How much does laminate flooring cost in South Africa?

A 12 m² bedroom: the sums

Here's how a single bedroom adds up using mid-range figures from the table above. The room is 4 m by 3 m, with one doorway, and the concrete floor is already level.

• Boards: 12 m² plus about 10% for offcuts is 13.2 m². At R303 per m² for an entry 8 mm AC3 board, that's about R4,000.
• Underlay: 12 m² at R40 per m² is R480.
• Labour: 12 m² at R120 per m² is R1,440.
• One threshold strip at the door: about R200.
• Total: roughly R6,120, or about R510 per m² of floor.

Reading a laminate quote line by line

Two quotes for the same room can differ by thousands of rand simply because one includes items the other leaves out. Before comparing totals, check that each quote lists:

• The board brand, range name, thickness and AC rating, so you're comparing like with like.
• The area being charged and the wastage allowance added on top.
• The underlay type and price per m².
• Removal and disposal of the existing floor, if any.
• Any levelling, grinding or moisture barrier, priced per m².
• Skirting or beading, threshold strips and door trimming, priced per metre or per item.
• Whether furniture moving is included or left to you.

Saving money without a squeaky, swollen floor

The tempting cut is the underlay, but cheap foam under a cheap board is what produces the hollow, clacking floor people dislike. A better saving is to match the board grade to each room. Spend on AC4 in the passage and open-plan living area, and use a lower-cost AC3 board in bedrooms.

Timing helps too. Ordering all your rooms together keeps the boards from one batch, so colours match, and gives the installer one continuous job instead of several call-outs. Ask whether the price drops if you clear the rooms and lift the carpet yourself. Never ask an installer to skip the moisture barrier on a concrete floor: water damage from below can affect the board warranty and costs far more to fix than the barrier did.

Costs that turn up after the quote

The most common surprise is the floor underneath. Once old carpet comes up, the screed may be cracked, dusty or out of level, and self-levelling compound at R120 to R300 per m² can add a third to the bill. Ask the installer to inspect the floor before quoting, or to price levelling as a separate option.

Doors are the second surprise. Laminate and underlay raise the floor, so internal doors may need trimming to swing freely. Built-in cupboards, kitchen kickplates and the bottom stair can all need extra trims. These are small items, but six of them on one job add up.