Replacing the carpet in 356 sq ft of living room and bedroom with luxury vinyl plank costs about $3,550 installed at US-average prices, with a range of $1,850 to $5,200. That is roughly $10 per sq ft: $4.50 per sq ft of plank bought, with 10% extra for waste, $2.50 for installation and $2.50 to tear out and haul away the old carpet and pad. Doing the work yourself leaves the plank, about $1,750.
How the flooring cost is calculated
Each line is a quantity times a unit cost, as a low, typical and high figure. Material is priced on the area you buy, with the waste allowance; labor on the floor area. The calculator then scales material and labor by the price level of your state and adds the lines.
material = floor area × (1 + waste %) × material price per sq ft
labor = floor area × (installation + removal + prep) per sq ft
The typical figure is the middle of each published range unless the table says otherwise. With "I install it myself" every labor line drops out: that is the materials-only price of a DIY job.
Worked example: carpet out, vinyl plank in
- Floor: 356 sq ft, 10% waste, so 391.6 sq ft of plank.
- Plank at $2 to $7 per sq ft (typical $4.50): $1,762 typical.
- Installation at $1 to $4 per sq ft (typical $2.50): $890.
- Carpet and pad removal at $2 to $3 per sq ft: $890.
- Total $3,542, shown as $3,550; low $1,851 and high $5,233, shown as $1,850 and $5,200. Per sq ft: $9.95.
The math under the result shows these exact figures; the price table rounds each line to the nearest $10 or $50, so the plank reads $1,750 there.
Cost per square foot by flooring type
US averages used by the calculator, per sq ft. The material ranges and labor ranges come from Bob Vila's cost guides for each floor (dated 2022 to 2023); Homewyse's September 2026 figures for a basic installed floor, $7.12 to $12.15 for laminate, $5.53 to $8.08 for carpet and $16.79 to $20.73 for tile, fall inside the combined ranges.
| Flooring | Material | Installation labor | Typical installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid hardwood (¾ in) | $5 to $15 | $3 to $6 | $14.50 |
| Engineered hardwood | $4.50 to $16 | $3 to $6 | $11.50 |
| Luxury vinyl plank | $2 to $7 | $1 to $4 | $7.00 |
| Laminate | $1.50 to $6 | $4 to $8 | $8.50 |
| Carpet with pad | $2.75 to $9 | $0.50 to $1 | $6.63 |
| Porcelain or ceramic tile | $2 to $15 | $5 to $14 | $14.50 |
Typical installed is the typical material plus the typical labor, before waste and before your state's factor. Engineered hardwood and tile are set at the common mid-grade product rather than the middle of a very wide range.
Removing the old floor and preparing the subfloor
Tear-out is priced per sq ft: carpet and pad $2 to $3, vinyl, laminate or wood $1 to $6 (Homewyse's 2026 range is $2.46 to $4.54), tile $2 to $7 because it comes up in pieces with its mortar. Subfloor work is only for the part of the floor that needs it: self-leveling compound at $1 to $5 per sq ft installed, or replacing damaged subfloor at $3 to $10 per sq ft with the plywood. Enter the share of the floor, for example 25% for one bad corner near a bathroom.
Underlayment adds $0.30 to $0.50 per sq ft (a $30 to $50 roll covers 100 sq ft). Laminate and engineered click floors usually need it; most vinyl plank and carpet pad already include it.
What changes the price
Labor is where the range is widest. Stairs, many small rooms, diagonal or herringbone layouts and furniture moving all cost more than one open room laid straight, and hardwood that has to be sanded and finished on site adds $2 to $7 per sq ft (Bob Vila). Your state setting scales labor and material to local price levels; get at least two written quotes before you commit.
What to do next
- Count the cartons, underlayment rolls and quarter round with the flooring calculator.
- Laminate row by row, with the last row checked: the laminate flooring calculator.
- Carpet yardage from a 12 or 15 ft roll: the carpet calculator.
- A tile floor's tiles, grout and thinset: the tile calculator.
- A coated garage or basement slab instead: the epoxy flooring cost calculator.
Other project prices are on the project costs page.