HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

How to hire a flooring installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to flooring installers; the subfloor decides the result. The checks, the questions about moisture and levelling, and the finish.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a flooring installer in five steps

  1. Choose the floor for the roomLaminate, luxury vinyl, engineered wood or tile, with wet rooms in mind.
  2. Ask about the subfloorLevel, dry and sound before anything is laid.
  3. Agree underlay and trimsNamed underlay, door bars and skirting or beading.
  4. Check old flooringOlder floor tiles may contain asbestos.
  5. Inspect before payingNo gaps, no bounce, edges hidden.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to flooring installers anywhere in the UK, and the floor installation needs no building regulations approval.

Before work starts, ask who will apply for any approval the floor installation needs. gov.uk →

Old floor tiles

HSE lists floor tiles among the places asbestos can be found in older buildings, and under the Control of Asbestos Regulations the employer of whoever does the work must decide whether it needs a licence; that matters if the floor installation means lifting old vinyl and thermoplastic floor tiles.

If the floor installation means lifting old tiles or sheet flooring in a home built before 2000, ask how they will check for asbestos. hse.gov.uk →

TrustMark

No law requires it, but TrustMark, the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme, registers businesses trade by trade and gives you something independent to check for the floor installation.

Search the business on TrustMark under the trade that covers the floor installation. trustmark.org.uk →

Insurance and trader status

Before the floor installation, confirm the public liability insurance and its limit. You have Consumer Rights Act 2015 protection because the provider is a trader; and if the floor installation is agreed in your home or online, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 usually let you cancel within 14 days, except for made-to-measure goods and the part of the work you asked them to start early.

For the floor installation, see the insurance document and confirm the profile carries the trader and ID-checked badges.

VAT

VAT on supplying and fitting flooring is charged at the standard 20%, and any business turning over more than £90,000 a year in taxable sales has to register, add it to the price and set it out on its own line.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the flooring quote. gov.uk →

“How will you prepare the subfloor for the floor installation?”

A good answer: Levelling, repairs and moisture checks stated, with the price.

“Is the floor dry enough for the new flooring?”

A good answer: A moisture reading on concrete before wood or laminate goes down.

“Which underlay will the flooring installer use?”

A good answer: Named for the floor and any underfloor heating.

“How will edges be finished?”

A good answer: Expansion gaps hidden under skirting or beading.

“Will doors need trimming after the flooring goes down?”

A good answer: Checked and priced in advance.

“Who lifts the old flooring?”

A good answer: Priced, with a plan for old tiles that may contain asbestos.

Getting the quote right

  • Area and the flooring product named
  • Subfloor preparation and levelling
  • Underlay, trims and beading
  • Uplift and disposal
  • Who actually attends — the fitter laying the floor, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • Lays over a damp or uneven subfloor
  • No expansion gap
  • Lifts old floor tiles without a thought for asbestos
  • Unnamed products
  • No written price
LOW
£18
TYPICAL
£35
HIGH
£70

What a flooring installer costs: £18–£70 per m²

Flooring is priced per square metre supplied and fitted; the product, subfloor preparation, underlay and trims set the rate. Flooring Installer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Flooring installers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveySubfloor checked for level, damage and moisture.
  2. PrepareOld flooring lifted, subfloor repaired and levelled.
  3. AcclimatiseWood and laminate left in the room as the maker advises.
  4. LayUnderlay and floor laid with expansion gaps.
  5. FinishTrims, beading and door bars fitted; waste removed.

Subfloor
The surface the new floor is laid on.
Self-levelling compound
A screed that creates a flat surface.
Expansion gap
A gap at the edges for the floor to move.
Acclimatisation
Letting flooring adjust to the room before laying.
Floating floor
A floor not fixed to the subfloor.
LVT
Luxury vinyl tile.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the product detailsFor warranty, which often depends on correct installation.
Walk the floorNo bounce, no clicking, no gaps.
Follow the care instructionsCleaning and protection the maker recommends.
Write the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the floor installation falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Start with the installer, in writingSend the installer a short, dated account of the problem with the floor installation and the fix you want. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 implies reasonable care and skill into the contract, and section 54 gives you repeat performance or a price reduction when it is missing.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the floor installation under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unapproved or dangerous workAn approval that was needed for the floor installation and never obtained is taken up by the council: building control in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or in Scotland the building standards service, which holds the owner responsible for the warrant. For a dispute about the floor installation with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the floor installation is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a flooring installer: questions people ask

No licence or register applies anywhere in the UK.

No; laying a floor finish is not building work.

£18–£70 per square metre, typically around £35. Laminate is cheapest; LVT and engineered wood sit higher, with preparation on top. See the Flooring Installer price guide for the detail, then search your postcode above to compare flooring installers nearby.

HSE lists floor tiles among the materials that can contain asbestos in older buildings; check before lifting them.

Many products can; check the maker's limits and the underlay.

Often moisture or no expansion gap; ask the installer back.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in trades & construction

How to hire: Laminate & Vinyl FlooringHow to hire: Hardwood Floor FittingHow to hire: Carpet FitterHow to hire: Floor SandingHow to hire: TilerHow to hire: Carpenter & JoinerHow to hire: Home StagingHow to hire: Kitchen FitterAll 701 hiring guides →

Flooring installers near you

Flooring installers in LondonFlooring installers in ManchesterFlooring installers in BirminghamFlooring installers in GlasgowFlooring installers in BelfastAll flooring installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — deciding if asbestos work must be done by a licensed contractor
  2. HSE — asbestos: frequently asked questions
  3. TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme
  4. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  9. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  10. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  11. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  12. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  13. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  14. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register