How much will new flooring cost for my room?

What actually drives the cost of new flooring

The number on a flooring quote is shaped by five things: the material you choose, the square metres you need to cover, the state of the subfloor underneath, whether you’re paying a fitter or laying it yourself, and where in the UK you live. The calculator handles all of that. What it can’t see is the plank that doesn’t sit flush over a dodgy joist, or the skirting board that needs lifting because the old carpet was thicker than the new laminate. This page covers the costs that catch people out.

Cost per m² by flooring type

As a rough guide for materials only, budget laminate starts around £8 to £15 per m². Mid-range laminate and vinyl plank sit between £18 and £35. Engineered wood runs £35 to £70 depending on veneer thickness. Solid oak or walnut starts at £50 and climbs past £100 for wide-plank or character grade. Carpet is the widest range of all: a budget twist pile is £10 to £15 per m², wool and stain-resistant ranges push £40 to £70. Add underlay, fitting, grippers, beading, and VAT and the fitted figure is usually double the material cost.

Underlay, subfloor prep, and skirting boards

Underlay is the cost most homeowners forget. A basic foam underlay is £2 to £4 per m². Acoustic or thermal underlay for laminate over concrete is £6 to £10 per m², and wool-rich underlay for carpet is £5 to £9. On top of that, if the existing subfloor is uneven (very common in Victorian and Edwardian houses), a fitter may need to lay self-levelling compound before anything else goes down. That’s £15 to £30 per m² in material, plus a day of labour. Skirting boards are worth pricing in too. Replacing them while the floor is up is cheaper than coming back later, and a pack of primed MDF skirting runs £30 to £60 per room.

Wastage and why rectangular rooms are cheaper to fit

Standard wastage for a rectangular room is 8 to 10%. Bay windows, fireplaces, diagonal layouts, and herringbone patterns push that to 15% or more. If you’re ordering boxed flooring, round up, not down. Boxes aren’t always easy to reorder in the same batch, and dye lots can shift between production runs. One box short mid-install is the quickest way to lose a weekend.

DIY vs professional fitting

Click-lock laminate and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) are genuinely DIY-friendly. A competent DIYer can fit a 15 m² room in a weekend with a hand saw, a tapping block, and a spacer kit, and drop-in kits handle threshold transitions, door trims, and beading without specialist tools. Where a fitter earns their fee is on tricky subfloors (self-levelling compound, old timber joists that have moved), complex cuts around bays, fireplaces, and alcoves, and stair carpeting. Solid wood, glue-down engineered wood, and underfloor-heated installations are also safer as a professional job. Warranty rarely factors into the DIY-vs-fitter call for laminate and LVT, but most manufacturer guarantees on engineered and solid wood do require professional installation to stay valid.

When engineered wood is worth the premium

Engineered wood costs more than laminate but less than solid. It handles UK temperature and humidity swings better than solid oak, which can gap in winter and cup in summer. For kitchens, open-plan ground floors, and rooms with underfloor heating, engineered is usually the right call. For bedrooms and landings where budget matters more than longevity, good laminate is indistinguishable at walking distance and a third of the price.