Vinyl tiles are the cheapest flooring option on the market. Your floor cost will run in the neighborhood of $1 to $4 dollars for materials and $1 to $2 per square foot for installation. Stone tiles run $7 to $20 per square foot for the materials and $6 to $8 dollars per square foot, at least, for installation.
Most laminate flooring can be purchased for about $1-5 per square foot. The price will depend on the thickness of your flooring materials and the design styles you choose. Vinyl floors start at around $1 per square foot for simple glue-down sheet vinyl. Prices can reach up to $5 per square foot for luxury vinyl planks.
Carpet is a common choice for flooring so it no surprise that it is a bit more cost effective than luxury vinyl floors. The average cost of buying and installing carpet totals to around $2-$5 per square foot. Even though luxury vinyl is a bit higher in cost, it is only a slight difference with an average around $4-$7.
The cost of carpet is generally much cheaper than the cost of laminate flooring, but laminate flooring has the advantage of being longer-lasting, easier to clean, and less likely to suffer weather damage.
According to HomeAdvisor, the cost to install vinyl plank flooring ranges between $881 and $3,336, with the national average at $2,029. Vinyl plank flooring costs approximately $2.50 to $5 per square foot, and luxury vinyl plank flooring costs between $5 and $12 per square foot.
Carpet technology has improved over the years, and modern carpets have stain-resistant qualities. It's also the most cost-effective flooring option on the market. Carpet installation varies in price, depending on the type of material and thickness of the carpet padding.
While the materials themselves might be close in price, their installation costs are not. We'll explain why a little further down, but suffice to say that laminate generally costs $1–$2 per square foot to install, while tile generally costs between $5–$8 per square foot to install.
Durability. Both vinyl and laminate flooring are extremely durable. Laminate usually lasts for up to 20 years, while vinyl flooring typically comes with a 15+ year warranty. However, you can't refinish or reseal laminate, while you can add extra layers of urethane to vinyl flooring to extend its life.
Vinyl has a longer lifespan and better overall durability than laminate. Don't forget to factor in your budget, however. Vinyl flooring may be more expensive than laminate flooring, especially if you choose luxury vinyl flooring.
Cost to Install Laminate Floors: Labor Cost
The average labor cost to install laminate flooring is $1,500. Installing laminate flooring for a 1,000 sq. ft. floor costs $800 to $2,800 per square foot on average.
Most subflooring is concrete, and polishing this existing material is much cheaper than having to lay a new slab. On average, the cost per square foot to polish existing concrete floors is anywhere between $2 and $15, based on data from ImproveNet.
The estimated material, installation cost, and labor necessary to install vinyl plank floors for 1,000 sq ft (93 m2) are approximately $9,500. In most cases, the total cost is within a range from $3,000 to $16,000.
1. Hardwood Continues to Dominate. Hardwood has remained at the top of the podium for decades now and continues to dominate the home flooring industry.
Carpeting is a poor choice in any room that frequently sees water, food remnants, or dirt. These elements will quickly damage carpet. These rooms include but are not limited to, kitchens, bathrooms, entryways, mudrooms, and laundry rooms. Kitchens are a poor choice to install carpeting because of food, dirt, and water.
Maple is among the harder wood species, with a 1450 rating on the Janka wood hardness chart. As one of the densest wood species, Maple is ideal for high-traffic areas. Oak is slightly less hard – White Oak has a 1360 rating and Red Oak a 1290 rating.
Luxury vinyl flooring is also one of the best types of flooring for an easy install process. Since many luxury vinyl floor styles come in planks, they can easily be installed with a click-and lock-system over your floor's sublayer; it's what's known as a floating layer.
When comparing vinyl plank to laminate, it's a close race as to which is easier to install. However, the installation of vinyl plank requires fewer tools and steps, so it's the superior choice in this category.
Installing vinyl plank flooring is an easy beginner-friendly project. Get all the details of how to prep the floor and install step-by-step! We needed to install new flooring in our kitchen/entryway/staircase area. It needed to be durable, waterproof, and easy to maintain.
For professional installation of luxury vinyl plank flooring, you should expect to pay anywhere between $1 and $5 per square foot.
Laminate and vinyl planks feature plastic design and wear layers. But vinyl planks also have plastic cores, while laminate cores are made from wood composites. This is one of the most important differences between the products. Vinyl planks and tiles are waterproof, especially the more recent WPC and SPC products.