How to price flooring jobs in 2026: carpet, laminate, LVT and wood
What fitters typically charge per square metre, the extras that turn a good job into a poor one, and how to put a price together.
By Build A Quote ·
What flooring typically costs in 2026
The table's figures are from MyJobQuote's 2026 guide. They are what customers are told to expect, so they are a fair guide to where your prices will be compared.
| Floor | Fitting (labour), per m² | Supplied and fitted, per m² |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet | £14 to £16 | £20 to £76 |
| Laminate, straight plank | £12 to £25 | £22 to £65 |
| Laminate, herringbone | £20 to £35 | |
| LVT (luxury vinyl tile) | £20 to £40 | £40 to £100 |
| Engineered wood | £20 to £45 | £60 to £135 |
| Solid wood | £25 to £60 | £85 to £190 |
Labour varies a lot by region and by guide. For laminate, MyBuilder reports £12 to £18 per m² in London and the South East, £8 to £12 in the North West, £7 to £10 in the Midlands and £6 to £9 in Scotland.
Stairs are usually priced separately. MyJobQuote puts a staircase and landing (about 10 m²) at £200 to £1,250 in carpet or laminate, and £400 to £1,350 in LVT or engineered wood.
The extras that make or break a flooring job
The floor itself is rarely where a flooring job loses money. It is the work around it:
- What's down now, and taking it away. Lifting carpet is quick. Lifting tiles or glued-down vinyl is not. MyBuilder puts removal at £1 to £3 per m².
- What's underneath. Concrete, floorboards or chipboard each need different preparation.
- Is it level and sound? Levelling compound, hardboard sheets for an overlay (£7 to £16 per m² for the sheets, in MyJobQuote's guide) or a full screed (£18 to £25 per m²) can cost more than the floor.
- Underlay. £2 to £7 per m² for the material.
- Doors and thresholds. Every door onto the new floor may need trimming, and every doorway into a different floor needs a threshold strip.
- Pattern and waste. Herringbone, patterned carpet and awkward rooms waste more material.
- Empty rooms or not. Moving furniture takes time. Say who does it.
- Access and parking. Stairs, flats and loading bays all add time.
If any of these are guessed rather than asked, the price is a guess too.
Building your own price
Fitters usually price one of two ways:
- Per square metre, with separate rates for each floor type, a stairs price, and fixed charges for extras like thresholds and door trimming.
- By the day, estimating how long the job will take and adding materials.
Per-metre pricing is easier for customers to understand and quicker to quote. Day-rate pricing protects you on awkward jobs. Some fitters use metres for the floor and add time-based charges for preparation they can't measure until they see it.
Either way, check your rates against your costs: what a year costs you to trade (van, tools, insurance, fuel), the wage you want, and the days you can actually bill once quoting, measuring and travelling are taken out.
Measuring: before the visit or at it?
A measure is accurate but costs you a trip, often for a customer who was checking a price. Some fitters ask customers for room sizes up front and give a guide price, then measure before ordering. That works if the guide price is built from the right questions. A room size with no idea of the subfloor isn't enough.
Getting quotes out faster
Fitters tend to quote in one of these ways:
- Measure and quote on the visit. The most accurate, and the most time.
- A price list on your website ("laminate from £… per m²"). Quick, but every job looks the same, and customers take the lowest number.
- A price calculator on your website that asks the questions above, room by room, and shows a guide price on your rates.
Build A Quote does the third. The customer picks a floor for each room and answers questions about what's down, what's underneath, doors and access. They see a guide price, and you receive the enquiry with all their answers before you visit. Prices are worked out on our server, so your price list isn't sent to the customer's browser.
Where the figures come from
Prices are what trades and cost guides report typically being charged, including VAT where the source says so. They vary by region, by job and by business. Use them as a sense-check, not as a price list.
- New flooring costs (UK guide 2026), MyJobQuote, updated 25 September 2026
- Laminate floor fitter cost guide, MyBuilder, updated 21 August 2026
Try a flooring quote tool.
This is the real Build A Quote flooring tool on example rates. Step through it as a customer would: room by room, a floor for each.