Common Renovating Costs: Flooring

By: Julia Black

Many of us haven’t the slightest idea of how much it really costs to undergo a basic home renovation, let alone a complete overhaul.

In our Renovating Costs series, we outline how much you can expect to spend for just about any project you plan to take on.

FLOORING

Wood

• Typical hardwood, engineered wood and also bamboo are similarly priced around $4 to $6 a square foot, and $2 installation per square foot.
• If your particular project requires the removal of your existing floors, then be sure to budget for an additional $1 per square foot for discard.
• Another addition is if your subfloors need to be replaced, which will cost an additional $1.60 per square foot (for typical ½” spruce subfloor).  
• Finally, if you already have hardwood floors, even engineered wood floors, but you wish to refinish them you can opt for sand, stain and two coats of varnish which will cost you approximately $2 per square foot, including the cost of stain.

Tile

• Perhaps you are looking to tile your bathroom, laundry room, entryway or kitchen. That would mean you are considering porcelain tiles, ceramic tiles, perhaps a natural stone or a stone mosaic. 
• The most costly, with respect to material and labor, are your natural stone options at approximately $5 to $12 (or higher) per square foot material, plus $9 a square foot installation.
• Natural stone mosaics can reach even higher amounts, up to $100 per square foot.
• Whereas manmade tiles like ceramic and porcelain will cost you roughly $3to $8 (porcelain) a square foot, and likewise $8 a square foot in labor cost.

Laminate

• A common choice, due to its simulating characteristics and budget friendliness is laminate floors.
• Laminate is essentially photographed images of wood grains, adhered to layers of melamine resin and fiberboard (typically MDF – Medium Density Fiberboard).
• This will cost you approximately $1 to $3 per square foot in material and $1.50 in labor, assuming your subfloors are in tact.

Cork

• An increasingly popular flooring type is cork.
• An environmentally-friendly material, cork is a renewable resource and is dense enough to withstand heavy traffic and weight.
• Cork can come in a variety of colors and textured appearances, and despite some controversy, can be used in any room type, so long as they are installed professionally (i.e. caulking where necessary).
• The cost is $5 to $10 per square foot material, plus $2 a square foot installation.

Carpet

• Some still prefer the feeling of a plush carpet under foot; ergo choosing a wall-to-wall carpet installation should be budgeted as $5 a square foot for basic, mid-grade wool carpet with underpad, including installation.