Flooring Costs: Compare & Save

Please note that the price information in this article was based on data from 2011 and may now be outdated. 

Flooring installation hourly rate

You indeed considered the price of your flooring when picking it, but did you know that your choice also affects how much it will cost you to have it installed? Budget hourly rates for a tradie hover between $14 and $23, but that will usually only be quoted for laying cheaper flooring materials, such as low-ply carpet or vinyl.

An average rate of $37 generally will include laying standard floorboards, but if you have a complex flooring job, you’ll be looking at paying $45 to a maximum of $80. This is for labour-intensive work like restoring and polishing concrete floors. All rates typically include labour only and don’t include the flooring materials.

Paying by the job

If you prefer a flat rate to balance your budget, you’ll need to be prepared to have several factors considered.
Again, the flooring plays a big part in the price, with carpet jobs attracting quotes from $1,900 for a budget project. This jumps to an average of $3,500, depending on the size of the space, yet it can still fetch premium quotes as high as $9,500. In most cases, premium prices have a few perks in the form of added extras.

• Timber floorboards: The premium job rate of $9,500 will include polishing, while the budget rate of $2,200 probably won’t. The average $5,000 quote leaves room for negotiation. For polishing alone, you’re looking at paying anywhere between $700 and $2,450, depending on the size of the space and the state of the boards.
• Concrete flooring: Concrete flooring is again the most expensive, with budget quotes starting at $2,250 and spanning to $5,000 for an average job. A premium task will set you back $6,000.

Flooring installation rates by state

Our state-by-state analysis reveals New South Wales is the outright winner when it comes to the cost of a floorer. In a rare win for the state that often pays more for tradies, we found that its residents pay significantly less than those in Queensland and Victoria.
New South Wales pays less than the national average, with standard quotes being $37 an hour. Queensland averages $39, while Victoria is forking out $45. However, when it comes to paying by the task, New South Wales loses its advantage and generally pays between $200 and $400 more than Victoria for all forms of flooring.

Now you know what you should be paying, put your feet up and let someone else put your flooring down.