Flooring paperwork, done properly

Flooring estimates go wrong below the surface. The material is easy to price per square foot; what moves the number is whether the subfloor is flat, whether the old floor comes up clean, and how many transitions and stair nosings the job actually has. Price levelling as a stated allowance, count the transitions on the estimate, and include the waste factor in writing so a customer is not surprised to be buying ten percent more material than their room measures.

Pick your document

  • Flooring estimate

    An estimate is your best professional judgment of what a job will cost, given before the work starts.

  • Flooring quote

    A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope of work — the number does not move unless the scope does.

  • Flooring invoice

    An invoice is the request for payment once the work is done — the document that actually gets you paid.

What belongs on flooring contractor paperwork

  • Material by product name, wear layer and plank size — not "LVP"
  • Subfloor preparation: levelling compound, flatness tolerance, and an allowance if unknown
  • Waste factor as a stated percentage, and whether the customer keeps the offcuts
  • Transitions, thresholds, stair nosings and quarter round, counted rather than assumed
  • Whether furniture moving, appliance disconnect and old-floor disposal are included
  • Acclimation time, because installing wood the day it arrives is how callbacks start

How flooring contractors price work

Flooring prices per square foot for material and per square foot for labor, with adders for pattern layout, stairs and demolition. The reliably underpriced parts are subfloor prep and trim work, which is why experienced installers quote levelling as an allowance with a per-bag or per-square-foot rate rather than eyeballing it from a doorway.

The builder ships with 12 flooring line items to start from, grouped into 2 sections. Edit the rates once and they save to your own price book.

Open the Flooring builder

Questions

What waste factor should a flooring estimate use?
Ten percent is the usual baseline for a straight lay, rising to fifteen or more for diagonal and herringbone patterns or rooms with many cuts. Put the percentage on the estimate. Customers who measure their own room and get a different number assume you are padding, and one line explaining waste prevents that entirely.
How should I price subfloor levelling before I see it?
As an allowance with a unit rate — for example, a set number of bags of levelling compound included, with a stated price per bag beyond it. It gives the customer a real number and it means an unexpectedly bad slab is arithmetic rather than a renegotiation.
Who is responsible for moving furniture and appliances?
Whoever the estimate says, which is why it should say. Furniture moving, appliance disconnect and reconnect, and toilet pulls for bathroom flooring are all real labor. Price them or exclude them by name; leaving it unstated means you will do it for free on install day.