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Flooring Cost Calculator

What a new floor costs, fitted, including removal.

Your measurementsEvery assumption editable01

$2–6 for floating floors, more for tile and glue-down.

Applied to materials only — you pay for offcuts but not to install them.

Estimated costCalculated live02

Result

$3872–6453estimated

Midpoint $5162 — about $10.32 per sq ft

Floor area
500 sq ft
Materials
$2530
Labour37% of the subtotal
$1750
Old floor removal and disposal
$500
Subtotal
$4780
Contingency8%
$382.4
Midpoint estimate
$5162.4
Likely range±25%, the usual concept-stage spread
$3872 – $6453
Cost per sq ft
$10.32

This is a budgeting figure, not a quote. Regional labour rates vary by a factor of two or more across the country, and the same job priced in a busy season and a quiet one can differ by a third. Get three local quotes before committing to anything.

The range matters more than the midpoint. Construction estimating works to roughly ±25% until a scope is drawn and priced, and a single confident number would be pretending to a precision that does not exist at this stage.

Labour is usually the larger half and the more variable half. If the figure looks wrong, the labour rate is almost always the input to revisit first — material prices are far more consistent between regions than crews are.

Waste is applied to materials only — you pay for offcuts but not to install them, which is a distinction most estimates get wrong. Old floor removal is separate because it varies enormously with what is coming out.

Why use this tool?What it does differently03

Why use this tool?

Waste on materials only

You pay for the offcuts but not to install them. Applying waste to labour overstates the job.

Five material tiers

Laminate through solid hardwood, with tile alongside.

Removal costed

Taking up and disposing of the old floor, which varies hugely between carpet and glued tile.

Material-led

Unusually for this site, materials often exceed labour on a floor.

How this worksThe method04

How this flooring cost calculator works

The waste allowance is applied to material and underlay but not to labour, because a fitter charges for the floor area installed rather than the material consumed. Applying waste to both is a common error that inflates an estimate by several per cent.

Flooring is one of the few jobs where materials often exceed labour, particularly with hardwood. That makes the material choice the dominant lever rather than the crew.

Removal costs vary more than almost any other line. Carpet lifts in minutes; glued-down vinyl or thinset tile can cost more to remove than the new floor costs to install.

How to use itStep by step05

How to use it

  1. Step 1: Measure the area

    Square feet. The square footage calculator handles irregular rooms.

  2. Step 2: Pick a material

    This drives the total more than anything else on a floor.

  3. Step 3: Set the waste

    10% for a straight lay, more for diagonal or herringbone.

  4. Step 4: Assess the removal

    Carpet is cheap to lift. Glued tile is not.

Example usageWorked figures06

Example usage

500 sq ft of luxury vinyl plank
$2,530 material including 10% waste and underlay, $1,750 installation, $500 removal — about $5,162 midpoint, or $3,872 to $6,453. That is $10.32 per square foot.
Solid hardwood
Raising the material rate to $10 takes the midpoint to about $8,700. Materials become clearly the dominant cost.
A floating floor over existing
Removing the removal line and dropping to laminate brings the same room to roughly $3,300.
Frequently asked questionsCommon questions07

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to install flooring?

Broadly $6 to $15 per square foot all in for most materials, with hardwood and tile at the upper end. Removal of an existing floor adds to it.

Is material or labour the bigger cost?

For flooring, often material — which is unusual. Hardwood in particular makes the material choice the dominant lever rather than the crew.

Should waste be applied to labour too?

No. You buy extra material to cover offcuts, but the fitter charges for the area installed. Applying waste to both overstates the job.

How much does old floor removal cost?

Carpet is cheap, often around $1 per square foot. Glued-down vinyl or thinset tile can run several times that and occasionally exceeds the cost of the new floor.

Do I need underlay?

For floating floors, almost always — it handles sound, moisture and minor subfloor variation. Glue-down and nail-down floors generally do not.

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