It's not just the type of flooring you choose that impacts the cost of your flooring project. The square footage, labor rates in your area, whether you need new baseboards, subfloors or underlayment, or have stairs to incorporate all influence price. Old flooring removal and disposal, asbestos testing and remediation (if your house was built before the early 1980s), and mold remediation are all substantial cost factors to consider as well.
The cost of materials starts at $0.50 per square foot for budget-friendly vinyl or linoleum. You've got hardwood at the other end of the range, which can run you up to $14 per square foot, not including installation fees. If you want something soft and comfortably warm, carpeting costs around $4.50 per square foot.
While larger projects cost more overall, they may have a discount per square foot. Small jobs may also cost more per square foot because most contractors have a minimum call-out fee to make a project worth their time.
Labor rates vary between $1 and $15 per square foot. The cost range varies widely because of the differing difficulty, complexity, and time requirements for the various types of flooring. For example, the labor for installing laminate and vinyl flooring starts at $1 per square foot for a simple installation. For the same installation with mosaic or custom tiles, the cost can total $15 per square foot. Flooring installers typically charge $60 to $120 per hour, depending on their skill, the difficulty of the job, and your location.
Replacing the subfloor costs $2 to $2.50 per square foot, including removing and disposing of the old material. Installing underlayment costs $3.40 to $5.30 per square foot, including removal and disposal of the old material.
The subfloor is the layer below the flooring. Common subfloor problems can include water damage and broken or sunken floorboards. Unless you have an obviously noisy floor or a sunken floorboard, you probably won't know if there are any issues unless a local flooring installer removes the flooring and exposes the subfloor.
Underlayment is sandwiched between the flooring and the subfloor. It's not strictly necessary with tiles or hardwood, but it is considered a necessary addition for vinyl, laminate, and carpet. Underlayment reduces noise, acts as a moisture barrier, and can help with insulation. Plus it smoothes the surface and adds a bit of extra cushioning for added comfort.
Removing old flooring costs an additional $1 to $6 per square foot. Tearing up and disposing of old flooring material increases labor time, travel costs, and disposal costs. Carpet, vinyl, and laminate typically cost less to remove because the job is more straightforward; however, hardwood and tile are more challenging and therefore priced higher.
Moving furniture will likely be billed at the standard hourly rate of $60 to $120 per hour. If you have a lot of furniture or you're reflooring a large area, this can quickly add up. If you're able, moving the furniture yourself is a great way to save some money.
Adding new baseboards costs $1.60 to $4.20 per linear foot. If the existing baseboards are damaged or excessively worn, you’ll want to consider replacing them as well. New baseboards can elevate the finish of the room, hiding imperfections where the walls meet the floors.
Alternatively, if the baseboards are in reasonably good shape, but you're switching from a thicker flooring material like carpet to a thinner one like laminate, there'll be a distinct gap between the bottom of the baseboard and the flooring. In this case, you can install wood shoe molding or wood quarter round molding at a cost of $0.60 to $3.80 per linear foot. This type of molding adds a finishing element and hides the gap between baseboard and flooring, yet it costs less than installing completely new baseboard.
Flooring stairs costs $11 to $160 per step. At the lower end of the range, carpet, vinyl, and laminate are relatively simple to install, so take the least time. At the upper end, hardwood costs up to $160 per step because it's the most challenging and time-consuming option.
Asbestos removal costs $5 to $20 per square foot. Removing mold costs $10 to $25 per square foot. If your flooring pro identifies mold or asbestos, you'll need to hire an asbestos removal specialist or hire a mold remediation pro.
Mold and asbestos removal both require specifically trained and licensed pros to carry out the remediation and removal work.
The material you choose for your new flooring has a direct impact on the total cost of your flooring installation project. If you're replacing your flooring on a tight budget, you could choose vinyl that starts at $1.50 per square foot, installed. On the other end of the cost spectrum, there is natural stone or hardwood that can cost $27 and $29 per square foot, respectively.
The cost of flooring varies substantially based on material quality, availability, and aesthetic.
To calculate the square footage of a room, multiply the room’s width by length. We suggest either drawing your floor plan to scale or using an electronic tool such as our MagicPlan app. If you prefer drawing and measuring yourself, our Project: Partners will be happy to handle the calculations for you. Remember, your Project: Partner is your best resource and can help you with all sorts of questions.
Plan the carpet layout on your floor plan diagram. If the width of the room is less than the width of your chosen carpet, multiply the width of your chosen carpet (always 12 feet at The Floor Project) by the length of the room. Let’s say the room is 10 feet wide and 18 feet long. The actual square footage is 180 square feet; however, that would result in a seam down the center of the room. So, we avoid the seam by multiplying the carpet width by room length: 12 feet x 18 feet = 216 square feet. Remember areas like closets. For this example, it’s 3 feet, which would be 12 feet x 3 feet = an additional 36 square feet of carpet. Our total required is 252 square feet.
Always add about 2 inches for doorways so the carpet meets the floor covering in the next room. Add as much as 10% to the total square footage needed when installing Berber or patterned carpets to allow for pattern matching where a seam will be necessary. Your Project: Partner can help you with figuring just the right amount for your room.
Hardwood flooring is sold by the carton, generally 20 square feet, but check with a Project: Partner or scan the product QR code in the store to verify the number for the hardwood you have selected. All hardwood flooring requires a percentage of waste to be added for installation. The percentage varies depending on grade of the hardwood, variance in color and grain, and how much material you are installing. The general rule is to add 10% for installations with less than 1,000 square feet of material and 7% for installations requiring more than 1,000 square feet. The recommended allowance for waste can go as high as 15% for products installed on a diagonal or lower grade hardwood products. Using an example of 210 square feet in our room and closet, we can figure our allowance for 10% waste by multiplying 210 x 10% to get 21, so we will need to purchase 231 square feet of hardwood. If the product we selected has 20 square feet per carton, then divide 231 by 20. We get 11.55, so we will want to round up and purchase 12 cartons.
Laminate flooring is sold by the carton. Each carton generally contains 20 square feet, but this can vary by style. Check with your Project: Partner for exact quantities. While laminate products usually don’t have consistency issues, you still have to allow for waste when calculating the amount of product to purchase. This allowance can range from 5 to 15% depending on the size of the project, as well as any corners and angles that would require additional cuts. Let’s use our example room with 210 square feet. We can figure our allowance for 5% waste by multiplying 210 x 5% to get 10.5, so we will need to purchase 220.5 square feet of laminate. If the product we selected has 20 square feet per carton, then divide 220.5 by 20. We get 11.025. You would need to purchase 11 or 12 cartons depending on the complexity of the room and your installer’s experience.
Glass back vinyl is sold off a roll, and the roll’s width can vary between 6, 12 and 13 feet 2 inches depending on the style, so consult a Project: Partner to determine the roll width of the vinyl product you’re considering. Plan the vinyl layout on your floor plan diagram. If the width of the room is less than the width of your chosen vinyl, which will be 12 feet for our example, then multiply the width of your vinyl by the length of the room. In our example, the room is 10 feet wide and 18 feet long. The actual square footage is 180 square feet; however, that would result in a seam down the center of your room. To avoid a seam, multiply the width of the vinyl, 12 feet, by the length of the room, 18 feet. The total is 216 square feet. We will also need to remember our closet, which would be 12 feet (roll width) times 3 feet for an additional 36 square feet of vinyl, bringing our total to 252 square feet. Always add about 2 inches for doorways so vinyl meets the floor covering in the next room. Add as much as 10% to the total square feet needed when installing patterned vinyl to allow for pattern matching during an installation. Consult a Project: Partner for more details.
VT flooring is sold by the carton. Each carton generally contains 20 square feet, but this can vary by style. While LVT products usually don’t have consistency issues, you still have to allow for waste when calculating the amount of product to purchase. This allowance can range from 5 to 10% depending on the size of the project, as well as any corners and angles that would require additional cuts. Let’s say our room has a total of 210 square feet between it and closet. We can figure our allowance for 5% waste by multiplying 210 x 5% to get 10.5, so we will need to purchase 220.5 square feet of LVT. If the product we selected has 20 square feet per carton, then divide 220.5 by 20 to get 11.025. You would need to purchase 11 or 12 cartons depending on the complexity of the room and your installer’s experience.
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