A common question among many individuals is how much does laminate flooring cost?

One of the top five reasons homeowners choose laminate over hardwood flooring is because it is cheaper so this is not a bad question at all.  Unfortunately its not one that is easy answered.

Why?

Desired quality, area of the country you live in, and if you are installing it yourself or having a flooring professional do it for you all play a part in the final cost.  But, the follow is a guide you can use in making your preparations.

Keep in mind that most people are not “do-it-yourselfers” so you not only have to factor in the price of the laminate flooring itself but also of the installation of it.

Price of the Product + Installation Charge (Shipping and Labor) = Total Cost

Average Price of Laminate

$0.99 to $6.00/ square foot

• The more realistic the laminate pieces look the more expensive they will be.  Fake looking laminate (and we can all tell the difference) will be the least expense and there are some places you can find a nice supply for $2 a square foot.  Though you can find some types of laminate for under a dollar I would caution that you might not like the end result.
• The thicker the pieces are the more expensive they will be.  They range from six to twelve millimeters in thickness.
• The more higher end laminates have large amounts of melamine in its core which vastly improves its ability to resist moisture.  Expect to pay more for ones with this substance.
• Different installation systems demand different prices
• There are some brands that come stocked with an attached underlayment.  If so you can plan to pay up to two dollars more per square foot.

Cost of Installation

This price varies so much depending on where you live.  Depending on the local economy, number of builders/ floor installers, and demand you will pay anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 per square feet of laminate flooring installation.

I have done some helped a friend do some flooring jobs in Anchorage where we got a little over five dollars a square foot because that is what the market bears but then I some people I know in Portland do the same work and they receive less than two dollars a square foot.  Granted I do not know how they bid and I am sure many people are getting more than that but you see the difference.

I often get e-mailed the question pertaining to the costs of laminate flooring. By now most people already know that laminates are less expensive than oak hardwood floors but what is the actual savings?

There is an excellent article called Laminate Floor Basics that talks about this subject in depth but what I found out is that your typical laminate will go from $3.50 a square ft all the way to $5.00 a square foot.  The typical cost for oak hardwood is $10 per sq ft on the low end to $12 a square foot on the high end.

Now according to the National Association of Home Builders the standard home in the United States is 2,000 square feet with two full bathrooms, three living rooms, a dining room, two general purpose rooms, basement, garage, and fireplace.

Now obviously you are not going to have to upgrade the floors in all parts of the house like the basement so when doing the numbers I would say that a typical house will require 1000-1400 feet of laminate flooring.

This means that for the majority of the homeowners it will take $3500 to $4,900 if you install average quality laminate in your home by yourself or $5,000 to $7,000 if you install high end laminate in your home, again, by yourself.

You save a lot if you do all the work yourself and can expect to pay a couple thousand more than the prices I just calculated if you get a contractor or someone else to do it.

It is really is not that hard to DIY but you it does help if you have some sort of construction aptitude if decide you want to install this flooring in your home yourself.

I am going to tell you that Pergo makes the easiest to install.  They make their pieces to be installed like you would a puzzle and you just wet the dry glue on them and lock them into place.

Back to the costs.  I have found that if you really look around whether locally or on the internet you can get some decent laminate for even under $3.50 a square foot.

You have to remember that we are in a recession and there are way more houses on the market than people wanting to buy them.  Remember 2003-2007 when houses were springing up all over the place.

Large chains like Home Depot and Lowes could not keep this item on their shelves just a year and a half ago.  Now they are trying to unload it as fast as they can.

I have seen some laminate going for $.99 a sq ft on some sites.  That is bone cheap and I would avoid those sites.  That seems just way bellow market value and I doubt the quality at those prices.

Nevertheless if you look around the web you can find some decent stuff for $1.59 per piece without shipping.  Some will offer free shipping so I would check.

Hope this answered those e-mails I got.  Thanks.  Remember to read the article I just wrote about the pros and cons of going with this type of material as there are indeed negative aspects of laminate that follow the many positive things.