Cost estimate
Vinyl plank flooring (installed)
What installing click-lock vinyl plank flooring can cost, built from published wages, shelf prices and contractor cost data.
Data last checked . Every input is dated below.
Typical cost
Planning range $1,950 to $6,050
About $8.01 per sq ft of floor, typical.
typical
Where the money goes
- Labor$48012%
- Materials$1,90047%
- Haul-away and disposal$602%
- Contractor overhead and profit$1,55039%
For information only. A planning range, not a quote. We take care, but our sources can lag and so can we, so a figure may be out of date. It combines the low end of every input and the high end of every input, so it is deliberately wide. Real quotes can still fall outside it.
What moves the price
The same job can quote very differently. These are the usual reasons.
- The plank itself
- Basic 12-mil planks and thicker, more durable ones differ by about two dollars a square foot on the shelf.
- The subfloor
- Uneven, damaged or damp subfloors need leveling or repair first. That is the most common surprise and is not included.
- Old flooring
- Tearing out carpet, tile or glued-down floor adds labor and disposal.
- Layout
- Many small rooms, stairs, closets and angles mean more cuts and more waste than one large open room.
- Trim and transitions
- New baseboards, quarter-round and thresholds are an extra we cover only as a small allowance.
The same job at other sizes, and in each state
Both tables use the same estimate as the calculator above and its first choice, a clean, flat floor. They are here to read across; the calculator takes your own size and state.
| Size | Typical | Range | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 sq ft | $1,200 | $550 to $1,850 | $8.01 |
| 750 sq ft | $6,000 | $2,900 to $9,100 | $8.01 |
| 1,325 sq ft | $10,600 | $5,200 to $16,100 | $8.01 |
| 1,925 sq ft | $15,400 | $7,500 to $23,300 | $8.01 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $20,000 | $9,800 to $30,300 | $8.01 |
Small jobs cost more per sq ft because a contractor has a minimum charge, and the per-unit figure falls as the job grows until the minimum no longer applies.
Cost by state, at 500 sq ft
| State | Typical | Range | Against the US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $3,650 | $1,800 to $5,450 | −9% |
| Alaska | $4,550 | $2,150 to $7,000 | +14% |
| Arizona | $3,650 | $1,800 to $5,500 | −9% |
| Arkansas | $3,500 | $1,750 to $5,250 | −13% |
| California | $4,300 | $2,100 to $6,550 | +8% |
| Colorado | $3,850 | $1,900 to $5,800 | −4% |
| Connecticut | $3,800 | $1,850 to $5,700 | −5% |
| Delaware | $3,850 | $1,850 to $5,850 | −3% |
| District of Columbia | $4,350 | $2,100 to $6,600 | +9% |
| Florida | $3,900 | $1,900 to $5,900 | −3% |
| Georgia | $3,800 | $1,900 to $5,700 | −5% |
| Hawaii | $4,600 | $2,200 to $7,000 | +15% |
| Idaho | $3,800 | $1,850 to $5,750 | −5% |
| Illinois | $4,300 | $2,050 to $6,500 | +7% |
| Indiana | $3,700 | $1,800 to $5,600 | −8% |
| Iowa | $3,700 | $1,800 to $5,600 | −8% |
| Kansas | $3,600 | $1,800 to $5,450 | −10% |
| Kentucky | $3,800 | $1,850 to $5,700 | −6% |
| Louisiana | $3,550 | $1,750 to $5,300 | −12% |
| Maine | $3,800 | $1,850 to $5,750 | −5% |
| Maryland | $3,900 | $1,950 to $5,850 | −3% |
| Massachusetts | $4,350 | $2,000 to $6,650 | +8% |
| Michigan | $3,700 | $1,850 to $5,600 | −7% |
| Minnesota | $4,100 | $1,950 to $6,250 | +3% |
| Mississippi | $3,700 | $1,800 to $5,550 | −8% |
| Missouri | $3,850 | $1,850 to $5,800 | −4% |
| Montana | $3,600 | $1,800 to $5,350 | −11% |
| Nebraska | $3,750 | $1,800 to $5,700 | −6% |
| Nevada | $3,850 | $1,850 to $5,850 | −4% |
| New Hampshire | $3,950 | $1,900 to $6,000 | −1% |
| New Jersey | $4,500 | $2,150 to $6,850 | +12% |
| New Mexico | $3,800 | $1,850 to $5,700 | −6% |
| New York | $4,350 | $2,100 to $6,550 | +8% |
| North Carolina | $3,750 | $1,850 to $5,700 | −6% |
| North Dakota | $3,750 | $1,850 to $5,650 | −7% |
| Ohio | $3,800 | $1,800 to $5,750 | −6% |
| Oklahoma | $3,600 | $1,750 to $5,400 | −10% |
| Oregon | $4,150 | $2,000 to $6,250 | +3% |
| Pennsylvania | $4,050 | $1,950 to $6,100 | +1% |
| Rhode Island | $3,950 | $1,900 to $6,000 | −1% |
| South Carolina | $3,700 | $1,850 to $5,600 | −7% |
| South Dakota | $3,800 | $1,850 to $5,750 | −5% |
| Tennessee | $3,700 | $1,850 to $5,600 | −7% |
| Texas | $3,700 | $1,850 to $5,550 | −8% |
| Utah | $3,850 | $1,850 to $5,800 | −4% |
| Vermont | $3,850 | $1,850 to $5,800 | −4% |
| Virginia | $3,900 | $1,900 to $5,900 | −2% |
| Washington | $4,150 | $2,000 to $6,300 | +4% |
| West Virginia | $3,750 | $1,850 to $5,650 | −6% |
| Wisconsin | $3,800 | $1,850 to $5,750 | −5% |
| Wyoming | $3,750 | $1,850 to $5,700 | −6% |
Each state's wages for this trade, material price level and permit level are applied to the same job. They are statewide averages; towns within a state differ, and an expensive city and a rural county can sit far apart.
How we got these numbers
Labor, parts, overhead and permits, added up. Each assumption below says how solid it is.
Checked sourcePublished, secondhandOur estimate
- Our estimateLabor hours of 0.012 to 0.035 per square foot (about 28 to 83 sq ft per installer-hour) are our estimate. Cost-guide sites imply 25 to 80 sq ft an hour but contradict each other.
- Checked sourcePlanks cost $1.99 per sq ft for a basic 12-mil click-lock plank up to about $3.99 for a thicker one in Lowe's price check on 4 Nov 2026. Underlayment adds $0 to $0.50 per sq ft (many planks have it attached) and transitions, adhesive and small parts $0.10 to $0.30. Materials come to $2.09 to $4.79 per sq ft.
- Our estimate10% waste covers cuts and offcuts.
- Our estimateDisposal of $0 to $0.25 per sq ft covers packaging and light clean-up. Tearing out old flooring is not included.
- Our estimateNo permit is included.
- Checked sourcePayroll costs of 22% to 28% of wages follow the Census 2022 figure for flooring contractors (fringe benefits 24.1% of payroll).
- Checked sourceOverhead and profit of 50% to 70% is added on top of wages with payroll costs and materials. Census 2022: flooring contractors' receipts were 63% above direct cost; NAHB's remodeler study gives 43%.
- Not includedFloor leveling, subfloor repair, removing old flooring, moisture barriers on concrete, stairs, baseboards and furniture moving are not included.
- Our estimateRemove old carpet first: Removing carpet and pad adds 0.008 to 0.012 labor-hours per square foot (about 80 to 125 sq ft per installer-hour, including tack strips and cleanup). We found no time study.
- Our estimateRemove old carpet first: Disposal of $0.10 to $0.65 per square foot covers carpet and pad bulk (about $0.10 to $0.40 a square foot more than packaging alone).
- Checked sourceRemove tile, wood or glued floor and level it: Leveling compound adds $0.55 to $1.00 per square foot of materials: a 50-lb bag costs $30.98 to $35.98 (MAPEI and Sika, Lowe's Central Columbus, 5 Nov 2026) and covers about 42 to 65 sq ft at one-eighth inch deep (Sika data sheet 42; a retail listing for another brand says 65), plus a primer allowance of $0.05 to $0.15. A deeper pour costs more.
- Our estimateRemove tile, wood or glued floor and level it: Removing and leveling a hard floor adds 0.03 to 0.07 labor-hours per square foot (chipping or prying up tile or glued flooring, grinding or scraping, mixing and pouring). We found no time study.
- Our estimateRemove tile, wood or glued floor and level it: Disposal of $0.25 to $1.25 per square foot covers heavy debris such as tile and mortar.
- Not includedRemove tile, wood or glued floor and level it: Subfloor repair, moisture-barrier work on concrete and floors that are badly out of level are not included.
Sources
Where each input comes from, and when we last looked.
- Checked sourceU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data year 2025, checked 2026-11-04.
- Checked sourceU.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, table EC2223BASIC (Construction: Summary Statistics), NAICS 238330 Flooring Contractors, United States; fringe benefits are 24.1% of payroll and revenue is 63% above direct cost. Data year 2022, checked 2026-11-04.
- Checked sourceLowe's shelf prices read on lowes.com, Central Columbus OH (43211) store, 4 Nov 2026: luxury vinyl plank $1.99 per sq ft (12-mil click-lock) to about $3.99 (thicker), underlayment $28.98 to $79 per 100 sq ft. Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-04.
- Checked sourceLowe's shelf prices read on lowes.com, Central Columbus OH store, 5 Nov 2026: 50 lb self-leveling underlayment $30.98 (MAPEI Self Leveler Plus) to $35.98 (MAPEI Ultraplan Easy, Quikrete FastSet); coverage of about 42 sq ft at one-eighth inch from the Sika SikaLevel data sheet and 50 sq ft from the ARDEX K 22 F brochure (a retail listing for another brand says 65). Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-05.
- Our estimateCost-guide sites imply 25 to 80 sq ft per installer-hour (a 200 sq ft job at 6 to 8 labor hours; a 500 sq ft job at 12 to 14; another source 6 to 12 hours per 1,000 sq ft). These are low-quality, conflicting sources, so the figure is an estimate. Cross-checked against the Census figure of $232 of work per field labor-hour for flooring contractors. Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-04.
- Published, secondhandNAHB Remodelers' Cost of Doing Business Study, 2026 edition (fiscal 2024), as reported by NAHB's Eye on Housing blog, 8 Apr 2026: revenue about 43% above direct cost (33% in 2021). Data year 2024, checked 2026-11-04.
- Our estimateOur working assumptions, marked as estimates on this page; not checked against contractor quotes. Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-04.
- Published, secondhandU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state (US = 100), as republished by FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Goods parity is used for materials and all-items parity as a rough stand-in for permit fees. Data year 2024, checked 2026-11-04.