Replacing every square foot of flooring in a 2,200 sq ft house costs anywhere from $9,000 to $48,000 depending on what you pick, who installs it, and how much subfloor prep the house actually needs. The cheapest complete flooring redo I have managed cleared $7,400 using a single LVP across all rooms. The most expensive ran $61,200 mixing white oak, porcelain tile, and wool carpet across a Bay Area remodel. The right answer for your house sits somewhere on that spectrum, and getting there means understanding what each material costs, how long each lasts, and where you can mix to optimize the budget.
This guide covers every major flooring category at production-level depth. By the end you will have a working budget and a material plan that survives a contractor walk-through.
Single-Material vs Mixed Approach
The simplest complete flooring redo uses one material from front door to back wall. A continuous LVP install reads as larger square footage visually, eliminates transition strips entirely, and saves 15 to 25 percent on labor compared to a mixed plan. Resale value tends to favor consistency too, because buyers do not have to mentally separate spaces.
Mixed approaches make sense when wet areas need different performance from dry spaces. Porcelain tile in bathrooms paired with hardwood in bedrooms and LVP in the kitchen is a common upgrade pattern for older homes. The catch is matching transitions cleanly, which adds $14 to $28 per linear foot of doorway.
Material Categories and Real Cost Ranges
Installed costs across 2026 US markets:
- Sheet vinyl — $2.50 to $4.50 per sq ft. Budget option, 10-15 year life
- LVP and LVT — $4.50 to $9.50 per sq ft. The volume category, 15-25 year life
- Laminate — $4.00 to $7.00 per sq ft. Good DIY option, 12-20 year life
- Engineered hardwood — $7.50 to $14.00 per sq ft. Real wood look, 25-35 year life
- Solid hardwood — $9.50 to $18.50 per sq ft. Heirloom quality, 50-100 year life
- Porcelain tile — $8.50 to $18.00 per sq ft. Waterproof, 50+ year life
- Natural stone — $14.00 to $32.00 per sq ft. Premium, lifetime install
- Wall-to-wall carpet — $3.50 to $8.50 per sq ft. Bedrooms only, 8-15 year life
- Linoleum (real Marmoleum) — $7.00 to $11.00 per sq ft. 30+ year life
The Bay Area, NYC metro, and Boston metro all run 18 to 32 percent above these numbers. Most southern and Midwest markets sit at or 8 percent below.
Brand Spotlight: Mohawk, Shaw, and Mannington
Three brands dominate residential flooring across all categories. Mohawk owns Pergo, Karastan, and Daltile, covering laminate, carpet, and tile under one parent. Their RevWood line is laminate with waterproof core technology and 30 to 50 year residential warranties depending on tier. Pricing runs $3.49 to $5.99 per sq ft material.
Shaw produces Anderson Tuftex hardwood, Floorte LVP, and a deep carpet line. The Anderson Tuftex Vintage white oak series at 7.5 inch widths runs $9 to $13 per sq ft material, with engineered construction handling humidity better than solid wood. Floorte Pro Endura Plus is the LVP line at $4 to $7 material with a 20 mil wear layer.
Mannington focuses heavily on luxury vinyl with the Adura line and engineered hardwood under the Mountain View label. Adura Max runs $4.99 to $6.99 per sq ft and ships with the ScratchResist Plus topcoat that handles pet claws better than standard urethane. The brand’s commercial line is FloorScore certified for low VOC emissions.
How to Sequence a Whole-House Install
A 2,000 sq ft complete flooring project runs 5 to 14 working days depending on materials and prep. The standard sequence:
- Day 1: Pre-install walk-through, furniture removal, appliance disconnect
- Day 2-3: Demo and disposal of existing floors, subfloor inspection
- Day 4: Subfloor prep (patching, leveling, plywood overlay if needed)
- Day 5-9: Material acclimation in the space (for hardwood and engineered)
- Day 10-13: Installation, working room by room
- Day 14: Transitions, baseboard, walk-through, punch list
Tile installs add 1 to 3 days for thinset and grout cure. Hardwood with site-finished poly adds 5 to 7 days for finish cure between coats. Plan to be out of the house or live around the construction zone accordingly.
Subfloor Prep: The Hidden Budget Eater
Older homes often need significant subfloor work before new flooring can go down. Plywood patching at $2 to $3 per sq ft handles soft spots. Self-leveling compound at $1.10 to $1.80 per sq ft fixes slopes over 3/16 inch in 10 feet. New plywood overlay at $1.40 to $2.20 per sq ft solves diagonal plank subfloors or excessive deflection.
Concrete slabs need moisture testing per ASTM F1869 or F2170 before glue-down installations. Failed tests trigger vapor barrier primer like Sherwin Williams ArmorSeal at $1.10 per sq ft additional. None of this shows up in initial calculator estimates and routinely accounts for 8 to 20 percent of complete flooring project budgets.
Buying Order: Materials, Demo, Labor
Lock in your material selection first. Showroom samples should sit in your home for 48 hours before final commitment so you see how each option reads under your actual lighting at different times of day. Order with 10 to 15 percent overage depending on layout complexity.
Demo and disposal pricing should come from the installation contractor rather than a separate junk removal service. The contractor knows what waste they generate and can dispose of carpet, tile, and adhesive residue more efficiently than a generalist.
Labor contracts should specify per-room pricing rather than a lump sum, so changes during install do not turn into pricing disputes. NWFA, NTCA, and CFI certifications all signal installers who follow documented industry standards.
What to Skip in a Complete Flooring Project
Avoid the trap of upgrading every room to top-tier material. A 200 sq ft master closet rarely benefits from $9 per sq ft engineered hardwood when $5 LVP performs identically in that environment. Match the material tier to the room’s actual use, not the room’s prominence on a real estate listing.
Skip carpet in main living areas if you have pets, kids under 8, or anyone with allergies. The 5 to 10 year replacement cycle on carpet erases any upfront savings against LVP within one cycle.
Done right, complete flooring sets your house up for 20 to 50 years before any major flooring decision comes around again. Pick materials matched to each room’s demands, budget for honest subfloor prep, and pay certified installers to do the work. The resale appraisal and your daily quality of life both reflect the choice.
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