How much does it cost to fit flooring per m²?
For the labour alone, a fitter outside London typically charges £8 – £15 per m² for laminate, £8 – £15 for luxury vinyl click, £20 – £35 for engineered wood, £25 – £40 for tiles and £30 – £50 for herringbone; fitters in London and the South East charge more, as the London column below shows. Uplifting the old floor, levelling, underlay and skirting come on top: a 20 m² room in laminate comes to about £430 – £1,080 for the labour and these extras, without the flooring itself.
Fitting prices by floor type
Labour only, without the flooring, typical in 2026. London and the South East are their own column: fitters there charge more than in the rest of the United Kingdom.
| Floor type | Outside London (per m²) | London and the South East (per m²) | What drives the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laminate (click) | £8 – £15 | £12 – £18 | Floated on underlay, quick to install; cuts around doors and pipes take most of the time. |
| Luxury vinyl click planks | £8 – £15 | £15 – £25 | Installed like laminate, but needs a flatter subfloor; glue-down vinyl costs more. |
| Engineered wood or parquet planks | £20 – £35 (estimate) | £30 – £45 (estimate) | Floated or glued; glued planks and a wood subfloor that needs plywood first are the upper end. |
| Herringbone | £30 – £50 (estimate) | £45 – £75 (estimate) | Short blocks set one by one from a centre line, every wall row cut; about twice the time of straight planks. |
| Tile (ceramic or porcelain) | £25 – £40 | £30 – £52 | Adhesive and grout work; large formats and natural stone cost more, small mosaics too. |
Typical extras on a quote
Most quotes add a few of these. They often decide whether a job lands at the bottom or the top of the range.
| Extra | Typical price | What drives the price |
|---|---|---|
| Uplift and disposal of the old floor | £3 – £10 per m² | Carpet is quick; glued vinyl, tile and adhesive residue take longer. |
| Self-levelling compound, applied | £8 – £18 per m² | Needed when the subfloor dips more than the flooring allows. |
| Underlay, supplied and installed | £3 – £10 per m² | Under laminate, vinyl without an attached pad and floated wood. |
| Skirting board, supplied and installed | £8 – £20 per metre | Counted along the walls, minus the door openings. |
| Door bar | £15 – £30 each | Where the new floor meets another one; metal costs more than plastic. |
These are typical ranges from published price guides and fitter rates, not a quote. A range marked as an estimate is our own reading where no guide gives a figure. Many fitters have a minimum charge for small rooms, and some quote a day rate instead of a price per m². Ask whether value added tax and the disposal of the old floor are included.
What moves the price up or down
- Room size: a small room costs more per area, because setting up, cutting and cleaning take almost as long as in a large one.
- Subfloor: a flat, dry subfloor keeps the job at the bottom of the range; dips, cracks or damp add levelling and drying time.
- Pattern: straight planks are the cheapest; diagonal laying and herringbone add cuts and time.
- Doors and details: every door frame to undercut, every pipe and every transition adds a few minutes that add up.
- Furniture and access: moving furniture, stairs and carrying material up floors are often charged separately.
Worked example: a 5 × 4 m room in laminate
A 20 m² living room outside London, one door, the old carpet uplifted, underlay and new skirting (17.1 m along the walls without the door). Each line is the price range above times the quantity:
- Labour for 20 m² of laminate: £160 – £300
- Underlay over 20 m²: £60 – £200
- Uplift and disposal of the old floor over 20 m²: £60 – £200
- Skirting board, 17.1 m: £136.80 – £342
- One door bar: £15 – £30
Together, rounded: about £430 – £1,080, without the laminate itself.
The same room in other floor types
Labour only for 20 m², without the extras, outside London and in London:
| Floor type | Outside London (20 m²) | London and the South East (20 m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Laminate (click) | £160 – £300 | £240 – £360 |
| Luxury vinyl click planks | £160 – £300 | £300 – £500 |
| Engineered wood or parquet planks | £400 – £700 | £600 – £900 |
| Herringbone | £600 – £1,000 | £900 – £1,500 |
| Tile (ceramic or porcelain) | £500 – £800 | £600 – £1,040 |
From price per area to your own total
These prices tell you what the labour costs; what the material costs is a different count. The layout plan with cost lays out your real room, counts whole packs and adds underlay, adhesive and skirting board at your own prices, and labour per area can go in as its own line. For the quantities alone, the laminate flooring calculator, the tile calculator and the skirting board calculator give the packs and lengths.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to fit laminate flooring per m²?
- Typically £8 – £15 per m² for the labour in 2026, without the laminate. Underlay adds £3 – £10 per m², removing the old floor £3 – £10 per m². Small rooms and many doors push the price to the top of the range.
- How much does it cost to fit flooring in a 20 m² room?
- About £160 – £300 for the labour of laminate in a 5 × 4 m room outside London, and about £430 – £1,080 with uplifting the old floor, underlay, skirting and a door bar. The flooring itself comes on top.
- Why does herringbone cost so much more to fit?
- Herringbone blocks are short and set one by one from a centre line, and every block at the wall is cut. That takes about twice as long as straight planks, so the labour is typically £30 – £50 per m² against £8 – £15 for laminate.
- Is fitting flooring more expensive in London?
- Yes. Fitters in London and the South East typically charge more than in the rest of the United Kingdom; the price table above gives both columns for every floor type. Ask two or three local fitters for a written quote on the same material list.
- What is usually not included in the price per m²?
- The flooring, uplifting the old floor (£3 – £10 per m²), levelling (£8 – £18 per m²), underlay, skirting (£8 – £20 per metre) and door bars (£15 – £30 each). Moving furniture, stairs and skip hire are often charged separately too.
Find a local floor fitter
The surest price is a written quote from a fitter near you, on the same material list and room plan. Take the plan from the planner along: with the area, the packs and the cuts on paper, quotes become comparable.
We are building a free listing of local floor fitters who lay by hand. Until it covers your area, ask two or three fitters nearby for a quote.
Are you a floor fitter? Ask to be listed, free of charge.
Count your room before you ask for a quote
Upload your floor plan and the free planner works out the exact packs and waste before you order.
plan the room