Flooring cost per square metre: reading the number properly

What is actually being measured

Room area is the starting point, but nobody fits a floor with zero waste. Cuts at the perimeter, around chimney breasts and through doorways all produce offcuts that cannot be reused.

• Straight plank layouts in a simple rectangular room carry the least wastage.
• Diagonal and herringbone layouts carry noticeably more, because every perimeter board is cut twice.
• Awkward shapes, bay windows and multiple doorways push wastage up again.
• Long runs across several rooms need expansion detailing at each threshold.

The subfloor is where quotes really separate

Levelling, ply overlay, damp membranes and lifting old coverings are the items most often left out of a low quote and added later as an extra. A floating floor laid over a dipped subfloor will bounce, click and eventually open at the joints.

We check the subfloor at the measure and tell you then, in writing, if it needs work. It is not a pleasant thing to hear before you have chosen a colour, but it is far cheaper than relaying a floor.

Material choice changes both halves of the price

Material and labour move together. Denser, thicker and wider boards cost more per square metre and usually take longer to fit well.

• Laminate: quickest to fit, most forgiving on cost, least tolerant of standing water.
• Engineered wood: real timber wear layer, stable over underfloor heating, more care needed on setting out.
• Solid timber: the longest lifespan and the most sensitive to moisture and movement.
• Herringbone and parquet: the setting out is the job. Expect a longer fit time for the same floor area.

The extras that always appear at the end

Underlay, beading or new skirting, thresholds between rooms, silicone at wet edges, waste removal and trimming doors to clear the new height. None are optional if you want the floor to look finished, so check they are named in the quote rather than assumed.

How to compare two flooring quotes fairly

Line them up and check three things before the total: the measured area including wastage, what is said about the subfloor, and whether trims and door trimming are included. If one quote is silent on the subfloor, it is not cheaper, it is incomplete.

Questions we're asked about this