How much does vinyl and LVT flooring cost?

When you’re planning a flooring renovation, there are so many things to think about. What type of flooring should you choose? Is that particular flooring suitable for the room? Which style or colour looks best? These are important points that you’ll need to make decisions on, but at the end of the day, it comes down to budget. That’s often the main thing standing between you and your dream floor.

If your heart is set on real wood or tiled flooring, there’s a way to get the look for a fraction of the price: vinyl or luxury vinyl (LVT) flooring. In this guide, we’ll highlight the differences between these two brilliantly practical flooring types, and how the costs of both can vary. We’ll also calculate the average vinyl or LVT flooring cost if you want to choose either of these for your entire home.

Read on to discover:

• The difference between vinyl & LVT
• How much does vinyl flooring cost?
• How much does LVT cost?
• Additional fitting costs to consider

The difference between vinyl & LVT

Vinyl and luxury vinyl have lots of similarities, but they’re also quite different. Both floors are made up of multiple layers, with plenty of engineering genius packed into each one. You can read our vinyl buying guide and our luxury vinyl buying guide for a more detailed explanation of each flooring type, but here are their differences at a glance:

Vinyl

• Flexible
• Sold on a roll, like a carpet
• Easy to fit
• Water resistant
• Bold and fun designs including Victorian or Moroccan tiles
• Suitable for any room
• Durable
• No need for underlay
• Budget-friendly

LVT

• Rigid
• Planks or tiles, sold in packs
• 2 types of installation: click or dryback
• Easy to fit
• Water resistant
• Realistic designs including wood and stone
• Suitable for any room
• Durable
• Click luxury vinyl has inbuilt underlay
• More affordable than real wood or stone flooring

How much does vinyl flooring cost?

Out of all the smooth flooring options, the cost of vinyl flooring is much lower than luxury vinyl, laminate, or engineered wood. When it comes to fitting costs, vinyl flooring is cheaper to install than a tiled floor but it can mimic the look very easily. And within our vinyl collection, there are budget, mid-tier, and top-of-the-range styles, so you just need to weigh up their specs against your budget.

Factors that affect the cost of vinyl flooring

These factors can affect the price of vinyl:

• Thickness – Felt backing makes the vinyl thicker, adding extra comfort
• Wear layer – A deeper wear and tear layer makes the vinyl more robust
• Design features – A textured finish for slip resistance adds another stage to the design process

What is the average cost for vinyl flooring?

The average vinyl flooring cost depends on whether you go for a budget floor or an all-singing, all-dancing sheet vinyl. The prices range from:

• Budget sheet vinyl – Under £20 per m2
• Mid-range sheet vinyl – £20-25 per m2
• High-end sheet vinyl –  £25-£30+ per m2

How much does it cost to have vinyl flooring in a room?

Working out how much does vinyl flooring cost for a room is the same as when calculating carpet. Because it’s sold on a roll by metre squared, you need to measure the length and width of the room then multiply them together.

Bear in mind a vinyl roll can be 2m, 3m or 4m wide, so for oversized rooms that are wider or longer than four metres, you’ll end up with an unsightly visible join where the two separate pieces are butted together. In this instance, luxury vinyl would be a better option for a bigger space. If you decide you really, really, really want vinyl, pick a pattern with a straight tile grout line or a wooden plank design so the join can be hidden more easily.

Width of the room x length of the room = amount of vinyl needed
4x4=16m2  

• Tapi Top Tip: Add an additional 100mm to each edge to allow for doorways.

Amount of vinyl x cost per m2 = cost of vinyl for the room

So,for 16m2 of our lowest priced vinyl at £19.99, it would cost £320 for the vinyl flooring alone.

Average cost for vinyl flooring in a 3-bedroom house

We’ve worked out the cost of vinyl in one room, now let’s calculate the rest of the house! We’re basing our numbers on the average 3-bedroom house which is between 88-100m2. We’ll assume that upstairs there’s one large double bedroom, one smaller bedroom and a single bedroom, a bathroom, and a landing, then downstairs, there’s a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and the hallway. (The stairs measurements have been left out as vinyl is unsuitable for stairs.) These all have different costs depending on their size, but we’ll use average values to calculate the costs:

Bedrooms

Bedroom 1 - 4x4=16m2  
Bedroom 2 - 3x4=12m2  
Bedroom 3 - 3x2.5=7.5m2  

Total =35.5 m2  

Upstairs

Bathroom - 3x2=6m2
Landing - 3x2=6m2  

Total =12m2 

Downstairs

Living room - 5x4=20m2  
Dining room - 3x3=9m2
Kitchen - 3x3=9m2   
Hallway - 3x2=6m2  

Total =44m2  

Vinyl flooring fitting costs

If you’re planning on fitting vinyl yourself then that’s roughly how much you’ll need to budget for. It goes without saying that this is just an illustration of what the average costs for vinyl flooring will be, based on an average house. But we’re all different and unique, so it’s best to get a bespoke quote from one of our Tapi floorologists.

We’ll always point you in the direction of our very professional and very talented team of fitting partners. Vinyl can sometimes pick up the imperfections in a subfloor and this is something our fitting partners can fix prior to laying your flooring.

The cost for fitting vinyl flooring is £6.75m2, so based on our example of a medium 4x4m room, fitting costs for vinyl would start from £108. Minimum fitting costs apply depending on your location and there would also be a small fee for arranging the fitting.

How much does LVT cost?

So how much does LVT flooring cost compared to vinyl flooring? Like its name would suggest, luxury vinyl (or LVT) is a more premium flooring type than sheet vinyl and therefore the cost of LVT flooring is higher. There are two types of luxury vinyl flooring: dryback (also know as stick down or glue down) and click fit. Dryback luxury vinyl starts from £22.99 per m2 and click fit luxury vinyl starts from £35.99m2. While click fit is the more expensive of the two, it’s faster and cheaper to fit and has built-in underlay.

Factors that affect the cost of LVT flooring

These factors can affect the price of luxury vinyl:

• Wear layer – The thicker the wear and tear layer, the tougher the luxury vinyl
• Design details – Where the surface texture of the plank matches the grain or veins of the design layer underneath, this is an additional production step and therefore adds extra cost
• Bevelled edges – Where the edges of the plank or tile are gently sloped to imitate real wood or stone, and the design has been wrapped around it
• Installation method – Dryback luxury vinyl is cheaper than click luxury vinyl but takes longer to install which costs more
• Fitting layout – Herringbone luxury vinyl is more expensive to install than simpler straight planks

What is the average cost for luxury vinyl flooring?

As with everything, there are budget and high-end options for luxury vinyl. The more you spend, the more realistic the look and feel of the plank or tile.

• Budget luxury vinyl – £20-£30 per m2
• Mid-range luxury vinyl – £30-£45 per m2
• High-end luxury vinyl – £45-£80+ per m2

How much does it cost have luxury vinyl flooring in a room?

Measuring up for luxury vinyl is slightly different to calculating sheet vinyl. Luxury vinyl comes in different lengths and widths to create different looks, so the pack coverage varies between collections. We’ll also add a cutting allowance of between 5 and 15% dependent on the design, and this also leaves you for spares in the future should any become damaged.

You’ve picked your luxury vinyl flooring? Fantastic! Now, find out how to measure a room for luxury vinyl flooring by following these three steps:

1. Calculate the total area of the room

Width of the room x length of the room = total area of the room
Example: 4x4=16m²

2. Add an extra 5-15% onto your total area of your room then divide by the floor coverage per pack to work out how many packs you need. Round this number up to the next whole number.

(Total area of the room + 5%) ÷ pack coverage = number of packs required
Example: (16m² + 5% =16.8m²) ÷ 2.20m² = 7.63 (round up to 8 packs)

• Tapi Top Tip: Use the flooring calculator on the product page and we’ll work it out for you – you don’t need to be a maths whizz!

3. Multiply the pack coverage by how many packs you need to get the total floor coverage, then times by the price per square metre to get the total flooring cost.

(Pack coverage in metres squared x number of packs) x price per square metre = cost of luxury vinyl flooring
Example: (2.20m² x 8 = 17.57m²) x £42.99 = £755.25

Using our most popular luxury vinyl priced at £42.99m², the average cost would be just over £750 for the flooring alone.

This is just a rough quote to help you plan your budget but it’s always best to speak to a Tapi floorologist to get a personalised quote.

Average cost for luxury vinyl flooring in a 3-bedroom house

Perhaps you’ve got a bigger flooring project and need to know how much it would be to use luxury vinyl throughout your entire house? We’re basing our numbers on the average 3-bedroom house which is between 88-100m2. The stairs measurements have been left out as luxury vinyl is unable to be fitted onto stairs.

Bedrooms

Bedroom 1 - 4x4=16m2  
Bedroom 2 - 3x4=12m2  
Bedroom 3 - 3x2.5=7.5m2  

Total =35.5 m2  

Upstairs

Bathroom - 3x2=6m2
Landing - 3x2=6m2  

Total =12m2 

Downstairs

Living room - 5x4=20m2  
Dining room - 3x3=9m2
Kitchen - 3x3=9m2   
Hallway - 3x2=6m2  

Total =44m2

LVT flooring fitting costs

The pricing examples above are for dryback luxury vinyl. This is slightly cheaper than click fit luxury vinyl because it’s a flat plank whereas click fit has been specially made to click together. However, when it comes to luxury vinyl flooring fitting costs, dryback is the more expensive one as it needs to be stuck to the floor using adhesive, which takes longer and requires more precision.

• Click LVT - £15 m2
• Dryback LVT - £17.50 m2

Based on our example of a 4x4m room, click luxury vinyl fitting would start from £240 and dryback luxury vinyl fitting would be from £280. Minimum fitting costs apply depending on your location and there would also be a small fee for arranging the fitting.

Additional fitting costs to consider

Both vinyl and luxury vinyl have additional fitting costs you’ll need to remember to include in your overall budget.

• Uplift and disposal: Removing your old flooring starts from £6.50 per m2
• Subfloor preparation: Your flooring is only as good as the subfloor underneath, so we’ll also take a look to see if we need to do any prep work before your flooring is fitted. What you need will depend on your current subfloor type and its condition. Smoothing compound starts from £7 per m2, damp course membrane is from £11 per m2, and ply board is from £9 per m2. There are also minimum square metre costs for these.
• Accessories: Door bars for vinyl start from £12.99 each, profiles for luxury vinyl start from £19.99 each. If you're using dryback luxury vinyl from room to room, there’s no need for door bars or profiles, except where the flooring meets the stairs and you would pop a nosing on
• Vinyl adhesive: Spray adhesive for sheet vinyl is £14.99 per can and covers 4m2
• Dryback LVT adhesive or ‘underlay’: Dryback luxury vinyl needs to be stuck down to the subfloor with either high temperature adhesive or our clever self-adhesive sticky underlay. High temperature adhesive is £69.99 and covers 15m2, underlay is £13.99 per m2
• Door trimming: This is from £30 per door adjustment

So now you’ve input those numbers into your spreadsheet and weighed up all the information, which type of vinyl flooring do you think is best for your home?

The best thing to do is book a free home visit and we’ll bring samples of vinyl and luxury vinyl round for you to compare. We’ll measure up and we can even check your subfloor to see if any prep work needs to be done before installation. Otherwise, order free samples online or come and see us in-store for a tailored quote.

*The prices quoted in this article were correct at the time of publication and are for illustrative purposes only. Fitting prices can vary dependent on location, minimum fitting fee applies. Please visit your local Tapi store or book a home visit for a more personalised quote.