October 24, 2022 | Read time: 9
If cost is your main concern when choosing a flooring material for your home, you'll find it tough to beat laminate. Besides its low cost, laminate flooring has several other benefits, making this flooring an option worth considering.
If you're considering laminate flooring for an upcoming project, here's more information about what it is and how much it may cost to install.
Laminate flooring is a synthetic flooring product that's made to look like natural products (usually wood). Laminate is often made from resin, a composite plastic blend, and fiberboard materials. Because of how well laminate mimics the real thing, laminate flooring is considered a wood-alternative flooring product. Homeowners may choose to use laminate flooring throughout their homes or in specific rooms.1
Some fun facts: Laminate flooring is often made to look like real hardwood floors, a favorite of homeowners since the late-19th century, and used in homes since colonial times.2 However, laminate flooring didn't enter the market until the 1970s and took until 1994 to become a common home flooring option.3 But it's been a popular flooring choice ever since.
Laminate flooring consists of several layers—either one or two layers of support and structure, a printed photographic layer and a protective topcoat. The layers are sealed together (from the top layer to the bottom):
Wear: A protective layer that helps shield against scratches and water.4
Décor: A printed photographic layer that gives this flooring its appearance, which can mimic hardwood, tile or stone.4
Core: This provides structure and helps prevent dents.4
Backer: This layer provides support.4
Even if you prefer hardwood flooring, there still might be a place for laminate in your home, such as in the basement, mudroom or other areas prone to wear and tear.
Note that there's an in-between product called engineered hardwood, which is similar to laminate in that it consists of several layers of flooring. But while engineered hardwood's top layer is real wood, laminate flooring contains no real hardwood.1
The average cost of installation and materials for laminate flooring is $2,800. The cost typically varies from a low of $1,400 to a high of $4,300.5
The cost of laminate flooring can vary quite a bit. Several factors go into determining cost:
The square footage of your room largely determines how much you'll pay for laminate flooring and installation because it's priced by the square foot. The material generally costs between $0.70 and $2 per square foot, and the installation typically costs between $0.60 and $4 per square foot.5
To save money, you could install the laminate flooring yourself, as labor could double the price of this job. This is an intermediate do-it-yourself (DIY) project. The boards "float," meaning they aren't nailed or glued down; instead, they lock together using a tongue-and-groove system. But if this project isn't for you, you can hire a contractor to install the flooring if your budget allows it.
There are different grades of laminate, and with higher grades comes better performance. The grades are determined using a method called AC ratings, which stands for "abrasion class." The higher the rating (from 1 to 5), the more durable and expensive the product.5
AC1 flooring: For light residential traffic; priced between $1 and $1.50 per square foot5
AC2 flooring: For moderate residential use; priced between $1.30 and $2.50 per square foot5
AC3 flooring: For heavy residential use; costs between $2.50 and $3.50 or more per square foot5
AC4 and AC5: For commercial use only5
You can get laminate flooring in just about any color you'd like, such as whitewash, light wood, dark wood, gray or a variation. You can choose your pattern as well, such as chevron or wide plank.6
You can install laminate flooring yourself or hire a contractor. Whether you're doing the job yourself or paying someone to do it for you, it's helpful to know the process of putting laminate flooring in your home. Here's a brief overview summarized from the experts at This Old House:7
1. Gather tools (either your own or tools you've rented for the job). Here's what you'll need:
2. Measure the room. This determines how many flooring planks to buy.
3. Let the planks acclimate to your room for about 48 hours before installing them. The planks can swell or shrink depending on the humidity level of the room.
4. Prepare the subfloor. Make sure it's smooth and free from dust and debris.
5. Decide which wall on which to begin. This will usually be the longest wall or the wall with a focal point, such as a fireplace.
6. Lay the planks. Stagger them for a more pleasing look.
7. Cut planks. This may be necessary to fit certain spaces.
Many factors go into calculating laminate flooring costs, which makes price differences likely. The main factors to consider when pricing this job are the square footage of the area, labor costs and geographic region. The time of year and shape of the room could also factor in.5
First, determine the length and width of each room. Then, multiply the length by the width to get the square footage. Add 10% more to the number you get so you'll have enough material to account for cutting planks to fit the space and for any errors.
Example: If the material costs $1 per square foot and your room is 12 x 15, you'd pay $198. (12 x 15 = 180. $1 x 180 = $180. $180 x 1.10 = $198.)
Contractors often have a formula they use to calculate costs. Besides the materials (if they will be buying them), other costs may include the following:
Where you live often determines how much you'll pay for laminate flooring and installation. If you live in an urban area, your costs should run between $1,300 and $4,500. If you live in a rural area, your costs should run between $1,200 and $4,200.5
It could cost more to install laminate in several small rooms as opposed to one large room because of the cutting involved to fit the planks into the area.5
Laminate flooring has several benefits and could be a great choice for all or parts of your home.
Cost-effective. Compared with hardwood, laminate is just a fraction of the cost. Hardwood typically costs between $6 and $12 per square foot, while you can buy laminate flooring for between $0.70 and $2 per square foot.9
Water, scratch, dent and stain-resistant. A laminate floor is durable. This flooring doesn't easily scratch, dent or stain as hardwood floors can. It can also hold up to some water being spilled on it (or an occasional pet accident). Note that if water penetrates the top layer, perhaps from a gap in the boards or from water remaining on the floor too long, the laminate can become damaged and swell.10
Easy to cleancare for a laminate floor, sweep as often as you'd like, vacuum weekly and mop every two to three months. To mop, use laminate floor cleaner or a teaspoon of dish soap or baby shampoo mixed with a gallon of water. Do not use oil-based cleaners made for hardwood floors, as those can leave streaks on laminate flooring.11
Customizable looks. You can choose just about any look you'd like with laminate flooring, such as maple, cherry, oak, walnut or hickory wood. And though it's not as common, you can find laminate flooring that mimics tile, slate or stone floors, too.
There are some drawbacks you should be aware of:
Not waterproof. Although laminate flooring is water-resistant, it isn't waterproof—meaning it can handle small amounts of water getting on it and then dried off as soon as possible, but it can't withstand oversaturation. Too much water remaining on the floors will probably cause damage such as buckling, staining or swelling of the planks.
Cannot be refinished. If your laminate floors become damaged, the only remedy is to replace the floor. Pro Tip: Buy extra laminate flooring boards and store them. That way, if you damage a section, you'll have replacement boards, which might be difficult to match in the future if your pattern becomes discontinued.
Not as attractive. Laminate flooring is a human-made product manufactured to mimic natural wood or other materials like stone, clay or slate. Although it can look attractive, when you closely inspect it, you can tell it's not a natural product.
Formaldehyde risk: Laminate flooring is often made with a formaldehyde-based resin product. Although the laminate flooring you buy needs to pass environmental standards, there are some formaldehyde emissions when the floor is new. Exposure to formaldehyde from laminate flooring could cause some allergy, asthma or flu-like symptoms.12
You cannot refinish laminate floors, but you can repair them in some instances or replace only the damaged planks if you can match the existing flooring. (See Pro Tip above under "Cons: Cannot be refinished.") The average cost to repair laminate flooring is $500, but this varies depending on the problem.13
Some problems that could occur with laminate floors include the following:13
If you have any of those issues, you can choose to repair or replace your laminate flooring. It costs the most to repair water damage and mold—between $500 and $3,000—so for those issues, you'd probably want to replace the floor. All other problems can be repaired for between $75 and $800.13
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