Residential and Commercial Flooring Options and Costs.
Everyone knows materials costs have been rising for some time so everyone is always looking for ways to save in their builds and renovations. One of our most commonly asked questions is how much is flooring and can I save money here? Yes you can! If you want to! Because these days there are many more options available to us than previous generations. You have more than just hardwood or tile or old school vinyl to choose from. We have come a long way from your grandma’s old vinyl kitchen floor! However, there is a difference in costs when it comes to installation and once you know the differences you may want to spend a little extra money anyway and save the money in other places.
Regardless, the options are endless and the choices are entirely up to you. Please note all prices quoted are averages across the US as of time of article writing March 2023 and will vary depending on your location, material, and labour availability.
One of the most popular choices out there today is laminate flooring which is generally composed of high density fiberboard then printed to look like wood, stone, or tile, it is generally highly durable, scratch resistant, and both budget friendly to buy and to install, however it doesn't add much value to a home and cannot be refinished so when it’s worn out it must be replaced. The prices of laminate vary depending on the look you want and how “real” you want it to look. It is an average of $2 per sq ft to purchase and about $4 per sq ft to install; if you buy the standard variety. If you’re looking for the nicer wire brushed real wood grain looking laminate it can run up $11 a sq ft and may cost more to install as well averaging around $6 per sq ft to install, which ends up being a total costs of $8-$17 per sq ft which is usually overall cheaper as other forms of flooring that tend to be more expensive to install.
Since there are so many types of woods available from all over the world the prices can run a very broad spectrum. The most common wood flooring options used are red oak, white oak, and teak which all run about the same range. The cost of the material runs $3-$10 and installation $13-$25 bringing your average cost $16-$35 per sq ft. So as you can see the cost difference of materials before install is not that drastic. Unless you are into luxury then as you may imagine the costs increase, dramatically. Then you are talking about tougher to find materials like Zebra wood which has to be imported from the mosquito coast, a coastal region of Nicaragua and Honduras, that will cost you upwards of $25 a sq ft. However, that's not even close to the most expensive you can get. The finest wood flooring money can buy is Macassar Ebony also known as Indian Ebony or golden ebony it is an extremely rare and hard wood which is why it’s so expensive, it takes the trees a long time to grow, however being an extremely hard wood it will stand the test the of time and due to the lovely varying hues some say quite worth the wait and expense of $150 a sq ft. Beyond the luxury options of course, it's generally when you get to install that the prices start to vary, where as a nice wood look laminate is say $6 a sq ft and a nice oak floor with a pretty stain is say $7 a sq ft so why don’t more people opt for the real hardwood when it is quite durable and can be refinished many times and last possibly a hundred years or more and add value to the home? It is because the installation can just about match the cost and these days well exceed the cost of the flooring and now you’re talking $12 or more a sq ft instead of $4 or $6 and to floor a 2,000 sq ft space that’s $24,000 as opposed to $8,000 or $12,000 for the laminate so you can see why a new home owner on a budget may go ahead with the cheaper installation option, as adding value may not be a top priority at that juncture. For more on the topic of hardwood installation costs check out this great article from Bob Vila.
Not keen on laminate and too sustainability minded for real hardwood? 21st century to the rescue, we now have the engineered wood option available to us. Also known as “man made” hardwood, engineered hardwood is made by binding wood waste from sawmill scraps to make boards composed of wood particles. Depending on the thickness of the top veneer and the numbers of layers of plywood underneath it can run from $3-13 a sq ft and then $4-9 for installation. It can be a great option. It is durable and comes in a wide variety of styles and stains just like real hardwood but without cutting down any new trees.
Now if you want tile your options are just about limitless from budget friendly to budget busting, depending on whether it’s man made or natural material as well as the design being machine or hand done. Also, the tile tends to be a bit on the higher side as well, however a lot of people like tile as it is highly durable, scratch resistant, and the only flooring option that is completely water resistant. Tile probably has the widest variety of options in materials and styles which is why the prices vary so greatly, you can get tile from less than a dollar to literally one million dollars per sq meter. The world's most expensive tile is the Pietra Firma Luxtouch which is inlaid with diamonds, mother of pearls, abalone shells, and black onyx and costs $1,000,000 per sq meter because every square meter is inlaid with those materials. Wow! However for most of us such extravagances are out of our reach. For the rest of us the most commonly used tile is the subway tile due to its cost effectiveness. The tiles themselves can cost you anywhere from $0.15 to $3 per tile. The labour to install can vary greatly depending on how much space has to be tiled, grout used, and design wanted; basic designs will always be cheaper. Average costs for tile install is $7-13 per sq ft, not including tools and other materials such as grout. As stated it will be more if you choose more expensive tiles, want a different design, or want less standard grout like the coloured or sparkly ones.
Lastly there is carpet. Modern carpet is a much more durable stain free affair than what you may have grown up with. Carpet, like laminate, engineered hardwood, and tile, also varies greatly in low and high end options and therefore has a wide variety of cost options available. You can spend as little as $0.65 per sq ft on up to $12 per sq ft. Nowadays you can even buy squares of stick and peel carpet and make your own pattern. The instructions look easy enough, for the DIY minded anyway! This option generally costs about $2.50 per sq ft. If, like myself, you shy away from DIY, and prefer professional installation, most big box stores and carpet retailers will throw in install for free with qualifying purchase or if your space is too small to qualify you can hire someone for anywhere from $2 to $12 a sq ft. Again depending on the type of carpet you are installing and where you are located. For commercial and buy and hold investment properties, ALWAYS use a professional for your projects, especially floor installation by a licensed and insured contractor to ensure it’s done correctly and everything is to code, thereby helping you reduce liabilities as the owner or business utilizing the space.
Need help with floor installation in your commercial or mixed-use property? Contact us hello@glojoy.co or DM @glojoy.co
