- Estimate: $5 to $12 per square foot installed, before your discount.
- Most jobs run $6.00 to $9.50 before the discount and about $5.00 to $7.75 after it.
- Tile removal, slab leveling and condo underlayment are the big variables.
- The only real number is the written estimate after a free measurement.
The range, and where most jobs land
As an estimate, waterproof vinyl plank runs $5 to $12 per square foot installed, before your discount. That’s a wide range because “installed” covers very different jobs. A bedroom with old carpet over a flat slab is quick work. A kitchen with 18 inch ceramic tile to remove, a dishwasher to pull and a low spot in the slab takes much longer.
Most of the jobs we see fall in a narrower working range: $6.00 to $9.50 per square foot before the discount. The 50% off applies to installation labor, and after it most jobs land at about $5.00 to $7.75 per square foot. None of these numbers is a quote. The real figure is the written estimate after we’ve measured the rooms and looked at the slab.
What common rooms run
Here is the working range applied to a few typical Florida spaces, before the discount. These are estimates for planning, not prices.
| Space | Size | Estimate before discount |
|---|---|---|
| Guest bedroom | 120 sq ft | About $720 to $1,140 |
| Typical room | 200 sq ft | About $1,200 to $1,900 |
| Living and dining area | 400 sq ft | About $2,400 to $3,800 |
| Condo main living areas | 1,000 sq ft | About $6,000 to $9,500 |
A 200 square foot room is roughly $1,200 to $1,900 before the discount. Larger open areas often come in at the lower end per square foot, because the crew spends more of the day laying full planks and less of it making cuts. Small rooms with many doorways, closets and cabinets trend higher. You can try your own sizes in the cost calculator.
What an installed price should include
When you compare estimates, check that each one covers the same work. An installed price from us is meant to include:
- The plank itself, in the wear layer you chose.
- Underlayment, including a sound-rated underlayment where a condo requires one.
- Removal and haul-away of the old carpet or tile.
- Slab prep: patching and leveling low spots so the floor meets the maker’s flatness rules.
- Trim at the walls, and transitions at sliders, tile, doorways and the garage step.
- Moving standard furniture out and back.
A lower number that leaves out removal or leveling usually becomes a higher number later. Ask about each line.
What pushes the price up
Most of the variation in Florida homes comes from what’s underneath and around the new floor, not from the plank.
- Tile removal. Taking up ceramic tile and its thinset is heavy, dusty work, and it’s slower than pulling carpet. Have older tile and mastic tested before anyone tears it out. The EPA advises leaving suspect flooring undisturbed until a trained professional has sampled it. Our guide on older floor tile and mastic explains why.
- Slab flatness. Rigid plank needs a flat base. The COREtec Stone guide, for example, allows no more than 3/16 inch of variation in 10 feet. A slab with dips or ridges needs grinding or leveling compound first.
- Slab moisture. A damp slab may need an added vapor retarder before the floor goes down.
- Condo requirements. A sound-rated underlayment costs more than a basic pad, and some buildings limit work hours, which can stretch a job.
- Cuts and details. Kitchens, bathrooms, closets, stairs and curved walls take more labor per square foot.
- Appliances and fixtures. Pulling a refrigerator, dishwasher or toilet adds time.
What keeps it down
- Doing several rooms at once. Setup and haul-away are shared across more square feet.
- Installing over sound, flat existing tile where the plank’s maker allows it. That saves the removal. We confirm at the measurement whether it’s allowed; see vinyl plank over ceramic tile.
- Choosing the wear layer room by room: 20 mil in the busy rooms, 12 mil where traffic is light.
- Clearing small items, closets and breakables before the crew arrives.
The wear layer and the price
We install 6, 12 and 20 mil wear layers. The thicker layer costs more in materials, while the labor is about the same. For kids, pets and heavy traffic, 20 mil is the one we recommend, and over an SPC core it can last 20+ years. Spread over that many years, the difference per square foot is modest. Read which wear layer dogs need before you decide.
Costs that are specific to this coast
A few things come up in Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast homes more often than elsewhere, and each can show up on an estimate.
- Sliders and lanai doors. Glass sliders need a clean transition at the track, and the floor has to stop short of any open-air space. That detail work adds a little labor at each door.
- Condo logistics. Elevators that must be reserved, parking for the crew, and carrying old tile out through a lobby all take time. So does the approval package, which we help you prepare.
- Seasonal schedules. Owners who spend summers up north often want the job done before they leave or before they return. Planning early gives the most choice of dates, and next-day installation is available when materials are in stock.
- After a leak. If a supply line or roof leak wet the floor, the space has to be dried and repaired by the right trade first. The new floor is priced once that’s done. See water-damaged floor replacement.
None of these makes a job unusual. They’re simply the parts of a Florida floor that a quick per-square-foot number can miss, and the reason we measure before we price.
How the offer and financing work
Our current offers are:
- 50% off your flooring installation.
- $1,200 Off + 5% Senior & Military Savings. The extra 5% is for seniors 60+ and active or retired military.
- Limited Lifetime Warranty. It covers you as the owner and doesn’t transfer to the next buyer.
- Financing: low monthly payments, 0% interest plans, and same-as-cash offers (for qualified applicants).
Your rep will show exactly how the offers apply to your estimate. See rep for details! Mention offer during your design consultation. More on each is on the offer page and the financing page.
Reading a written estimate
A good estimate lists square footage by room, the product and wear layer, removal, prep, underlayment, trim and transitions. It should say how the discount was applied and what’s excluded. If the slab needs more leveling than expected once the old floor is up, the estimate should say how that’s handled before work starts.
Our installers measure every room at the free in-home measurement and design consultation, check the slab, and leave you with a written estimate. Nothing is ordered until you’ve approved it. Once the materials arrive, most installs are completed in a single day. For more on the work itself, see luxury vinyl plank installation and our guide to vinyl plank on a concrete slab.
Sources: COREtec Stone installation guide (flatness, slab moisture, temperature) · EPA: protect your family from asbestos exposure · MSI Surfaces: what a wear layer is.