SHORT ANSWER
This is the first thing almost everyone asks us, and it's the one question our industry is strangely cagey about. Search around and you'll mostly get "contact us for a quote."
We'd rather just tell you what things cost.
Below are the numbers we actually work with in Campbell River this year, what a proper quote should cover, the costs that catch people off guard, and a few worked examples so you can put a rough budget together before you phone anyone.
What does flooring cost per square foot?
These are installed prices, so material and labour together, for a typical house in town.
Carpet: $4 to $9 a square foot
Laminate: $5 to $10 a square foot
Vinyl plank: $6 to $12 a square foot
Engineered hardwood: $10 to $18 a square foot
Solid hardwood: $12 to $22 a square foot
Tile: $12 to $25 a square foot
Those ranges are wide on purpose. Two houses the same size can come in thousands of dollars apart, and it usually comes down to three things: the product you pick, what shape your subfloor is in, and how the space is laid out.
That last one surprises people. An open plan main floor is much cheaper per square foot than the same area chopped into six small rooms with doorways and corners everywhere. More cuts, more transitions, more time.
What's included in a flooring quote?
When we quote a job, the price covers everything needed to walk on the floor the day we leave.
The flooring itself, plus underlay where it's needed
Delivery to your house
Installation, including all the glue, fasteners and trims
Transitions between rooms and between different flooring types
Cleanup and hauling away the offcuts
What isn't automatically in there is old floor removal, subfloor repair, baseboards and stairs. Those are real costs and they should be listed separately so you can see them. We break them out on every quote instead of burying them in one number.
What extras should I budget for?
These are the line items that turn a $9,000 job into a $12,000 job when nobody mentions them at the start.
Removing and disposing of the old floor: $1 to $3 a square foot
Levelling or repairing the subfloor: $1 to $4 a square foot
Stairs: $50 to $100 per stair, they're slow work
New baseboards: $3 to $8 a linear foot
In-floor heating under tile: $12 to $20 a square foot
Moving furniture: often included, but ask
Subfloor work is the one that blindsides people, because nobody can see it until the old floor comes up. In an older Campbell River house sitting over a crawlspace, finding a soft spot or some moisture damage under there is fairly common.
A decent installer will warn you that it's a possibility before starting, rather than handing you a surprise invoice halfway through.
Three real examples
Rough but realistic budgets for jobs we do all the time.
Whole main floor in mid-range vinyl plank, 1,200 sq ft
Vinyl plank supplied and installed at $8 a square foot: $9,600
Pulling up the old carpet and laminate at $1.50 a square foot: $1,800
New baseboards, 240 linear feet at $5: $1,200
Rough total: $12,600
Two bedrooms in new carpet, 400 sq ft
Carpet and underlay supplied and installed at $6 a square foot: $2,400
Old carpet out and disposed of: $500
Rough total: $2,900
Bathroom tile with heated floor, 80 sq ft
Porcelain tile supplied and installed at $16 a square foot: $1,280
Waterproofing system: $450
In-floor heating at $15 a square foot: $1,200
Old floor out, subfloor prepped: $400
Rough total: $3,330
These are estimates, not quotes. Every house is different and the only way to get your real number is to have someone measure the space and look at what's under the old floor. Ours are free and there's no obligation. Call (250) 830-7190.
Why is flooring more expensive on Vancouver Island?
If you've compared a quote here against something you saw for Vancouver or Calgary, our pricing can look high. There are real reasons behind it.
Almost all flooring is made off Island, so freight gets added to every box before it reaches us. Serving a spread out area from Courtenay up to Sayward means real drive time built into the day. Jobs on Quadra or Cortes carry ferry costs and tighter scheduling on top of that.
There's also the prep. Doing a floor properly on this coast means acclimating the material and checking moisture before anything goes down, and that takes time.
If someone quotes you mainland prices for an Island job, they're either eating the difference themselves or planning to skip a step somewhere.
How can I save money on flooring?
A few things genuinely work.
Mix your materials
Put the money where it shows. Nice vinyl plank through the living areas and carpet in the bedrooms costs far less than hardwood everywhere, and honestly it often suits the house better.
Keep your baseboards
A careful installer can usually pull existing trim off and put it back rather than replacing it. Saves a chunk on a whole house job.
Do your own demo
Pulling up old carpet yourself is genuinely doable and can save a dollar or two a square foot. Ask us first though. Some floors are glued down or hiding something and are better left alone.
Book in the slow season
Late fall and winter are quieter than spring. Easier scheduling, and we've got more room to move.
Buy the right product, not the cheapest one
The most expensive floor is the one you replace in five years because it was never suited to the room in the first place. We've pulled out plenty of those.
Questions we get asked a lot
How much does it cost to floor a 1,000 square foot house?
Around $6,000 to $14,000 installed in Campbell River, depending on what you choose. Budget carpet or laminate sits near the bottom of that. Hardwood or tile sits near the top. Add another $1,000 to $3,000 if the old flooring needs to come out.
What's the cheapest flooring to install?
Carpet and laminate, usually $4 to $10 a square foot installed. Sheet vinyl can be cheaper again in a small room. For most houses around here we'd point you at entry level vinyl plank instead. It costs a bit more but it handles our damp far better, and that matters more than the saving.
Do you charge for a quote?
No. Consultations, measures and written quotes are free across Campbell River and everywhere else we work. No obligation to book anything.
How long does an installation take?
Most single rooms get done in a day. A whole main floor usually runs two to four days including removal and prep. Tile takes longer because the mortar and grout need time to set.
Is it cheaper to install over the existing floor?
Sometimes. Going over a floor that's flat and sound saves you the removal and disposal cost. The catch is it raises your floor height, which affects doors and transitions, and it hides whatever is going on underneath. We'll tell you straight whether it's a good idea in your house.
Do you offer payment plans?
Give us a call and we'll talk through what's possible for your project.
Want a real number for your house? Free measure, free quote, no pressure. Mack will walk you through the options in person. Call (250) 830-7190.
Most Campbell River homeowners spend $6 to $14 per square foot for new flooring supplied and installed. That puts a typical 1,200 sq ft home somewhere between $9,000 and $17,000. Carpet and laminate sit at the low end, vinyl plank in the middle, and hardwood or tile at the top.
Business Info
Phone#: (250) 830-7190
Email: mackflooring@gmail.com
Address: 1870 14 Ave, Campbell River
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Mack's Flooring has been creating the foundation on which Vancouver has been built for over 10 years. Building relationships and trust with our community through every project.
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