How much should I charge per square foot to install flooring?

Angi puts new flooring at about $12.50 per square foot installed on average, with laminate from $3 to $13 and hardwood from $6 to $25. Labor alone runs about $0.60 to $4 per square foot on Angi's figures and $2 to $8 on HomeGuide's. Use these only to sanity-check a price built from your own costs.

How much extra flooring should I order for waste?

Add a waste allowance to the net floor area before you order, commonly about 10 percent for straight layouts and more for diagonal patterns or rooms with many cuts. Charge the customer for the extra material. The flooring estimate calculator applies your waste percentage and shows the order quantity.

Should removal of old flooring be a separate line?

Yes. Angi lists removal at $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot overall, with carpet at about $1 to $1.50 and tile at $2 to $7. Removal is often left out of an installation quote unless stated, so a separate line avoids an argument later.

Is subfloor repair included in a flooring price?

Usually not. Angi puts subfloor replacement at $3 to $10 per square foot and underlayment at $0.50 to $5.40. Quote a per-square-foot price for repairs in advance so any rot or uneven concrete found later becomes a change order at a known rate.

How to Price a Flooring Installation (Per Square Foot Rates)

Typical installed price for flooring

These are consumer-facing figures from Angi and HomeGuide 2026 cost guides, not rules. They show where the market sits so you can tell whether your price is far above or below it.

What is priced	Published 2026 range
New flooring, average installed (Angi)	about $12.50 per sq ft
Hardwood, installed (Angi)	$6 – $25 per sq ft
Laminate, installed (Angi)	$3 – $13 per sq ft
Vinyl, installed (Angi)	$2 – $22 per sq ft
Carpet, installed (HomeGuide)	$2 – $8 per sq ft
Luxury vinyl plank or tile, installed (HomeGuide)	$4 – $16 per sq ft
Tile floor, labor only (Angi)	$3 – $15 per sq ft
Installation labor, general (Angi / HomeGuide)	$0.60 – $4 / $2 – $8 per sq ft
Removing old flooring (Angi)	$1.50 – $3.50 per sq ft
Subfloor replacement (Angi)	$3 – $10 per sq ft
Underlayment (Angi)	$0.50 – $5.40 per sq ft

The ranges are wide because material drives the total. Angi notes that small jobs can carry a higher rate per square foot because of minimum charges, and large jobs may get a discount.

What moves the price

Material. Sheet vinyl starts around $1 to $2 per sq ft and luxury vinyl plank reaches $12 per sq ft in material alone on Angi's figures. Hardwood and stone sit well above that, so quote the exact product.
What comes up. Angi puts carpet removal at about $1 to $1.50 per sq ft and tile removal at $2 to $7. Price removal as its own line by floor type.
The subfloor. Uneven concrete or damaged plywood needs repair or leveling before anything goes down. Angi lists subfloor replacement at $3 to $10 per sq ft. Put a unit price in the estimate before you start.
Layout. Diagonal patterns, many small rooms, stairs and transitions slow the crew and raise waste. Do not hide that time in a flat rate.
Furniture and haul-away. Moving furniture and disposing of old flooring are real costs. Angi lists disposal at $150 to $200 in its tile guide.

Calculate quantity with waste first

Add up the net area of every room, then add a waste allowance for cuts and mistakes. A 20×20 ft room is 400 sq ft; with 10 percent waste you order 440 sq ft of material but charge installation on the 400 sq ft that is laid. The flooring estimate calculator does the room math, waste and rounding for you.

Set a minimum charge

A closet or hallway can cost more in travel, setup and cutting than a per-square-foot price covers. Set a minimum job charge from your crew's hourly cost times the real time a small job takes. See how to calculate labor cost and your overhead rate for the inputs.

A worked quote

One 20×20 ft room (400 sq ft) of luxury vinyl plank over a clean subfloor, replacing carpet, using example rates (yours will differ):

Total	$3,265.00
Material: 440 sq ft (400 + 10% waste) × $3.25	$1,430.00
Installation: 400 sq ft × $3.00	$1,200.00
Carpet removal and haul-away: 400 sq ft × $1.25	$500.00
Transitions and trim: 3 × $45	$135.00

Check it against the market: $3,265 over 400 sq ft is about $8.16 per sq ft installed, inside Angi's $2 to $22 range for vinyl and HomeGuide's $4 to $16 for luxury vinyl. The $1.25 removal rate is within Angi's carpet range of about $1 to $1.50. Subfloor repair is not included; quote it per square foot. These figures are examples, not recommended prices.

Common mistakes

Charging installation on the order quantity or forgetting to charge for the waste material.
Folding removal, underlayment and trim into one lump sum, so the customer cannot compare bids line by line.
Not stating the product, thickness and warranty in the estimate.
Leaving out a subfloor repair rate, then absorbing the cost of leveling.
Taking no deposit. Read how to write a contractor estimate for deposit wording.

Sources

Angi, How Much Does Flooring Installation Cost? [2026 Data] (angi.com).
Angi, How Much Does Vinyl Flooring Installation Cost? [2026 Data] (angi.com).
Angi, How Much Does Tile Installation Cost? and Subflooring cost guides (angi.com).
HomeGuide, How Much Does Flooring Installation Cost? (2026) (homeguide.com).

Prices are published averages read in October 2026 and vary by region. For planning only. This is not accounting, tax or legal advice.

How to Price a Flooring Installation