Flooring Installation in North Shore

Ask every installer to itemise: material brand and wear-layer/thickness, underlay, subfloor prep, old floor removal and disposal, trims, beading and door thresholds, furniture moving, and waste allowance. The headline per-area rate is meaningless without those lines — most disputes come from prep and trims that one quote included and another did not.

Most quote by area (per square metre or square foot) for the installation itself, with fixed add-ons for prep, removal and trims. Very small jobs are often charged as a half-day or day minimum, so a tiny room can cost disproportionately more per unit of area.

Not always. Floating floors (laminate, click vinyl) can usually be laid over existing hard, flat surfaces like tile or old vinyl, which saves removal and disposal costs. Carpet always has to come out first. Overlaying raises the floor height, so doors may need trimming and thresholds adjusting — make sure the quote covers that.

Order 8-10% more than the measured area to cover cutting waste, and 12-15% for diagonal or herringbone patterns. Keep a spare box after the job for future repairs — matching a discontinued product years later is difficult.

Installed laminate typically runs NZD $45-$110 per m², vinyl plank similar, and engineered timber $90-$200 per m². Labour alone commonly sits around $30-$55 per m².

No — like-for-like floor coverings are exempt work. Consent only becomes relevant if you alter the structure beneath, such as replacing joists or subfloor framing.