How much should I budget for new floors?
Flooring can cost between $1,500 and $4,500 with an average price of about $3,000 to cover a 500-square-foot space. Your project cost will vary widely depending on several different factors, including the location of your home, the type of flooring you choose and even which flooring contractor you hire.
- Measure the width and length of the room at its widest point.
- Multiply these two values to obtain the floor area.
- Buy this amount of flooring materials.
- If you'd like to buy additional material to account for waste, purchase an additional 5% - 10% of the total area.
Average Hardwood Flooring Cost. The average cost of installing hardwood floors is $3–$10 per square foot for materials and $3–$8 per square foot for labor, totaling $6–$18 per square foot. A single 200-square-foot room might cost $1,200–$3,600, while a 2,000-square-foot house could cost $12,000–$36,000.
- Your Old Floor. Before your new floor can be installed, your old floor needs to be removed. ...
- Subflooring. Just as important as the floor itself is the subfloor. ...
- Moldings. ...
- Overage. ...
- Finishes. ...
- Installation Guarantee.
- Planning prior to the installation. Planning now saves time and money later. ...
- Hiring an experienced flooring contractor. Don't choose the flooring contractor with the cheapest bid. ...
- Selecting a product proven for your building's application.
How Much Does It Cost to Install 1,500 Square Feet of Hardwood Flooring? Perhaps you're considering replacing all your floors with hardwood. Expect to pay between $4,500 and $30,000 for 1,500 square feet of solid wood flooring.
While the cost of materials and installation can range widely, on average, you can expect to pay between $2 and $4 per square foot for vinyl plank flooring installed by Lowe's.
The short answer is 'yes. ' New floors will improve the value of your home. That said, there are also degrees of value and tips that realtors want you to think about.
- Vinyl. Vinyl flooring comes in sheets, tiles, and planks and is predominately manufactured with PVC, resulting in durable, waterproof flooring that can be installed anywhere in your home. ...
- Sheet Vinyl. ...
- Plank Vinyl. ...
- Laminate. ...
- Cork. ...
- Carpet. ...
- Tile. ...
- Refinish Your Floors.
- Laminate – Laminate flooring is usually more expensive than carpet but less expensive than hardwood. The materials for laminate are less expensive and labor is lower. ...
- Hardwood – I really do prefer hardwood flooring to laminate, but it does cost more. ...
- Tile – In general, tile is the most expensive surface to install.
What type of flooring will increase home value?
You may have already guessed it, but the floor with the highest resale value is hardwood. Since hardwood is always in demand, it is an easy choice to up level your home.
Even though the Lowe's option is slightly cheaper than Home Depot at the low end, it requires more work and materials just to obtain the same quality. So if you're searching for a laminate floor that is genuinely scratch-resistant, we suggest checking out Home Depot's options.

While costs are similar, the value of premium vinyl far exceeds that of laminate based on quality and value. Unlike laminate, premium vinyl is durable and stable, resistant to moisture and climate, and is easy to install and maintain. Laminate is restricted to light traffic and low moisture applications.
Whether you have carpet, tile, laminate or vinyl, a contractor should be able to remove the floors you have before installing the floors you want.
Vinyl Plank Installation Cost
Materials: $2-3 PER SQ. FT. Labor: $2-3 PER SQ. FT.
The best time to buy flooring and get the best prices is in the off-season, between December and January. This is when you are likely to find the best clearance sale prices.
- Solid wood flooring confers warmth and authenticity. ...
- Laminate flooring adheres easily to subfloors. ...
- Luxury vinyl tiles are hard to tell apart from real wood. ...
- Carpet softens any room, in the color of your choice. ...
- Stone flooring can add value to your home.
Moisture in Spring and Summer
Fall is a perfect season for hardwood flooring installation because the cool, crisp weather exposes your hardwood flooring to less moisture.
Removing the carpet and installing vinyl flooring runs from $5 to $6 per square foot. Linoleum. This eco-friendly flooring option costs between $5 and $7 per square foot.
Replace a Carpet With Hardwood Flooring
If you're installing hardwood flooring where you currently have carpet, most pros will include the cost of carpet removal with the price of hardwood flooring installation. Expect to spend about $6 to $12 per square foot, including labor and materials.
How long does it take to remove and replace flooring?
Things will probably take longer than you expect
As a general rule, the process of installing a new floor can take anywhere from one day to several days, depending on the size of the space. The type of flooring you're using will also influence the length of time of your project.
Dwelling coverage, on your condo or homeowners policy, may pay to repair or replace your floors and carpet if they're damaged by a covered peril. For instance, if your home's floors are damaged in a fire, your home insurance may pay for new flooring, up to your policy's limits and minus your deductible.
On average, you can expect to pay around $5 per square foot. This will include removal of the old floor, subfloor preparation and installation of the new floor. For high-quality professional services, it may cost $8 per square foot.
You should also keep in mind that vinyl plank and tile flooring might not increase the value of your home as much as laminate flooring. However, vinyl flooring can still make all the difference in how long your floors will last, which could be vital as we head into a more competitive real estate market.
If you are looking for whatever is most popular and least likely to become outdated, then going with more natural is always a safe bet. For 2022, the choice is definitely something in the greige family.
“Buyers like carpet in bedrooms, especially in basement bedrooms, for comfort and warmth.” Carpet is also much quieter to walk on than other types of flooring and can help absorb noise. It can mask sounds, such as footsteps and squeaky floors, Fisher adds.
- Peel-and-Stick Vinyl Tile Flooring. Self-adhesive vinyl tiles can be installed quickly and easily. ...
- Carpet Tile Flooring. ...
- Floating Vinyl Sheet Flooring. ...
- Laminate Plank Flooring. ...
- Engineered Wood Flooring. ...
- Painted Wood Flooring. ...
- Stained Concrete Flooring.
Vinyl and laminate flooring are similar in cost. They're both less expensive than other flooring materials like hardwood or porcelain tile. However, vinyl can get more expensive as you explore the luxury flooring options. Most laminate flooring can be purchased for about $1-5 per square foot.
When comparing the cost of installing hardwood floors over carpet, quality hardwood flooring will almost always be a larger investment compared to carpet. Installing hardwood floors can cost between $12 and $20 per square foot installed, while carpet often cost about $6 to $12 per square foot installed.
Solid hardwood flooring is considered the safest and least toxic option as it's completely natural and free from any toxins. Solid hardwood floors are made of planks milled from a single piece of timber, which makes it a healthy flooring option.
Is it cheaper to install carpet or luxury vinyl plank?
Carpet costs on average $3-4 per square foot, but has been known to increase to $4.50-5.50 per square foot when installation is factored in. Luxury vinyl can be priced from $2-$5 per square foot including the cost of installation for commercial products.
Installing hardwood flooring costs between $6 and $12 per square foot. That averages out to $3 and $7 per square foot for materials and $3 to $5 per square foot for labor. An estimate for 1,000 square feet of hardwood flooring runs between $6,000 and $12,000.
To cover 1,000 square feet, you can expect to pay $3,000 to $30,000. For materials alone, you'll pay $2 to $15 per square foot.
Flooring installation costs about $1,500 to $4,460 for a 500-square-foot room, depending on the room size and type of flooring. New flooring is a great way to switch things up in your home. Depending on the size of the rooms and the materials you choose, it can be a fairly simple way to bring new life to an old room.
At $3 to $8 per square foot, it typically costs between $1,500 and $4,000 to refinish 500 square feet of hardwood flooring.
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