Flooring cost: what the job involves and who is registered to do it

How flooring cost works

1. Decide which of the two you are buying. A covering sits on the floor and can be lifted; a poured floor becomes the floor. That decides who quotes it, how it is priced, how long it takes and what happens when it is damaged.
2. For a poured floor, price the preparation. Grinding, filling, priming and any moisture mitigation. This is the majority of the labour on a resin or epoxy floor and it is the line that separates a durable finish from one that lifts.
3. Check what the substrate is doing. A slab that is damp, cracked, moving or contaminated with oil has to be dealt with before anything is laid over it, and finding that out after the quote is agreed is the commonest source of extra cost.
4. Ask about levels, thresholds and doors. A new floor build up changes the level at every doorway. Trimming doors, adapting thresholds and meeting an existing floor are small items that are frequently left out of the price.
5. Get the finish written down. System, thickness, colour, slip resistance and the number of coats. All five change the price and none of them is visible from a photograph of somebody else's floor.

Insurance and paperwork

Common questions

Why do flooring quotes vary so much?

Usually because they are different products. A quote for a laid covering, a quote for a two coat resin seal and a quote for a full resin system with a broadcast finish are three different things, and the word flooring covers all of them.

Is the preparation really that expensive?

On a poured floor, yes, and it is the honest part of the quote. A contractor who does not price grinding and filling is either working on a perfect slab or planning not to do it.

Does a new floor need building regulations approval?

Laying a covering does not. Work that affects the structure, the damp proofing or the thermal element of a floor can, particularly in a conversion, so it is worth asking where the job sits.

Registered contractors by region

• Registered roofers in the East Midlands postcode area
• Registered roofers in the East of England postcode area
• Registered roofers in the London postcode area
• Registered roofers in the North East postcode area
• Registered roofers in the North West postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Scotland postcode area
• Registered roofers in the South East postcode area
• Registered roofers in the South West postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Wales postcode area
• Registered roofers in the West Midlands postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Yorkshire and The Humber postcode area