooms, your subfloor and the material you choose — final price depends on your project.
Extras are where a Allentown job most often moves away from the band: removing the old floor,
prepping a plank subfloor, and stairs. The
cost estimator prices those separately against your own
room.
Questions worth asking before you book
- What is the subfloor, and what does it need? With 37.9% of Allentown
homes predating 1940, a plank subfloor is a realistic assumption rather than an edge case.
How to identify yours. - Is the old floor coming out or being covered? Covering costs less and is
sometimes the safer answer — particularly over
9×9 tile — but it costs you height at doors and
at the bottom stair riser. - What is the cut-and-waste allowance? A century-old house is rarely square, and
cuts are labor. - What is your PA Home Improvement Contractor number? It is legally required to
be on the estimate. How to check it.