The cost of new flooring ranges from $1,485 to $4,485 depending on your location, the type and style of flooring you want, and the size of the room(s) in question
Want to refresh or update your home without altering the layout? New flooring is a great way to switch things up. 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. What's more, new flooring can increase the value of your home and appeal to potential buyers looking for a property that doesn’t require a lot of work to be move-in-ready.
If you’re ready to tackle adding new flooring to your home, follow this guide to get an idea of what your project will cost.
How Much Does New Flooring Cost Per Square Foot?
The cost of new flooring per square foot depends on the type of flooring and the amount you need. The typical range is from $3 to $22 per square foot, with an average of $12.50 per square foot. You can expect to pay $2,965 total for approximately 500 square feet of new floors, on average. Keep in mind that sometimes contractors or manufacturers will offer volume discounts on items like flooring.
Labor costs can run between $0.60 to $4.00 per square foot depending on your location and the project scope.
How Much Does New Flooring Cost Near Me?
Like many home improvements, the cost of new flooring and its installation depends on the cost of living in your area.
Finding a flooring contractor near you can be simple, but you’ll want to ask questions, such as if they have worked with the type of flooring you’re using before, whether they’ll handle the prep work and clean-up, and if they offer warranties for their parts and labor.
Want a quick idea of how much new flooring for an approximately 500 square foot area will cost in your region? Here are some ranges from the East Coast to the West Coast:
New Jersey: $1,400–$4,000
Massachusetts: $1,200–$3,250
Washington D.C. Metro Area: $1,700–$4,800
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: $1,450–$4,400
Atlanta: $1,500–$4,400
South Carolina: $2,000–$5,100
Chicago: $1,600–$4,400
Minnesota: $1,200–$3,900
Houston: $1,700–$5,400
Los Angeles: $2,000–$5,700
San Francisco/Bay Area: $2,500–$6,800
Seattle: $1,650–$5,000
If you look at flooring costs with broader strokes, there’s also a difference in costs in rural versus more urban areas:
Urban: $1,000–$7,000+
Rural: $1,000–$10,000+
How Much Does It Cost To Install Floors Yourself?
Installing new flooring yourself can seem fairly simple, especially if you’re handy and you have a small, regularly shaped room (think basic square or rectangle). However, flooring materials can be complicated to work with, especially if your space isn’t a standard size or shape.
Installing flooring yourself costs from $0.50 to $15 per square foot for materials alone, not including your prep and labor time. Going with a pro contractor for your new floors will run around $3 to $22 per square foot, including labor and materials.
The condition of the floors is a major component of your property’s value. So if the work doesn’t look professional, it can be detrimental to your home’s value. Your DIY flooring may need to be replaced before you sell your property, which will cost you more in the long run. Keep all of these factors in mind before going off on your own.
"Though a DIY flooring installation may be beyond your experience, consider doing the demo/tear out yourself,” says Andrew Kilborn, Angi Expert Review Board member and owner of Andy’s Handyman. “Often, it's a great way to save on labor."
How Much Does New Flooring Cost By Type?
The price of your new flooring is heavily dependent on the type of material or materials you chose. Materials like hardwood, ceramic, porcelain, and stone tile are typically more pricey and options like laminate, linoleum, or vinyl are typically more affordable.
Rubber Tile
Rubber tile costs $10 per square foot. Many people choose this option because it’s highly durable and perfect for rooms that see a lot of activity. However, rubber lacks some aesthetic appeal, and its installation isn’t always able to be seamless.
Ceramic Tile, Natural Stone, and Porcelain Tile
These durable flooring options will generally cost between $6 and $20 per square foot and are popular for rooms like bathrooms because they are water-resistant and easy to clean. Tile floors are also excellent conductors of heat and make a good choice if you want radiant under-floor heating.
That said, tile can easily be damaged, cracked, or scratched, and can be more complicated to install.
Hardwood
Hardwood flooring can cost anywhere from around $6 to $22 or more per square foot, depending on the type of wood and style of flooring (parquet, engineered wood, etc.). Hardwood flooring is popular for its beauty, durability, and ability to retain its value, but it can be damaged by water and humidity or become creaky over time.
Carpeting
Most carpeting will cost $3.50 to $11 per square foot, but luxury options can get extremely pricey. Carpet is comfortable to walk on and retains warmth well. But it also can hold dust and dirt and be tougher to keep clean, especially if you have pets. If family members have breathing issues, this may also not be the right option for you.
Laminate
People tend to choose laminate flooring because it is a good alternative to wood or stone in terms of appearance and durability. It’s also cheaper at $3 to $10 per square foot. That said, it isn’t possible to refinish or sand down laminate floors if they get scratched, and it can get slippery in some conditions.
Vinyl and Linoleum
Vinyl, fiberglass-backed vinyl, or linoleum flooring will both cost around $3 to $7 per square foot. While these are popular choices due to their ease of maintenance and wide variety of colors and patterns available, they are more susceptible to wear and damage than other alternatives.
Polished Concrete
This type of flooring will run you from $2 to $8 per square foot depending on design choices and finishes. It is a popular choice due to its longevity, ease of maintenance, eco-friendliness, and versatility.
Polished concrete flooring comes in a nearly unlimited range of colors and styles and works both indoors and outdoors, and it is invulnerable to damage from water and mold, so it works for a variety of climates.
There are other more niche options like abalone, marble, or agate tile, in which case the sky can be the limit for material costs and associated labor.
Of course, the type of flooring material that is best for your home depends on the area you are putting it in, the amount of traffic it gets, whether you have kids or pets running around, your local weather and climate, and of course, your aesthetic.
You also want to consider maintenance and cleaning needs for your floors when you pick out your material. For instance, easy-to-clean materials like laminate, some types of tile, or vinyl can stand up to a lot of traffic and activity, making them excellent for kitchens and areas for the floors of mudrooms or entryways.
What Factors Influence the Cost of New Flooring?
The type of material(s) you chose, the difficulty of its installation, and the size and shape of the area you’re getting done can hugely affect your overall flooring cost.
If your project requires factoring in the cost of new subflooring or baseboards because of water or termite damage, then the total cost of your new flooring will increase accordingly. Subflooring replacement costs typically run between $34 to $60 per square foot.
Note that you’ll also want to ensure that your flooring is up to code before installing new flooring. A contractor can handle this and some flooring professionals may combine the cost of subflooring replacement and new flooring installation in one total estimate.
New Flooring Cost Breakdown
Many elements are involved in getting new flooring, including the labor involved. Most contractors will charge between $100 to $150 per hour for labor. Additional costs include:
Moving furniture out of the room(s) and replacing it when the job is over: $100–$500 (you could consider hiring local movers for $25–$50 per hour)
Ripping out or demolishing the old flooring, plus any other prep work, hauling away waste materials, and clean-up: $175–$475 on average
Materials for new flooring, including new baseboards or subflooring materials if necessary (including import fees and sales tax): $12.50 per square foot, but costs vary
Labor costs for installing the new flooring: $0.60 to $4 per square foot
Granted, there may be more costs if you have a particularly intricate floor project or are using extremely fragile or premium materials that require particular expertise for installation. You can also cut down on costs if you can move the furniture yourself or if you don’t require new baseboards or subflooring.
FAQs About New Flooring
What are the steps involved in installing new flooring?
Start with moving out any furniture or fixtures that might get damaged in the room and demo-ing the current flooring (in most cases). If a new subfloor or base needs to be installed, that will be next, followed by laying down the main visible flooring components.
Keep in mind that the room or rooms you are getting new floors in will be relatively unusable during the project, and furniture from those rooms will need to be stored elsewhere. So, getting new flooring before you fully move into your new space is the best move, if possible.
What is the cost of adding heated floors?
If you live in a colder climate or just want the luxury of heated bathroom floors, installing radiant heating under the floor can be a wonderful way to treat yourself. Radiant flooring can cost around $6 to $20 per square foot for hydroponic versions and $8 to $15 for electric.
You should also be aware that the operating costs for both types of heated flooring systems cost between $1 to $5 to operate for 24 hours.
Does new flooring add value to my property?
New flooring—especially hard floors like wood, tile, vinyl, or laminate—can add significant value to your home, especially if you are planning on selling soon. New flooring is one of the quickest ways to make a room look refreshed—which is valuable for those who are thinking of selling and anyone who is ready for an interior design shake-up.
