What we install
Compatible click-lock laminate, installed as a floating floor.
Customer-supplied flooring is welcome, whether the product is already bought or still being chosen. If you have not purchased flooring yet, tell us which product you are considering so we can review whether it fits the installation scope.
We do not install glue-down or nail-down field flooring, so laminate products that call for a glued or fastened field installation are outside our current scope. If you are not sure which yours is, send the product name and we will look at it.
Starting labor pricing
$3.75 per installed square foot is the starting point for a standard straight-layout floating installation under normal project conditions, with a $750 labor-only minimum.
Product-specific installation requirements and project conditions can both move a job off the starting rate — including the condition of what is underneath, what has to come out first, and how many interfaces the floor has to meet. Those factors are listed further down and explained fully on Pricing.
What varies by product, and why we ask
Laminate is a broad category. Across products, these can differ:
- Core construction and the manufacturer's moisture position. Some laminate products are rated by their manufacturer for a wider range of interior conditions than others. That position belongs to the product, not to the category, and it comes with its own conditions.
- Whether underlayment is attached. Some laminate arrives with attached underlayment; some requires a separate underlayment the manufacturer specifies. Adding another layer where the product does not call for one can conflict with its installation requirements.
- The joint system. Locking profiles differ in how they engage and in what they tolerate.
- Flatness tolerance. The manufacturer states what the subfloor must meet.
- Expansion space and perimeter requirements.
- Run length and where transitions are required.
This is why we ask for the specific product before confirming a scope. We install to that product's instructions. General advice from another product, another brand or a general article is not a safe substitute, and we would rather ask than assume.
If you are still choosing, Before You Buy Flooring covers what to look for, and the Floating Flooring Guide compares laminate against LVP and floating engineered hardwood.
Rooms, moisture and what we can and cannot tell you
Whether a particular laminate can go in a kitchen, a laundry room, a basement or a bathroom is a question about that product, in that space, under that manufacturer's stated conditions. We will not tell you laminate is categorically fine everywhere, and we will not tell you it is categorically unsuitable. The product-specific requirements are what matter.
What we do is read what the manufacturer says about the product you have selected, look at the space, and tell you what we find. If the product and the room do not agree, you will hear that before installation rather than after.
We also cannot assess moisture conditions we cannot see. Conditions below an existing floor are not knowable from a photograph or a description.
Preparation and the surface underneath
A floating floor sits on what is below it, so what is below it has to be within the range the product requires. Before installation we review the subfloor type and its visible condition, flatness across the area, moisture considerations relevant to the product and space, door clearances, and where the floor will meet adjacent surfaces.
Where the existing surface does not meet requirements, preparation is quoted separately — leveling, subfloor repair or replacement, and plywood or luan overlay each have their own published rates, and a prep-day mobilization charge applies. Subfloor Preparation covers those rates and their limits.
What is priced separately from the starting rate
- existing-floor removal labor and disposal/haul-away
- floor leveling, subfloor repair or replacement, and plywood or luan overlay
- transitions, and the transition material
- qualifying door-jamb and door-casing work
- and other nonstandard project conditions — Pricing covers these in full
Each of these appears as its own line where it applies. The written estimate is what sets your final scope and price.
Common questions
Can I provide my own laminate? Yes. Customer-supplied compatible click-lock laminate is welcome. We review the product before confirming scope.
Does laminate require underlayment? It depends on the product. Some laminate has underlayment attached; some requires a separate one the manufacturer specifies. Adding another layer where the product does not call for one can conflict with its installation requirements. The product instructions control.
Can laminate go in a kitchen or bathroom? That is a product-specific question, not a category-wide one. Manufacturers state where and under what conditions a given product may be installed. Send us the product and the room and we will tell you what its instructions say.
Do you install glue-down laminate? No. Our current field-flooring scope is floating installation, so glue-down and nail-down field flooring are outside it.
What can change the starting labor rate? Preparation, removal, transitions and doorway work, stairs, and nonstandard project conditions. Pricing explains the cost drivers.
How does laminate compare to LVP? That comparison is covered in the Floating Flooring Guide, which looks at all three floating categories side by side.
Next step
Tell us the rooms and square footage, what is on the floor now, and the laminate product you have chosen or are considering. Missing details can be sorted out during review.