New flooring supplied and fitted in London in 2026 typically costs £20–£140 per square metre depending on whether you choose carpet, laminate, LVT or engineered wood, which means a typical 20m2 living room lands anywhere from around £400 for a budget carpet re-fit to £2,800 for premium engineered wood. The single biggest wildcard in that range isn't the covering itself, it's the subfloor: an uneven or damp concrete slab under an old carpet, common in ex-council flats and basement or lower-ground rooms, can add £300–£800 to a job that looked simple until the old floor came up. This guide covers what drives the price, the subfloor issue that changes almost every quote, which flooring type suits which room, what to expect on the day, and what to do about redecorating once the new floor is down.
2026 flooring cost overview
Prices below are supplied-and-fitted figures for a straightforward domestic room in London with a reasonably sound subfloor. Material quality, room shape (lots of cuts around fitted units or a bay window costs more in labour), and any subfloor prep needed all move the final number.
As a rough guide for a 20m2 room: budget carpet comes in around £400–£500, mid-range carpet £500–£900, laminate £600–£1,200, LVT £900–£1,800, and engineered wood £1,400–£2,800. Stairs, landings and rooms with a lot of fitted furniture to cut around typically add a premium over these flat per-m2 rates.
Flooring cost per m2, supplied and fitted (London, 2026)
Item
Typical range
Notes
Carpet (budget to premium wool) + underlay
£20–£90/m2
Fitting labour alone £6–£11/m2 in London
Laminate
£30–£60/m2
Higher end for water-resistant/herringbone ranges
LVT (luxury vinyl tile/plank)
£45–£90/m2
Common choice for rentals and kitchens
Engineered wood
£70–£140/m2
Wide-plank premium finishes toward top of range
Subfloor levelling compound (if needed)
£15–£30/m2
Full screed replacement costs more, £30–£40/m2
General London market guidance for 2026, not a fixed quote. Every property varies by subfloor condition, room shape and access, get a proper site survey before budgeting to the exact number.
The one thing that changes almost every quote: the subfloor
The number that catches people out isn't the flooring, it's what's underneath it. Lift an old carpet in a ground-floor room of a Victorian terrace or an ex-council flat and you might find a concrete slab that's uneven, has no working damp-proof membrane, or both. Fitting a new covering straight over that problem doesn't make it go away, it just delays the moment it shows up as a cupped board, a musty smell, or a floor that feels cold and slightly damp no matter what's on top of it.
Self-levelling compound to correct an uneven slab typically adds £15–£30 per m2 supplied and applied, and where a damp-proof membrane needs installing on top of that, or a fuller screed is needed, the total subfloor prep bill can add several hundred pounds to a room-sized job. It's worth asking any quote you get whether the fitter has actually inspected the subfloor (ideally lifting a corner of the existing covering) or is quoting blind off a floor plan, because 'we'll sort it out on the day' after the old floor is already up leaves you negotiating price with no real leverage.
Which flooring type suits which room
Engineered wood: living rooms, hallways, bedrooms
Engineered wood gives a real timber surface (a solid wood veneer bonded to a stable plywood or HDF core) that handles London's seasonal humidity swings better than solid wood, at £70–£140 per m2 supplied and fitted. It needs 48-72 hours' acclimatisation on site before fitting and generally isn't the right choice for bathrooms or utility rooms, but it's the natural pick for a period reception room where the finish matters and the floor won't see standing water.
LVT: kitchens, hallways, rental turnarounds
LVT is fully synthetic, so it tolerates moisture, scuffs and heavy foot traffic far better than laminate or engineered wood, at a lower supplied-and-fitted cost of £45–£90 per m2. That combination of durability and price is why it's become the default choice for landlords refreshing a flat between tenancies, and for kitchens and hallways in owner-occupied homes where a genuinely wet spill is a real possibility, even though full wet-area work still needs tiling.
Laminate and carpet: budget rooms and bedrooms
Laminate at £30–£60 per m2 gives a similar visual effect to wood or stone at a lower price than LVT in many ranges, but it's less moisture-tolerant, so it suits bedrooms, hallways and living rooms rather than anywhere spills are likely. Carpet remains the standard choice for bedrooms and, in many leasehold flats, is required by the lease for sound insulation reasons regardless of personal preference; at £20–£90 per m2 depending on quality, it also remains the cheapest way to refresh a room's feel underfoot.
What to expect on the day
For LVT, laminate or carpet over a subfloor that doesn't need work, expect furniture cleared from the room, old flooring lifted and removed, underlay and the new covering fitted, and skirting or threshold strips reinstated, typically within a single day for a standard room. Engineered wood adds the acclimatisation period beforehand, so the boards will usually have been sitting in the room for a couple of days before the fitting day itself.
Where subfloor prep is needed, expect an extra visit or an extended first day: levelling compound or a damp-proof membrane needs to be laid and cured, sometimes 24-72 hours depending on depth and ventilation, before the new floor can go down on top. A fitter who tries to compress this curing time to hit a deadline is taking a risk with the finished floor's stability.
Redecorating and next steps
A new floor changes how a room reads, and it's common for scuffed skirting or tired walls to suddenly stand out once the floor beneath them looks new. If you're refreshing a room for a sale, a let, or just because the old floor is going, it's worth budgeting for a repaint at the same time under painting and decorating London rather than doing it as a separate project later and risking paint splashes on a brand-new floor.
Where flooring is one part of a bigger refresh between tenants, alongside repainting, minor repairs and general reinstatement, it's usually more efficient to run the whole job as a single coordinated programme under property refurbishment London, with the flooring going in at the right point in that sequence rather than as an isolated job squeezed in around other trades.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest way to replace flooring in a London flat?
Budget carpet with underlay, supplied and fitted, is the cheapest option at roughly £20–£30 per m2, meaning around £400–£600 for a typical living room. Laminate is the next step up, from around £30 per m2, if you want a harder-wearing, non-fabric finish for a similar budget.
Is LVT worth the extra cost over laminate?
For kitchens, hallways or a rental property, usually yes. LVT costs more per m2 (£45–£90 versus £30–£60 for laminate) but tolerates moisture and heavy wear significantly better, so it holds up longer in high-traffic or spill-prone rooms and needs replacing less often.
Why did my flooring quote jump once the old floor was lifted?
Almost always because the subfloor underneath wasn't visible until the old covering came up, and turned out to be uneven, damp, or both. Self-levelling compound typically adds £15–£30 per m2, and any damp-proofing work adds more. A good quote flags this as a likely possibility and prices a contingency upfront rather than surprising you afterwards.
How much does subfloor levelling cost in London?
Self-levelling compound supplied and applied typically costs £15–£30 per m2. A fuller sand-and-cement screed, needed where the floor is significantly out or a damp-proof membrane is being installed at the same time, typically costs £30–£40 per m2 including labour.
Can I fit LVT or laminate over underfloor heating?
Many ranges of both are compatible, but check the specific product's manufacturer guidance and use a low-tog underlay so the heat can transfer through rather than being insulated by a thick underlay. Always confirm compatibility before ordering, not after the floor is down.
Does my lease affect what flooring I can fit in my flat?
Very possibly. Many London leasehold flats require carpet, or hard flooring over an acoustic underlay meeting a specific sound rating, and some require the freeholder's consent before switching from carpet to a hard covering at all. Check your lease before ordering LVT or engineered wood for a leasehold flat.
How long does a full flat flooring replacement take?
A straightforward re-fit across a two-bedroom flat with a sound subfloor typically takes one to two days. Engineered wood adds an acclimatisation period of 48-72 hours beforehand, and any subfloor levelling or damp-proofing work adds further curing time before fitting can start, so a job needing significant prep can realistically run four to five days start to finish.
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