Flooring Cost Estimator
Flooring is quoted per square foot and lost on subfloor prep — the one line nobody can see until the old floor is up.
Drop plan sheets or site photos
Up to 6 files — they're read together as one job
Ballpark for planning and bid-checking — not a quote. Confirm against local supplier and subcontractor pricing.
What a complete flooring estimate covers
- Demolition and disposalSF
- Subfloor prep / levellingSF
- UnderlaymentSF
- Flooring materialSF
- Installation labourSF
- Transitions and thresholdseach
- Baseboard / shoeLF
- Furniture movinglot
Scope most often left out
These are the lines that turn a won bid into a loss. Price them or exclude them in writing — never assume them.
- Subfloor levelling — unknowable until demolition, so carry an allowance
- Waste factor on diagonal or patterned layouts
- Transitions at every doorway and material change
- Door undercutting and reinstalling baseboard or shoe
- Moving and returning furniture and appliances
Prep is the line that decides the job
A perfectly flat subfloor and one needing levelling compound are the same square footage and very different jobs. Because the condition is hidden until the old floor comes up, carry a stated allowance for prep with a unit rate beyond it — that keeps the bid honest and makes the change order automatic instead of contentious.
Waste factor is a layout decision
A straight lay in a rectangular room wastes little. Diagonals, herringbone and patterned installs waste substantially more and take longer. Set the waste factor from your own history for that specific layout, not from a single house number.
FAQ
How do you estimate a flooring job?
Measure the area, add a waste factor matched to the layout, and price demolition, prep, underlayment, material and install labour by square foot. Then add transitions by count, baseboard by linear foot, and furniture moving. The estimator does this from your uploads or description.
How should subfloor prep be estimated?
As a written allowance with a unit rate for work beyond it. Subfloor condition cannot be assessed until the existing floor is removed, so a fixed prep price either carries risk you are not paid for or inflates the bid.
What waste factor should I use?
It depends on the layout, not the material alone. A straight lay in a simple rectangle wastes little; diagonal and patterned installs waste considerably more. Use your own completed-job history for that pattern.
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