Home & Property

Flooring: what to ask, what it costs, and one number to call

Updated June 2026 · By the Mobile Phonebook editorial team · How we research pricing

Quick answer: Get connected by phone with a flooring company for hardwood, luxury vinyl plank, laminate, tile, or carpet, covering installation and refinishing. One free call to (800) 555-0199 connects you with a local flooring contractor after you enter your ZIP.

One number for flooring (800) 555-0199

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Flooring covers a lot of ground, literally: hardwood (new, or refinishing what you have), luxury vinyl plank (LVP, the category that's eaten the market over the last decade), laminate, tile, and carpet. Every flooring quote is really two numbers stapled together, material cost and installation labor, and understanding that split is the key to comparing bids. Companies love to bury one inside the other.

The other thing to know before you call: the floor you see is only half the job. What's under it, the subfloor, decides whether your install goes smoothly or sprouts change orders. Old vinyl that needs testing. Water-damaged plywood. Out-of-level concrete. These are the surprises that turn a $4,000 job into a $6,000 one, and the good companies talk about them up front.

What should you have ready before you call?

Measure the rooms (length times width per room, plus closets) so you have rough square footage. Add 10% for waste when budgeting material.
Know what's down now and what's under it if possible. Plywood or concrete slab makes a difference, especially for hardwood.
Note problem signs: squeaks, soft or bouncy spots, slopes, gaps, water history, pet accidents.
Decide your material lane (LVP, laminate, hardwood, tile, carpet) and a realistic budget per square foot, material plus labor.
If you have hardwood you might refinish, count how many times it's been sanded before, if you know. Check board thickness at a floor vent.
Think about furniture: who moves it, and where it lives during the job. Some companies include moving, some charge per room.
Know your timeline tolerance. Hardwood refinishing means days out of those rooms while finish cures; floating floors are walk-on-same-day.

What should you ask before hiring? The 8-question script

This is your script. Nobody expects you to be an expert. Sound like someone who asks the right questions, and anyone good will answer all of these without flinching.

Can you break the quote into material per square foot and labor per square foot?

The comparison-shopping master key. Bundled 'one price' quotes and 'free install' promos exist to prevent exactly this comparison. Any company that won't split the numbers is hiding margin in one of them.

What subfloor prep is included, and how do you price prep you discover after demo?

The change-order question. You want inspection before quoting where possible, prep as a visible line item, and unit pricing (per plywood sheet, per bag of self-leveler) agreed in writing before anyone pulls up the old floor.

For worn hardwood: is refinishing an option here, or does it genuinely need replacement, and why?

Refinishing costs half or less of replacement. A trustworthy answer engages with specifics like wear depth, past sandings, and board damage, rather than steering straight to new product, which is where the margin is.

What's the exact product: brand, line, and wear layer or thickness?

Especially in LVP, 'luxury vinyl' covers everything from 6-mil wear-layer builder grade to 20-mil commercial product, at triple the price and lifespan. The spec sheet, not the showroom sample, is what you're buying.

Who installs, your employees or subs, and does the same company handle warranty issues on the install?

Most flooring failures are installation failures: bad acclimation, skipped moisture barriers, poor prep. You want one accountable party for labor problems, and a workmanship warranty in writing separate from the product warranty.

How will you handle moisture testing and acclimation?

Hardwood and even some LVP need the material acclimated to your home and the subfloor moisture-checked, especially over concrete. A pro talks about this unprompted. Skipping it is how floors cup, gap, and buckle a season later.

What's included for transitions, baseboards or quarter-round, and door trimming?

The classic small-print items. New floors change heights, which means transition strips, possibly undercut door jambs, and shoe molding. Find out what's in the price and what's 'additional' before the invoice does it for you.

Does the price include demo and disposal of the old flooring, and moving furniture?

Tear-out, haul-away, and furniture moving can add $1–$3 per square foot combined. Quotes that exclude them look cheaper than they are.

How much does flooring cost in 2026?

Think in two numbers per square foot, material and labor, and the totals make sense. Broad 2026 national ranges, installed, including mid-grade material unless noted.

Typical job	National range	What moves the price
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP), installed	$4 – $10 per sq ft	Material $2–$6, labor $1.50–$3; wear layer thickness drives material price
Laminate, installed	$3 – $8 per sq ft	The budget floating-floor option; weaker against standing water than LVP
Solid hardwood, new install	$8 – $15+ per sq ft	Species and width move material; labor runs $3–$8 of the total
Engineered hardwood, installed	$6 – $13 per sq ft	Real wood veneer, more stable over concrete and in humidity swings
Hardwood sand and refinish	$3 – $8 per sq ft	Stain choice, repairs, and finish type (oil vs. water-based) move it
Tile, installed	$8 – $20+ per sq ft	Labor often exceeds material; large-format and patterns cost more to set
Carpet, installed	$2 – $8 per sq ft	Pad quality matters as much as the carpet; stairs add labor
Subfloor repair/replacement	$2 – $7 per sq ft affected	The common surprise; get unit pricing in the contract up front
Old floor tear-out and disposal	$0.50 – $3 per sq ft	Glued-down material costs more to remove than floating or stapled

These are typical 2026 U.S. ranges for planning purposes; your market, season and job specifics can land outside them. Always get the price for your job confirmed on the call and in writing. Ranges compiled June 2026 from national cost data and industry sources (methodology).

When you don't need to call anyone

We get paid when you call, so take this section as seriously as we do. Sometimes the honest answer is that you can handle it yourself or fix it cheaper first:

Click-lock LVP and laminate are designed for DIY. A floating floor over a flat subfloor takes patience and a saw, not a license.
Scratched hardwood doesn't always need full refinishing. A screen-and-recoat costs far less, and light surface wear sometimes responds to tinted touch-up products.
One damaged plank or cracked tile is a repair, not a new floor. Keep spares from any install and swap it yourself.
Matted carpet often means dirty, not worn out. A professional deep clean runs a small fraction of replacement and is worth trying first.

How the flooring business works

Flooring is sold three ways: retail stores with in-house or contracted installers (you pick material from their stock, they bundle the install), independent flooring contractors (often labor-focused, and some will install material you buy anywhere), and big-box installation programs. The bundled model is convenient but makes price comparison hard on purpose. A 'free installation' promo means the labor is hiding in the material markup. Always ask for material and labor broken out separately, per square foot each, so you can compare any two quotes on equal footing.

Material-vs-labor splits vary by product. LVP and laminate are cheap to install (often $1.50–$3 per square foot labor) because they click together and float over the subfloor. Hardwood costs more to install ($3–$8 per square foot), since nailing, acclimation, and finish work take skill and time. Tile is the most labor-heavy of all, frequently $5–$15 per square foot labor and often exceeding the tile's own cost, because prep, layout, and setting are slow craft work. That's why a 'cheap' tile material quote can still be an expensive job, and why LVP took over the market: it looks good and the labor math is unbeatable.

If you have real hardwood, refinishing beats replacing in almost every case. Sanding and refinishing runs roughly $3–$8 per square foot versus $8–$15+ to tear out and install new wood, and solid hardwood can be refinished several times over its life. The judgment call is board condition. Deep water stains, pet damage into the wood, or boards sanded thin from past refinishes may force replacement. A contractor who looks at worn hardwood and quotes replacement without discussing refinishing is leaving your money on their table.

Subfloor is the change-order zone. Squeaks, soft spots, moisture in concrete, and out-of-flat slabs all need correcting before new flooring goes down, legitimately. The honest version is a contractor who inspects first, prices prep as a line item, and sets a unit price for surprises (per sheet of plywood, per bag of leveler). The other version is a teaser-priced install that 'discovers' mandatory subfloor work after demo, when you're committed. One more flag for older homes: vinyl flooring and adhesives from the 1980s and earlier can contain asbestos and should be tested before removal, not ripped out casually.

Red flags & good signs

Red flags

'Free installation' promotions. The labor didn't vanish, it moved into the material price where you can't compare it.
One lump-sum quote with no material/labor split and no product spec, uncomparable on purpose
Mandatory subfloor work 'discovered' after demo with no unit pricing agreed beforehand. That's the teaser-bid business model.
Quotes replacement for hardwood that's an obvious refinish candidate without explaining why
LVP sold by showroom looks alone with no wear-layer spec: 6-mil builder grade priced like 20-mil commercial
Ripping out old sheet vinyl or tiles in a pre-1985 home with no mention of asbestos testing
Big deposit demanded before material is even ordered, or full payment before the job is walked

Good signs

Quotes material and labor separately, names the brand/line/spec, and puts prep unit-pricing in writing
Inspects the existing floor and subfloor (and pulls a vent or transition to peek) before final pricing
Talks moisture testing and acclimation without being prompted
Offers refinishing as an option on real hardwood and explains the tradeoffs honestly
Workmanship warranty in writing, separate from the manufacturer's product warranty

Frequently asked questions

How much does new flooring cost?

Installed 2026 ranges per square foot: LVP $4–$10, laminate $3–$8, carpet $2–$8, engineered hardwood $6–$13, solid hardwood $8–$15+, tile $8–$20+. A 1,000-square-foot LVP job typically lands somewhere in the $4,000–$10,000 range all-in. Material spec, subfloor condition, and demo/disposal are what move any given quote within those ranges.

Is it cheaper to refinish hardwood floors or replace them?

Refinishing, by a wide margin: typically $3–$8 per square foot versus $8–$15+ for replacement. Solid hardwood can usually be sanded and refinished several times over its life. Replacement only wins when boards are damaged deep into the wood, water-warped, or sanded too thin from previous refinishes. Get a refinish opinion before accepting a replacement quote.

Is LVP as good as hardwood?

Different strengths. LVP is waterproof, durable, cheaper to buy and install, and convincing-looking at the better tiers. It's the practical pick for kitchens, basements, rentals, and pet households. Hardwood costs more, scratches and hates water, but adds real resale value and can be refinished for decades. Quality matters within LVP though: check the wear layer (12-mil minimum for busy households; 20-mil is the durable tier).

How much does it cost to refinish hardwood floors?

Roughly $3–$8 per square foot in 2026, so a 500-square-foot space commonly runs $1,500–$4,000. Stain changes, board repairs, stair work, and premium finishes push toward the top. Expect the rooms to be out of commission a few days, longer for oil-based finishes that cure slowly.

What is a subfloor and why does it keep coming up in my quotes?

It's the structural layer (plywood, OSB, or concrete) that your finished floor sits on. New flooring needs it flat, dry, and solid, so squeaks, soft spots, moisture, and dips have to be corrected first. It comes up in quotes because it's the most common source of added cost: nobody fully knows its condition until the old floor comes up. Protect yourself with agreed unit pricing for prep before demo starts.

How long does flooring installation take?

Floating floors (LVP, laminate) go fast: 1,000 square feet in roughly 1–3 days, walkable immediately. Carpet is usually a day or two. Tile runs slower, often several days for a large area, plus cure time. Hardwood installs take days, and refinishing adds finish-cure time. Water-based finishes take light traffic in a day or so; oil-based wants longer.

Can I buy flooring myself and just hire an installer?

Yes. Many independent installers work labor-only, and it can save real money since you control the material price. The tradeoffs: you own the measuring and waste math (order about 10% extra), warranty responsibility splits between product and labor, and some retailers' install warranties only apply to their material. Confirm the installer is comfortable with your specific product before buying.

Should flooring match throughout the house?

Continuous flooring through main living areas makes spaces feel bigger and is the prevailing preference, but it's taste, not law. What matters at sale time is avoiding a patchwork of similar-but-not-matching woods or vinyls in adjoining rooms. If you're doing one room now and more later, record the exact product, line, and color. Discontinued patterns are flooring's version of a discontinued paint.

Related services

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