Got a flooring job to do but not sure what to charge? Just insert the details of the job below, and we’ll help you figure out a fair price to keep your customers happy.
When should I use a flooring cost calculator?
You’ve met with a client and discussed what flooring materials they want to use. You also know the dimensions of the room(s) they want done.
You can then use a flooring calculator to estimate material and labor costs, in order to build an accurate estimate for your clients.
How does this flooring cost calculator work?
Our flooring cost calculator makes it simple to price flooring jobs. Here’s what you need to get started: the room dimensions, the price per square foot of the flooring materials you’re using, your labor costs (per square foot), and the percentage of waste material you expect.
We’ll take all those numbers and calculate the total floor area, material costs, and labor costs. Together, this will give you the grand total, which accounts for total material and labor costs.
You can use that number as the labor and materials starting point for your flooring estimate. But you don’t want to forget to factor in other costs, like overhead and profit margins. Software like Joist can help you create quick, professional estimates that ensure all the necessary line items are accounted for.
What is the cost of a flooring project?
The main elements that contribute to the cost of a flooring project are materials and labor.
The flooring materials your clients choose will have the biggest impact on the overall costs. For example, the cost differences between hardwood, tile, laminate, vinyl, and carpet flooring can vary widely. And within each of those material types, you’ll have a range of brands, quality, and durability that will affect costs.
Labor will be another major cost, and will depend on the type of flooring, how complex the installation is, and your level of experience.
Our flooring sq ft calculator will help you factor in these main costs. Other costs you should consider when preparing your estimate include prep work and removal, finishing, and any additional materials you’ll need.
Flooring Cost FAQs
Once the flooring job is done, you just need to convert your estimate into an invoice. This is what you’ll send to your client in order to get paid.
An invoice includes a lot of the same information as an estimate, like your business name and contact information, the client’s information, and the original estimate amount. But you’ll also need to add an invoice number and date, line items with detailed descriptions of the work, the final total cost, payment terms and instructions, and a payment due date.
But you don’t have to do it all manually. When you use flooring estimating and invoicing software like Joist, it’s easy to convert approved estimates/bids into invoices in seconds.
Then, you’ll have a professional document that you know has all the necessary information to send to your clients. They can pay you directly from your invoice, so you get paid faster.
Our floor calculator gets you started with the baseline costs to consider for a flooring project. But that’s just the beginning step.
To run a profitable flooring business, you’ll also need to account for overhead costs and a profit margin in all your estimates and invoices. You don’t want to offer services at cost—you want to be making money for all your hard work!
If you’re wondering how to improve your profit margin, we’ve got some ideas:
- Level up your estimating and planning game: Make sure you’re using tools like a flooring cost calculator to get accurate material and labor estimates, and to avoid underestimating costs. This will also help you reduce material waste.
- Seek out cost-effective materials and suppliers: Work on building relationships with suppliers who offer quality materials at competitive prices. Consider buying in bulk or negotiating with suppliers for discounts.
- Offer services that add value: This is your chance to upsell and increase the project’s revenue. Consider what valuable services you can add to a flooring project, such as custom finishes or enhanced moisture protection. And communicate the benefits to your clients, so they’re more likely to choose the upgrades.
- Manage projects effectively: Use project management software to help you streamline scheduling, track labor hours, and keep projects on track.
- Cut down on admin tasks: Spend less time on estimating, invoicing, and tracking expenses by using software built specifically for contractors.
- Take customer feedback into account: Use customer feedback and reviews to continuously improve your services and set yourself up for more referrals and return customers.
- Revisit your pricing strategy on the regular: This is not the place to set it and forget it. You want to reevaluate your pricing at regular intervals and adjust if needed based on industry trends or cost increases.
Flooring prices are calculated based on several variables, such as the flooring area, the type and quality of flooring materials your clients choose, your labor rate, and the complexity of the flooring project.
A flooring calculator that measures square feet (like this one!) is your best bet to make sure you’re considering all these factors when building an estimate for a flooring project.
Calculating square feet for flooring is fairly straightforward! You want to start by measuring the room’s length and width with a tape measure. If the room isn’t a perfect rectangle, you can break it into smaller sections that are easy to measure.
Next, multiply the length by the width for each section to find the square footage.
For example, if a room is 10 feet long by 12 feet wide, the square footage for that room is:
10 𝑓𝑡 × 12 𝑓𝑡 =120 𝑠𝑞 𝑓𝑡
If there are other sections or rooms to measure for the project, simply repeat this calculation for each and add them all together for total square footage.
Pro tip: When ordering materials, don’t forget to account for the waste allowance so you’re set for cutting, fitting, and pattern alignment. Standard practice is to add a 5–10% waste allowance to your total square footage.
The formula for calculating Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is:
𝐹𝐴𝑅 =𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 / 𝐿𝑜𝑡 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎
To use this calculation, you’ll calculate the total floor area for the project you’re working on. If it’s a multi-story building, this means measuring each floor separately and then adding them together.
The lot area is the total land space the building occupies. You should be able to get this from the property owner or site plans.
The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is traditionally a zoning concept, but it can be helpful for flooring contractors too. This is particularly true for larger flooring projects, where you need to understand the relationship between the building’s total floor space and the land it occupies.
A building with a high FAR may have multiple floors within a small footprint, meaning more total flooring area to cover relative to the lot size. This will help you more accurately plan materials, labor, and project time.