If I'm hiring a flooring company to put LVT down in my house, is it generally cheaper to buy the flooring myself and provide it to them, or should I just let them do it?

Posted by schaweniiia@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 10 comments

I'm buying a new house and need flooring all throughout. I'm going for LVT everywhere and have a company make me an offer for 7k all-in. When I google the flooring itself, it costs only 3.2k, excluding glue and the like, so 3.8k is going to the company for the work. I have been thinking about if this is the most cost-effective way of doing this. I definitely don't want to lay it myself, but should I maybe buy the flooring and just have them do the work? Would that make it any cheaper at all in your experience?

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10 Comments

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HopAlongInHongKong@reddit

Look around for just installers by the square foot basis to establish what the price is for installation only. Plus add the cost of removal of whatever is there and the cost of a subfloor and evening it out. It doesn't have to be level overall (e.g. a marble could roll from one end to the other) but it can't be uneven, which is a pile of work to fix.

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Mr_lovebucket@reddit

Let them do it then if there’s a problem they can’t blame your flooring

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forgottenoldusername@reddit

>excluding glue and other accessories Their quote probably includes some sort of levelling as well. Either concrete screed or ply. Given the price of both these days it isn't to be sniffed at. We recently had LVT fitted and it worked out quite a bit cheaper to let the fitters source it. Largely down to the need for a few layers of concrete to level our downstairs out. But the flooring itself was a little bit cheaper through them than directly online.

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Monk1e889@reddit

If you supply the materials then the fitter won't offer and kind of guarantee. Always get tradesmen to supply and fit.

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JuanTooFreeForFyve@reddit

Did you get a quote with a breakdown of all materials used to make sure the comparison was correct? Don't want to think they are ripping you off to find out you missed a chunk of the cost. Probably worth asking for an additional quote for the work if all materials are given by you to see what difference that makes. If it's a reputable company, they will likely get the materials cheaper than you can so doubt you will make it cheaper buying them yourself but worth a check, especially for that amount of money.

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tmstms@reddit

1) I refer you to the answer by /u/charlie_boo - when you say 'the flooring itself' did you include the stuff that is necessary and goes under the LVT? 2) If they are buying exactly the same flooring, the chances are they can get a bigger discount, but maybe another company can quote you cheaper.

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charlie_boo@reddit

Did you account for all the plywood in that price? LVT can’t lay on your existing sub base. Ply is pretty expensive right now and it sounds like you need a lot of it. I doubt the overall cost will be any less, they’re business model isn’t likely to be profiting on much of a product markup if they are a service company.

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TomAtkinson3@reddit

It might be cheaper, but then it depends how confident you are that you'll get everything you need and in the correct quantities.  Does the sub-floor need prepping? Are you going floating or glued down, if so are you buying the adhesive? Trims and thresholds? How much waste are you assuming?

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Alarmed_Crazy_6620@reddit

Ask them/some other company how much would it be if you provide the materials. Chances are it will be more than 3.8k as they are getting the flooring for significantly less (my guess!)

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