Laying a parquet floor costs

If you are ready for a new floor, you can choose from a wide range of floor coverings. One of them is parquet. Parquet is different from laminate, because it consists of real wood while laminate shows a picture of the wood. This also makes parquet considerably more expensive. Parquet floors often consist of wooden planks that are easy to click together. A distinction is made between solid parquet and lamellar parquet. The boards of solid parquet consist of one piece of wood, while parquet contains several layers of wood. A parquet floor will give your floor a warm and natural look.

The advantages and disadvantages

Parquet as a floor covering certainly has advantages, but there are also disadvantages that you should consider before you decide to purchase. Parquet floors are beautiful, natural and last a long time. You have a choice of different types of wood, each with a different look. You can use parquet as floor insulation, because it feels warm at the feet. Damage can easily be removed by sanding and re-finishing the parquet. What you do have to take into account is that parquet requires maintenance. The protective layer should be reapplied regularly to ensure that you can enjoy your floor for longer and that it doesn’t dry out. Parquet is often more expensive compared to laminate or carpet, because it’s real wood. And last but not least, parquet is not suitable for humid areas.

The costs

The price you pay for laying a parquet floor depends on the type of parquet you choose. There are cheaper and more expensive options, and this largely depends on the type of wood. You can often have the floor laid by the same company you buy it from. They can also arrange the subfloor for you and finish the parquet afterwards, if you wish. The prices are very different and in the following table you can find some examples with an indication of the costs.

The cheapest option: the cheapest option is to install the parquet yourself. For this you need some do-it-yourself experience and a lot of time. However, you can save more than $45 per 11 square foot. If you have a limited budget, this allows you to upgrade on the wood and leave the cheaper laminate aside.

Solid oak parquet without finishing: you can also choose to do part of the work yourself. If you have the parquet laid by a professional, but you sand and treat it yourself, you save considerably on the total price. You can also install the skirting boards and the subfloor yourself.

Outsourcing everything: if you don’t want to worry about having your new floor laid and outsource everything, it’ll cost the most money per 11 square foot. Tropical woods will easily cost $190 per 11 square foot. This includes everything from working on the subfloor, to sanding and treating the wood and installing the skirting boards. If it’s convenience you want and you have the budget, then may be the option for you.

The price structure

The price structure for the installation of your parquet depends on various factors. There’s the type of wood, the scope of work and the size of your floor. The bigger the job, the more effective the craftsman can be and the lower the share of labor costs in total. If you want the parquet to be laid in a particular motif, it’ll cost more. On average, 30 per cent is for material and 68 per cent is for labor costs, with 2 percent reserved for call-out costs. This is in case you want all the work to be carried out. By laying the floor yourself, you can sometimes save 70 percent on the total costs. The following diagram shows this ratio.

Interesting savings tips

Having parquet laid can be very expensive. The result is a durable and natural floor, but you have to make the investment first. Here are a few tips to help you keep these costs down.

Choose a local handyman: it will certainly pay off to make a comparison between the costs you if you have the parquet laid by the supplier, or if you hire a local handyman to do this. By finding the manpower locally, you can save on call-out costs, but sometimes you can also save on the price per 11 square foot.

A bigger job: if you can offer a big job, it’s often easier to negotiate the price. The parquet-layer will be able to work more effectively, allowing you to get laying the skirting boards for free, or get a discount on the price per 11 square foot.

Floor renovation: if you already have a wooden floor, it may also be cheaper to have it completely renovated rather than replaced. The floor will be sanded and polished and then finished with an oil or impregnating agent. This way, you can sometimes enjoy your current floor for years to come, which will look like new.

Compare quotations

The best way to find out the price of your new parquet is by comparing quotations. You can use our comparison tool that can provide you with quotations from companies in your area in a short period of time. This service is free of charge, without obligation and by comparing these quotations with each other you can come to the right decision regarding your new parquet floor.