Common Renovating Costs: Flooring

person tearing out a floor — Getty Images

One of the home renovations with the biggest return on investment is updating your floors. How much that investment should be in the first place depends on various factors, such as the materials you want to use, how big the area is that you want to give new flooring and where you’re located. Then you also need to factor in the contractor’s fees, since renovating floors is best left to the professionals. And we haven’t even mentioned inflation yet! Still, you’ll never regret the money you forked out to replace those avocado green linoleum tiles with, well, anything. To get an idea of how much you’d need to save for a project like this, we looked to Montreal-based RenoQuotes.com for the cost of renovating floors in 2022.

Sanding an Existing Floor

Before you replace the carpets in your home, pull them up and see what’s underneath. If you find wooden flooring, you’re in luck, even if it’s painted or looking worse for wear. Why? Because simply sanding that floor can make a world of difference and it’s so easy you could do it yourself. It will cost you in the region of $50 a day to rent the equipment. If you’d rather leave it to the professionals, budget around $4 per square foot.

Wooden Floors

Whether you go for farmhouse chic or Scandi minimalism, you can’t go wrong with wooden floors. The type of wood you use can make a huge difference, though. Hardwood is the most expensive but also the most durable. Installing hardwood floors are between $4.50 and $14.50 per square foot. You may also have to replace the subfloor, which can be between 85 cents and $3 per square foot.

You can bring down the price of hardwood floors by using reclaimed wood, which is also more environmentally friendly. Another way to bring down the cost is to use engineered wood, which costs around $7 to $11 per square foot to install. Remember though that engineered wood is less durable.

If you already have hardwood floors but they’re in poor shape, you can have them restored. This will set you back around $2.50 per square foot.

Floating Floors

Floating floors don’t require nails. Instead, the planks are interlocked, almost like pieces of a puzzle. A low-end floating floor costs between $1.75 and $2.50 per square foot; a mid-range one is between $2.50 and $3.50 per square foot and a high-end one is between $3.50 and $8.50 per square foot. Just remember that just because it doesn’t require nails, you don’t need to be aware of the rookie flooring mistakes to avoid when installing floating floors. A specialist will charge you between around $1.50 and $3 per square foot to install a floating floor.

Laminate Floors

A popular alternative to wooden floors is to go for laminate instead. It’s the cheapest flooring option, at between $1.50 to $4 per square foot for the materials. One of the biggest problems with laminate is that it can look as cheap as it is, though.

Bamboo Floors

Looking for a cheap, eco-friendly alternative that still gives you that natural look you get from wood? Bamboo flooring will cost between $6.50 and $8.50 per square foot. Bear in mind, however, that this kind of floor scratches easily and is less durable than wood.

Cork Floors

Cork floors are another beautiful and sustainable alternative to wood. They’re stain and mildew resistant, comfortable and are a great solution if you’re looking for renovations to soundproof your home. The materials will set you back between $2.50 and $11 per square foot and installation will cost around $2 per square foot. However, remember that cork floors are pretty high maintenance.

installing vinyl flooring — Getty Images

Vinyl Floors

Vinyl floors are cheap and quite durable. They’ll also make your kitchen or bathroom cleaning routine much easier. A new vinyl tile floor costs between $4.50 and $14.50 while opting for vinyl sheets instead will cost from $6 per square foot. You may want to avoid vinyl though if you prefer natural, eco-friendly materials.

Linoleum Floors

If you want the ease of cleaning that you get with vinyl floors but prefer natural materials, linoleum is a good option, since it’s derived from materials like pine resin and linseed. You don’t have to opt for that ugly avocado green either: Linoleum floors come in a wide range of designs, so you can have your bathroom floors make a bold statement. A linoleum floor costs from $2.50 per square foot.

Tile Floors

Tile floors are durable and easy to clean, even if they can be quite cold. Ceramic tiles cost between $2.50 and $8 per square foot if you opt for mid to high-end tiles – as you should if you want durability. Porcelain or slate tiles are between $4 and $7 per square foot. Want something different and don’t mind cleaning grout? Natural stone mosaic is about $240 per box.

concrete floor in basement — Getty Images

Concrete Floors

Versatile, easy to maintain, moisture resistant and durable: You get all this and more if you opt for concrete flooring. It’s an especially good choice for basement renovations. Installing a concrete floor costs between $11 and $15.50 per square foot, including the materials.

Heated Floors

Especially if you opt for cold materials like tiles and concrete, you might want to think about heated floors so your toes don’t get frostbite if you walk to the bathroom on a winter’s morning. Installing a heated floor will set you back between $12 and $36 per square foot, excluding the materials. Then you also need to factor in between about $240 and $480 for an electrician.

Carpeted Floors

If you always want warmth under your feet and don’t mind constantly vacuuming to remove the smell of pets from your home, you can always opt for carpeted floors. You have a wide range of colours and designs to play with and carpets also help with soundproofing. The materials for a carpeted floor will set you back between about $3.50 to $6 per square foot.