Flooring Installation in Van Nuys

It depends mostly on the material. Laminate and vinyl (LVP/LVT) are the cheapest to buy and fastest to fit; engineered wood costs roughly double; solid hardwood and premium tile cost the most. As a rule of thumb labour is 30-50% of the total, with materials, underlay, trims and subfloor prep making up the rest. Get quotes priced per square metre or square foot so you can compare like for like.

Laminate and click-lock vinyl plank are usually cheapest overall: low material cost plus a fast floating installation that needs no glue or nails. Sheet vinyl can be even cheaper per unit but needs a very flat subfloor. Carpet is comparable but is normally quoted by carpet fitters rather than hard-flooring installers.

Vinyl plank (LVP/LVT) is fully waterproof, so it is the safer choice for kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, and it is quieter underfoot. Laminate has a harder, more scratch-resistant wear surface and often looks more like real wood, but standard laminate swells if water sits on it. Prices overlap heavily, so choose by room use rather than price.

A single room in click-lock laminate or vinyl is typically done in a day. A whole apartment or house takes 2-5 days depending on area, furniture moving, and how much old flooring must come out. Add a day or more if the subfloor needs levelling compound, and 2-3 days of acclimatisation before wood products are laid.

Installed laminate and vinyl plank typically run $3-$12 per square foot including materials, with $5-$8 the common middle. Engineered hardwood runs about $7-$14 installed and solid hardwood $10-$25. Labor alone is usually $1-$5 per square foot depending on material and prep.

Sometimes on headline price, but big-box quotes route through subcontractors and add measure fees, prep charges and material markups. Independent installers are often competitive once everything is itemized — compare total job cost, not the advertised per-foot rate.