Estimate your 2026 Seattle flooring install. The calculator prices laminate, standard and premium luxury vinyl plank, engineered and solid hardwood, ceramic and porcelain tile, and carpet — material, labor, subfloor prep, waste factor, and disposal of your existing floor — so you're comparing apples-to-apples when you get bids. Solid hardwood and laminate are priced too, so you can weigh all eight materials against each other.
This calculator prices standard laminate, standard and premium luxury vinyl plank (LVP) which is fully waterproof, engineered hardwood, prefinished solid oak, ceramic tile, porcelain tile, and carpet in two grades: builder-grade polyester and mid-grade nylon.
Installed cost on an 800 sq ft room, before underlayment, removal and trim: laminate about $4.30 per sq ft, builder-grade carpet about $4.34, mid-grade carpet about $4.91, prefinished solid oak about $7.75, ceramic tile about $14.23 and porcelain tile about $16.08, tile with the cement backer board under it. Foam underlayment adds $0.45 per sq ft to the floors that take it.
Installation labor is banded by how the material goes down: one rate for floating laminate and LVP, one for engineered hardwood, one for nail-down solid hardwood, and the highest for thinset tile, which also carries the labor to lay its backer board. Mid-grade carpet is sold at an installed price, so it carries no separate installation-labor line; builder-grade carpet is priced as material and takes the laminate and LVP installation rate.
The waste factor is tiered by material: 10% for laminate, LVP and carpet, 12% for engineered hardwood plank, and 15% for tile and solid hardwood, which take more cuts and more breakage. On 800 sq ft that means 881, 897 or 920 sq ft is ordered and billed.
Tearing out and disposing of an existing floor adds $1.50 per sq ft to the cost. Subfloor preparation, when you select it, bills at $50 per hour and runs about 1.25 hours per 100 sq ft — roughly $0.63 per sq ft.
Mid-grade nylon carpet is quoted at an installed price of $4.33 per sq ft of carpet ordered; with the 10% waste allowance and 3% for seaming tape and supplies it bills about $4.91 per sq ft of floor. Builder-grade polyester carpet with pad is $2.17 per sq ft of material; with waste, supplies and installation it bills about $4.34 per sq ft of floor.
Tile floors are priced over 1/2-inch cement backer board bedded in thinset, about $2.24 per sq ft of material and $2.85 of labor, with the thinset and grout that set the tile, about $1.00 per sq ft. Tile never goes over foam underlayment. A waterproofing membrane for a wet room is not priced by the calculator and is quoted separately when the room needs one.
Small jobs are raised to a $710 mobilization minimum, shown as its own line item. A laminate or builder-grade carpet floor under about 165 sq ft, or a mid-grade carpet floor under about 145 sq ft, reaches that minimum; a 100 sq ft ceramic tile floor does not, at about $1,423.
Solid hardwood is priced prefinished. Site-finishing — sanding and three coats in place — is not modelled and is quoted separately.
Figures are this calculator's own output for a single 800 sq ft room, installed, before underlayment, removal and trim, priced against Kolmo Construction's current material catalog and labor rates — planning numbers, not quotes. Run the calculator below for your own square footage.
Choose your flooring type and additional materials
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Recommended for sound dampening and moisture protection
Professional trim installation for a finished look
Professional metal transition strips where tile meets other flooring. Count all doorways and openings between rooms or to different flooring.
Professional removal and disposal of existing flooring
Leveling and preparation of subfloor surface
Your Estimate
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How Our Flooring Cost Calculator Works
Professional flooring installation estimates for Seattle homes
Accurate Cost Estimation
Our flooring calculator prices Seattle-area installs from Kolmo's own material catalog and labor rates.
You give it room dimensions and a material; it returns an itemized estimate. The materials it prices are mid-grade laminate, luxury vinyl plank (standard and
premium grades), engineered hardwood, prefinished solid white oak, ceramic tile, porcelain tile, and carpet (builder-grade polyester and mid-grade nylon). Installation labor is banded by how the
material goes down: one rate for floating laminate and LVP, one for engineered hardwood, one for nail-down solid hardwood, and
the highest for thinset tile, where layout, cuts and cure time drive the hours; tile is laid over cement backer board in thinset,
with its own material and labor lines. Mid-grade carpet is sold at an
installed price; builder-grade carpet takes the floating-floor rate. Material waste is tiered with the same logic: 10% on laminate, LVP and carpet, 12% on engineered plank, 15% on tile and solid hardwood.
Solid hardwood is priced prefinished; site-finishing it — sanding and three coats in place — is quoted separately.
What The Calculator Includes
Every flooring estimate breaks out material and labor as separate line items that add up to the quoted total — you can check the
arithmetic yourself. Subfloor repair and floor leveling, common in older Seattle homes, are priced as their own line rather than buried in a
per-square-foot rate. Material covers the flooring itself at your measured square footage plus the waste factor for your material (10, 12 or 15%), underlayment when you select it
(foam, moisture-barrier, or acoustic/cork), transition strips and thresholds by the count you enter, baseboard by linear foot, and an
adhesive/grout/supplies allowance. Labor covers the install itself, optional tear-out and disposal of the existing floor, optional subfloor
preparation billed by the hour, baseboard installation, and transition strip installation. Mid-grade carpet is the one material quoted at an installed price,
so it carries no separate install-labor line. Small jobs are raised to a mobilization minimum, shown as its own line, because a one-room floor still
costs a crew a truck, a setup and a teardown. The cost of that minimum is shown, never hidden inside another line.
Seattle-Specific Considerations
Seattle's climate and housing stock create real flooring constraints. Many homes built before 1970 have subfloor issues — the wet climate
causes rot in crawl spaces, and settling creates unlevel floors that need prep before anything goes down. Moisture drives material choice here:
solid hardwood is not recommended below grade or in wet rooms, engineered hardwood handles humidity swings far better, and LVP is waterproof
outright, which is why it dominates Seattle basements, kitchens and baths. Grout lines in a tile floor stay waterproof only while the
grout itself is sound, so plan on resealing them. A moisture-barrier underlayment is the right call for any below-grade
install and is one of the underlayment options in the calculator. Washington requires licensed, bonded contractors carrying L&I coverage — our
rates reflect that, and unlicensed installers leave you holding the warranty and liability risk. Old flooring has to go to the proper facility
(carpet to Rabanco, wood to Cedar Grove, tile to specialized recyclers), which is why tear-out is priced as its own line rather than buried.
Comparing Flooring Bids
Use the estimate as a yardstick against the bids you collect. A flooring contractor's number is only comparable to another
contractor's number when both cover the same scope, and the three lines that most often differ are subfloor preparation, tear-out and disposal of
the old floor, and whether the material cost is quoted supplied-and-installed or material-only. Ask every bidder to itemize those three. Watch the
waste factor too: a flooring bid that quotes your exact measured square footage has not allowed for offcuts, and the shortfall reappears as a
change order. Confirm the contractor is licensed and bonded in Washington and carries L&I coverage — an unlicensed installer quoting a lower cost
per square foot is transferring the warranty and liability risk to you, and on a flooring job that risk lands on the subfloor underneath. If a bid
comes in far under this calculator's estimate, the usual explanation is a thinner material, an omitted prep line, or a waste factor of zero.
On permits: a like-for-like floor replacement does not normally need a building permit in Seattle or the surrounding King County cities, so no
permit fee is built into these numbers. That changes if the work touches structure — replacing rotten joists or subfloor sheathing, altering a
floor opening, or installing over radiant heat — and it changes again in a designated landmark or historic district. The permit comparison linked
above shows the requirement city by city.
Using The Calculator Effectively
Measure each room's length and width in feet and add a row per room — the calculator applies the waste factor for you, so enter your real
measured area, not a padded one — the tier for your material is applied automatically. Seattle floor plans from the 1920s through the 1950s tend to
run small and cut-up, so measure room by room rather than estimating a whole floor. Choose the material by how the room gets used: LVP for anything that can get wet and for below-grade rooms;
engineered hardwood where you want real wood over a flat subfloor; porcelain or ceramic tile for baths, entries and mudrooms; carpet for bedrooms.
Turn on subfloor preparation if the floor is uneven, springy, or you already know there is damage underneath — it bills by the hour and is the line
most likely to move once we see the room. Turn on removal if there is an existing floor to tear out. Enter the number of doorways needing a
transition strip. Then press Calculate Estimate; change any input and press it again to compare options side by side. The result is a planning
number, not a quote — the walkthrough is where the real price gets set, and it is free. Comparing two or three estimates this way, material against
material, is the fastest way to see where the cost actually sits before you call anyone out.
Flooring Cost Calculator: common questions
What flooring works best in Seattle's climate?
For Seattle's moisture and temperature fluctuations, engineered hardwood offers the best balance of appearance and stability. Luxury vinyl plank is excellent for moisture-prone areas like basements, bathrooms, and kitchens as it's 100% waterproof. Avoid solid hardwood in basements or below-grade spaces. Tile works wonderfully in bathrooms but feels cold in winter without radiant heating. Carpet performs well in dry areas but avoid it in basements where moisture can cause mold.
Should I remove old flooring myself to save money?
Professional tear-out and disposal adds $1.50 per sq ft in this calculator, so removing it yourself saves about that much, but it is risky without experience. Professionals have proper tools, dispose of materials correctly, and can identify subfloor problems during removal. Improper removal can damage subfloors, creating expensive repairs that negate any savings. For tile removal or homes potentially containing asbestos (pre-1980s construction), hire professionals. For simple carpet removal in newer homes, DIY is more feasible.
How long does flooring installation take?
The calculator's time estimate is its install labor hours divided by an 8-hour working day. A 300 sq ft room comes to one working day for every material it prices, from laminate and LVP (3 labor hours) to prefinished solid hardwood and tile (6 labor hours); adding tear-out and subfloor preparation to 300 sq ft of LVP makes it two days. A 1,200 sq ft LVP floor is two days, and 1,200 sq ft of porcelain tile is three. Those are crew working days only: they do not include acclimating wood before it goes down, thinset cure time before grouting, or waiting on materials, so leave more room on the calendar than the labor alone. Solid hardwood is priced prefinished, so there is no sanding or site-finishing time in the estimate.
Why trust this flooring installation estimate?
Kolmo LLC, established 2025, is a licensed, bonded and insured Washington general contractor (License #KOLMOL*753JS) working across Seattle and King County. This flooring installation calculator prices from Kolmo's own material catalog and labor rates, not national averages. Every estimate returns an itemized breakdown of materials and labor, and the line items reconcile to the total so you can check the arithmetic yourself, and the cost of every option you switch on appears as its own line. Treat the result as a planning estimate rather than a quote: the final price is set after a walkthrough of the actual conditions, which is free and carries no obligation.
What this calculator captures
What this calculator charges by material, installed on 800 sq ft with waste and supplies, before underlayment, removal and trim. Luxury vinyl plank and engineered hardwood are priced by the calculator but not listed here; run the calculator for your room.
Carpet
$4.34–$4.91 / sq ft
Builder-grade polyester or mid-grade nylon, over pad. Best in bedrooms and dry upper floors; avoid it below grade where moisture invites mold.
Laminate
about $4.30 / sq ft
Mid-grade click-lock laminate with an attached pad. Water-resistant, not waterproof, so choose luxury vinyl plank below grade and in wet rooms. Standard and premium LVP are priced by the calculator but not listed here; run the calculator for your room.
Solid hardwood
about $7.75 / sq ft
Prefinished solid oak, nail-down, with a 15% waste allowance; site-finishing is quoted separately. Engineered hardwood is also priced by the calculator but is not listed here; run the calculator for your room.
Ceramic / porcelain tile
$14.23–$16.08 / sq ft
Plain 12x24 straight-lay over cement backer board, with thinset and grout. A waterproofing membrane is quoted separately; patterned tile (herringbone, hex) and large-format slabs cost more.
Using this calculator
Does the estimate include subfloor prep and patching?
Yes, when you turn it on — subfloor preparation is its own toggle, separate from floor removal, so switching on tear-out alone will not add a prep line. When selected it bills by the hour: about 1.25 hours per 100 sq ft at $50/hr, roughly $0.63 per sq ft, covering patch plywood, self-leveling underlayment where needed, and fastener-hole fill. That is a planning figure for a floor in ordinary shape. Older Seattle homes with settled tongue-and-groove subfloor, rot in the crawl space, or sections needing replacement run well past it — the walkthrough is where prep gets priced properly, and it is the line item most likely to move.
How should I choose between LVP and hardwood in a Seattle home?
LVP is waterproof, needs no acclimation, and tolerates Seattle's moisture swings — ideal for basements, kitchens, and bathrooms. Solid hardwood isn't recommended below grade or in high-moisture rooms. Engineered hardwood is a middle ground: real wood veneer on a plywood core that handles moisture better than solid. The calculator prices laminate, LVP, engineered hardwood and prefinished solid oak, so you can compare them side by side.
What waste factor does the calculator use?
It varies by material, because the offcuts do. Straight-lay laminate, LVP and carpet get 10%; engineered hardwood plank gets 12%; tile and solid hardwood get 15%, since both take more cuts and tile breaks. On an 800 sq ft room that is 881, 897 or 920 sq ft ordered and billed. Enter your real measured area, not a padded one, or you will pay the waste factor twice. What the calculator does not vary is layout: it prices straight-lay, so add a few points yourself for a diagonal or herringbone run, and a few more for a cut-heavy room full of closets, jogs and angled walls.
Can I use the calculator for a partial install?
Yes — enter only the sq footage of the area you're flooring. Small jobs hit a $710 mobilization minimum, shown as its own line item, because a one-room floor still costs a crew a truck, a setup and a teardown; a laminate or builder-grade carpet floor under about 165 sq ft, or a mid-grade carpet floor under about 145 sq ft, reaches it. A 100 sq ft ceramic tile floor comes in around $14.23 per sq ft and porcelain around $16.08, the same as across 1,000 sq ft.
How does pattern (herringbone, diagonal) affect labor cost?
Herringbone and chevron add roughly 30-50% to the labor line because every plank is cut twice and layout is geometric rather than linear. Diagonal installs add about 15-25%, and both push waste up several points on top of that. The calculator prices straight-lay only — it has no pattern input, so if you are planning herringbone, chevron or a diagonal run, take its labor figure as a floor and ask us to quote the layout directly. Pattern is one of the few flooring choices where the labor delta is bigger than the material delta.
