How Much Does It Cost to Install Vinyl Flooring?

If you are looking for a low-cost, durable, and easy-to-install flooring material, vinyl might be the best fit for your project. Vinyl flooring comes in a range of colors, styles, and patterns. It is water-resistant and can be installed in any room of the house, including kitchens, bathrooms, and basements. It can be floated over concrete or glued down onto your choice of substrate.

Vinyl flooring has an enormous range of costs. The national average cost range is $600 to $2,000, with most people paying around $1,400 for 200 sq.ft. of premium-grade vinyl plank flooring, professionally installed. The lowest cost for this project is around $400 for 200 sq.ft. of glue-down sheet vinyl, while the highest cost is $2,800 for 200 sq.ft. of luxury vinyl tile.

Vinyl Flooring Costs

Vinyl Flooring Prices Per Square Foot

Vinyl flooring comes in a wide range of thicknesses, finishes, styles, shapes, and installation methods. For this reason, it has a wide range of costs. At the lowest end, sheet vinyl costs $1 a square foot, while at the highest, you can find luxury vinyl planks for $12 a square foot. Installed, expect to pay between $2 and $14 a square foot, depending on the vinyl type.

Cost of Vinyl Flooring by Type

Vinyl flooring comes in several types, which influences both its appearance and how it is installed. This also impacts your project’s cost in material and installation. Within each type, you can find several variations in terms of thickness, quality, and style:

Vinyl Flooring Sheets Price

Vinyl sheet flooring is one of the least expensive materials for floors. Sheet vinyl comes in rolls or in pre-cut sheets that are 6’ or 12’ wide. Depending on the type, it may be glued down completely or just around the edges. It is seamless, so it is your best choice for wet areas like bathrooms. It costs between $1 and $2 a square foot.

Vinyl Tile Flooring Cost

Vinyl tile or VCT is several layers and designed for durability. Vinyl tiles can be glued down with adhesive backs, or some styles can be click-locked together for a floating floor. Vinyl tiles come in several sizes, patterns, and thicknesses. Thicker tiles are more durable and longer-wearing than thinner tiles and more expensive. Expect to pay between $3 and $5 a square foot.

Vinyl Plank Flooring Prices

Like vinyl tiles, vinyl planks come in several thicknesses, with thicker materials being more expensive but also easier to install. Planks are designed to click together in a floating floor, and very thin planks are hard to install in this manner, which can dramatically increase your installation costs. The planks are water-resistant, good for floating over concrete, and can have a wood grain that appears very natural. They cost between $3 and $7 a square foot.

Luxury Vinyl Tile Cost

Luxury vinyl tile or LVT is a high-quality vinyl floor. It is thicker than normal vinyl, with embossed patterns and more realistic stone or wood looks. Luxury vinyl has a thicker wear layer on top, typically made of urethane. Your floor will continue to look better for longer, outlasting standard vinyl floors by several years. Luxury vinyl tile costs $5 to $10 a square foot, depending on the size and pattern.

Luxury Vinyl Plank Cost

Luxury vinyl planks are a higher quality vinyl flooring material. This is a thicker plank with a long-wearing top layer. It has a more realistic looking wood-grain appearance that can make your floor look like natural hardwood. It click-locks together in installation and can be floated over any substrate. It costs between $5 and $12 a square foot, depending on the plank’s color, style, and size.

Average Cost of Vinyl Flooring by Type of Backing

All sheet vinyl has a backing, and that backing material changes the installation process. There are two main types of backing: felt and fiberglass. They make an attractive, durable floor, but they change how your floor is installed and how easy it is to remove.

Felt-Back Vinyl Flooring

Felt is an older, more traditional style of backing. To install it, the adhesive needs to be applied to the entire backside of the sheet. It is then rolled into place with high pressure to smooth out any voids. It is more difficult and time-consuming to install, and more difficult and expensive to remove. Vinyl adhesive grows stronger with age, so the longer the floor is down, the harder it is to get back up. Because of the adhesive, it is not recommended for use below grade, such as in a basement. It costs around $1 to $1.50 a square foot.

Fiberglass-Backed Vinyl Flooring

Fiberglass-backed vinyl is newer, more readily available, and easier to install. It is only glued down around the edges, while the center is left alone. It is faster to install and to remove. It is more prone to buckling in the center because of the lack of adhesive, but it can be used anywhere, including basements, without issue. Expects costs of $1 to $2 a square foot.

Vinyl Floors Price by Production Process

The color or pattern on your vinyl flooring is created in two ways. It can be printed or inlaid through the top coating of the tile. Both provide realistic-looking, high-quality designs, but there are some differences you need to understand to make sure you are getting the right floor.

Printed Vinyl Flooring

Printed vinyl flooring has its color and pattern printed on a layer of paper. This paper is fused to the top layer of the vinyl, below the finishing surface layer. The printing has many varying quality levels, with some providing a better pattern and more realistic appearance than others. Most VCT, sheet vinyl, and some plank vinyl is printed. It costs $1 to $5 a square foot.

Inlaid Vinyl Flooring

Inlaid vinyl flooring is created by pushing granules of color through the top layer of the vinyl. This process gives the floor a lot more detail, depth, and texture than the flatter printed flooring. This is the material in your LVT and luxury plank flooring. It reproduces patterns like wood or stone more accurately. It is more expensive than the printed material at $5 to $12 a square foot.

Vinyl Flooring Prices by Brand

There are many brands and manufacturers for vinyl flooring. Some specialize in one type, while others are known better for a specific pattern or style. Your installer may recommend certain brands over others, mostly for an easier installation. Below are the average costs per square foot for some of the most popular brands.

Cost of Shaw Vinyl Plank Flooring

Shaw is a good manufacturer of basic but durable vinyl flooring. They specialize in VCT, but they do make some planks. Their prices are fairly affordable, and their quality is very consistent across their products. Their average costs are between $1 and $6 a square foot.

Armstrong Vinyl Flooring Prices

Whether you want basic vinyl flooring or premium LVT, Armstrong has what you are looking for. They have an exceptionally large range of products, including many colors, sizes, styles, and vinyl types. Their cost ranges reflect this with basic tiles starting at $1 and LVT costing up to $12 a square foot.

Tarkett Vinyl Flooring Prices

Tarkett also makes a wide range of vinyl flooring products. They have a range of VCT and LVT and several types of planks and luxury planks. This includes thicker planks and tiles that are more comfortable to walk on and easier to install. Their materials cost between $1 and $13 a square foot, depending on what you are looking at.

Stainmaster PetProtect Vinyl Flooring Cost

Stainmaster is the brand you want if you have pets or high-traffic flooring. They make a PetProtect floor preventing stains and scratches, and a full range of basic and luxury vinyl tiles and planks. Their high-end products protect the best, but all their materials are good quality and cost between $1 and $15 a square foot.

Mohawk Vinyl Flooring Cost

Mohawk’s range of vinyl flooring is more limited than some of the others. Their floors are more middle of the road in terms of both costs and quality. They do not have the cheapest or thinnest material, and they do not have the most expensive. They have a nice selection of both tiles and planks, costing between $2 and $5 a square foot.

Mannington Vinyl Flooring Cost

Mannington is a good brand for getting a nice quality floor in a range of styles and colors. They have many specialty, LVT, and plank floors in high thicknesses. Their floors are easy to install and long-wearing. They cost between $4 and $10 a square foot on average.

Vinyl Flooring Styles

Vinyl is so versatile and popular because it can take on the look and feel of natural materials at a fraction of the cost. There are many different styles to choose from, including wood, plain, striped, and stone-look. Depending on the aesthetic of your room, you can choose the right style to fit. For example, many vinyl tiles mimic classic bath patterns, while others look like hardwood.

Vinyl Wood Flooring Cost

If you like the look of wood flooring, but do not want the upkeep or want to put it in a wet area, vinyl wood-look flooring is a great alternative. This is a plank-style floating floor, and depending on whether you get standard or luxury, it costs between $3 and $12 a square foot.

Striped Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl floors come in many patterns and colors. This includes some that are striated or striped. They cost the same as other types of vinyl and can be a good option for making narrow areas look larger. You can also create your own striped pattern by using two colors installed in rows. This increases your installation costs, but the material costs remain the same.

Plain Vinyl Flooring

Plain vinyl flooring comes in every style and iteration. It can be sheet, plank, or tile of every quality. It also comes in a full rainbow of colors so that you can have a flat, single-color floor, or you can mix and match colors of the same size and thickness to create fun or elaborate patterns. While patterns like this do not impact your material costs, it increases your installation costs.

Stone-Look Vinyl Flooring

If you want the look of limestone or slate without the expense and maintenance, consider stone-look vinyl flooring. You can find any type of vinyl flooring, including sheet, plank, and tile qualities, with a realistic stone appearance. The better quality stone-look floors have more variation, but even the more basic versions will make you look twice.

Cost to Install Vinyl Flooring

In general, vinyl is a fairly easy material to install. This is true whether you are putting down vinyl sheets or vinyl planks, making it a good material for DIY, handymen, or flooring contractors. The exact installation costs typically range between $1 and $2 a square foot for most vinyl floors. However, thin vinyl planks and felt-backed sheet vinyl are both more time-consuming and difficult-to-install, so these have higher installation costs of $3 to $5 a square foot. These materials tend to be cheaper, leading some people to choose them, thinking they are getting a bargain. This is often not the case because installation costs end up eating up any potential savings.

In general, if the floor is of a decent thickness - 4mm or thicker - and it is either click-lock or fiberglass backed, expect to pay $1 - $2 a square foot. If it is adhesive-backed and needs to be rolled, expect to pay $2 - $3 a square foot, and if the material is under 4mm in thickness or needs adhesive applied to it, expect your labor costs to be closer to $3 to $5 a square foot.

For a 200 sq.ft. installation of 5mm thick vinyl plank flooring, expect the installation to be around $400 of the $1,400 total.

Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost

Vinyl plank flooring is easy to install. It can be cut with a utility knife, and it is designed to lock together without adhesive or fasteners, so it goes down fast. The thicker the material, the easier it is to install because the thinner material needs to be forced together. Expect to pay $1 - $2 a square foot for a 4mm or thicker plank floor, but $3 to $5 a square foot for a floor under 4mm in thickness.

Cost to Install VCT Tile

VCT is one of the most common types of vinyl flooring. It can be adhesive-backed, meaning that it is glued to the substrate and rolled, or it can be click-locked together for a floating floor, depending on the manufacturer. Most VCT is easy to install, although if you choose a thinner tile and create a floating floor, your installation costs will be higher. Otherwise, expect to pay $1 to $2 a square foot for a basic installation or $3 to $5 a square foot for thinner tiles or a tile glued down, but not adhesive backed.

Cost to Replace Vinyl Flooring

If you have an existing vinyl floor and want to replace it with something newer, your old flooring needs to be removed first. If this is a floating floor or fiberglass-backed floor, expect to pay roughly $1 - $2 a square foot extra in material removal costs.

If you have an old adhesive vinyl floor, either felt-backed sheet vinyl or a glued-down vinyl tile, be prepared for a few things. One, glued-down tiles from before the 1980s may contain asbestos. If your floors are dark in color or the adhesive is black, it is more likely to contain asbestos. It needs to be tested before removal.

In addition, vinyl adhesive grows stronger with age. The longer the floor has been down, the harder it is to get it back up. Sometimes, special equipment is needed, and often the subfloor has to be repaired after the vinyl is up. If this is the case, a new subfloor costs around $1,500. Expect costs closer to $5 to $10 a square foot to get up a very old vinyl floor, and your costs may go even higher if asbestos is present.

Vinyl Flooring Underlayment

Some vinyl installers recommend underlayment beneath vinyl flooring, especially if you want to reduce noise, and you are using a thinner vinyl. Thicker vinyl floors do not require an underlayment, especially when floating them. Underlayments are designed to make the floor comfortable to walk on, reduce echoes, and the subfloor’s feel underneath. Underlayment costs approximately $0.50 per square foot. To avoid buckling or warps in the vinyl, use a thin underlayment.​

Vinyl Floors Pros and Cons

Vinyl flooring is becoming increasingly popular in modern homes, due to the various finishes and textures available. Vinyl can have the appearance of wood or tile, so it is suitable for any room in the house.

Another benefit to vinyl flooring is the cost. Vinyl flooring is significantly cheaper than hardwood or tile and easier to install. Vinyl is low-maintenance, does not require special cleaners, and is water-resistant.

Vinyl does not last as long as tile or wood (10-20 years on average), and if you are trying to be environmentally conscious, remember vinyl is a product of the petroleum industry.

Vinyl vs Linoleum Flooring

It can be difficult to tell vinyl and linoleum floors apart, particularly in tile form with solid colors. Linoleum is a natural material made with limestone dust, linseed oil, and a jute backing. The color goes right through, and you can make repairs with a leftover piece of tile and glue. It tends to be in mostly solid colors, and it is incredibly long-lasting, with some floors lasting 50 to 100 years.

Vinyl is a petroleum plastic containing PVC. The color is on top, and the material is made in layers. If it is cut or damaged, it cannot be repaired. It comes in many more styles and appearances than linoleum. It lasts 10 to 20 years on average.

Vinyl vs Laminate Flooring

If you are installing plank flooring and want the look of wood, the closest competitor to plank vinyl is laminate flooring. Both are made of layers and designed to be easy-install floating floors. They cost about the same.

The biggest difference between the two is that vinyl is water-resistant, while laminate is not. Vinyl can be installed in wet areas and below grade, but laminate swells and warps when installed in these areas.

Vinyl vs Hardwood Flooring

If you want the look of wood, consider hardwood flooring as well as vinyl plank flooring. Hardwood flooring is a beautiful, natural material that increases the value of your home. It is more costly than vinyl at an average of $12 to $20 a square foot installed compared with $1 to $12 for vinyl. Installation is also more difficult with hardwood, but it is much longer-lasting, with some wood floors lasting 100 years or more.

Cost of Vinyl Plank Flooring vs Carpet

Like vinyl, carpeting has a very wide range of associated costs. There are many materials, colors, and styles of carpet to choose from. For mid-grade carpet installation, costs are less than vinyl at around $1,216, vs $1,400 for vinyl. Carpet is warm and soft underfoot. But while carpet can only look like carpet, vinyl can mimic other materials as an option. Vinyl is water-resistant and easier-to-clean than carpet.

Enhancement and Improvement Costs

Vinyl Molding and Trim

If you are replacing a floor, you do not have to get new trim or molding. The preexisting molding and trim can be put back in place after the flooring is installed. If you want new molding, you have many options. Vinyl 1 trim and molding costs $1-$8 per foot and is purchased in 6-8 foot lengths.

Stair Treads

Depending on your needs, you may want to consider stair treads. Treads are sold in 2-4 foot lengths and cost $2-$13 per foot, depending on the style and quality. Installing stair treads may cost more per square foot ($2-$3 per square foot) because the work is more labor-intensive than a standard floor.

Smoother Transitions

Sometimes, the details make a floor look finished. That means smoother transitions like door thresholds, flush stair noses, transition strips, t-molding, and quarter-round molding. These are sold in 2-4 foot lengths and are cut to fit. These accessories often match your floor’s texture and pattern, and the price varies accordingly. Expect to pay anywhere from $5-$30 for 2-4 foot sections of these transition materials.

Grouted Vinyl Tile

If you want vinyl tile in a bathroom or other wet area, be aware of the seams. Water can get between them and cause problems with the subfloor. For this reason, you may want to choose grouted vinyl tile, which has a shallow grout joint. Acrylic grout is floated into the joint so that it looks more like a traditional tile floor. This material costs around $3 - $5 a square foot.

Radiant Floor Heating

Any time you install a new floor, consider adding radiant floor heating. Both electric and hydronic radiant heat can be installed with vinyl flooring. They make the floor feel much warmer and more comfortable under your feet while reducing your heating bills. The average cost of installing radiant floor heating is around $28,000.

Additional Considerations and Costs

• It is possible to install your own vinyl flooring, but professionals do the job easier and faster. If you have the right tools, a vinyl floor could be installed in a weekend. DIYers may encounter difficulties working with complex areas like stairs.
• Vinyl raises a lot of questions for environmentally conscious individuals. Vinyl is made from PVC, meaning it is petroleum-based and not a renewable resource. Recently, developments in manufacturing have led PVC to be a #3 recyclable plastic. New developments have also resulted in lower VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in vinyl flooring produced over the last few years.
• Vinyl decomposes and releases gases, among them hydrogen chloride. In the case of a fire, these gasses can become hazardous to individuals in the house who do not have a self-contained breathing apparatus. Essentially, fumes can prove deadly in a house fire to civilians and firefighters.
• If your floor needs to be replaced, you may need to temporarily move furniture. Hiring movers costs about $60 per hour, with a minimum of one hour of work.
• When replacing your floor, you do not have to pay for new trim. The current trim can be removed and replaced after the installation.
• Manufacturers often have a limited warranty on materials, but look for contractors who guarantee their labor. Many issues that occur with vinyl flooring are a result of faulty installation or an uneven subfloor 5.
• Job complexity and location play a large role in the installation cost. Stairs are notoriously difficult to install, so expect stairs to fall at the higher end of the installation cost, around $3 per square foot.

Remodeling Terms Cheat Sheet

¹ Vinyl: A synthetic plastic made from ethylene and chlorine. Vinyl has many applications in the construction industry and it is widely used in sidings, window frames, roofing and gutters, among others