Floors
Hardwood or LVP flooring
Square feet, material tier, and whether the old floor comes out.
Hardwood and luxury vinyl plank are priced on the square feet you will cover, plus waste for cuts: 8 percent for vinyl and 10 percent for hardwood. Measure the longest and widest points, including closets. Do not subtract cabinets unless the installer stops at the toe kick.
Three vinyl grades run from a thinner builder-grade core to a thicker waterproof plank. The vinyl price includes a modest pad. Three hardwood grades run from standard prefinished red oak to a wide-plank premium board. Hardwood labor is prefinished install only. Sanding raw oak on site is a different trade and is not in these numbers.
Tear-out is optional. Under vinyl it is a light removal, such as carpet or a floating floor. Under hardwood it is a nailed or glued floor. Shoe molding, stair noses, and leveling are not included. If the floor is out of flat by more than about 3/16 inch over 10 feet, patching can rival the flooring cost. Read the high column when the substrate is unknown.
2026 US national average
Typical total
$2,687
Materials $1,711Labor $976
- Low
- $1,868
- Typical
- $2,687
- High
- $3,777
Breakdown
Each line is the typical column, rounded to the nearest dollar. The low and high totals use the low and high price of every line.
LVP, mid-grade
320 sq ft plus 8% waste (346 sq ft bought)
$1,711Mat $1,711 · Labor $0
Install labor
Click-together or glue-down install. Underlayment is inside the material rate for vinyl plank.
$976Mat $0 · Labor $976
- Measure to the longest and widest points, including closets you will cover.
- Shoe molding, stair noses, furniture moving, and floor leveling are not included.
- A floor out of flat by more than about 3/16 inch over 10 feet often needs patching before plank or wood.
Worked example
The page opens on 320 square feet of mid-grade luxury vinyl plank, which is a large living room or a couple of bedrooms, with tear-out left off. Material is bought with 8 percent waste. Install labor is charged on the 320 square feet you will walk on.
The typical column is $1,711 of plank and $976 of labor, for a total of $2,687. Low is $1,868 and high is $3,777.
Check tear-out to add a light removal, the kind used for carpet or a floating floor. Switch the material to standard hardwood and both the board price and the install labor jump, because prefinished oak is a different crew rate than click-together vinyl.