Overview
Flooring quotes live or die on the subfloor
Flooring is mostly square metres, but the square metres are not the cost. The cost is the subfloor. A clean concrete slab takes carpet straight onto underlay; a 1930s suspended timber floor takes screed, levelling compound, a moisture barrier, and a day's prep before the new floor goes anywhere. Quoting the visible part and skipping the invisible part is how flooring installers end up doing two days' prep on a one-day quote. The customer doesn't price subfloor work into their head, and a quote that doesn't surface it leaves it for you to absorb.
QuoteGenio gives flooring installers a clean way to put the invisible work on the page. Quote the floor at supplier price by box or square metre, name the underlay and where applicable the screed, list subfloor prep by hour with a contingency for unknowns, and labour by day. Send via WhatsApp from the customer's lounge, attach a photo of the existing floor, take a deposit on acceptance. The same quote becomes a progress invoice when the prep is signed off and a final invoice when the last skirting is back on.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for every type of flooring and floor finishing business.
The problem
The quoting headaches every flooring installer knows
Flooring quotes hinge on square metres, waste factors, and subfloor prep. A bad quote either loses the job or loses your margin.
Waste and cut factors get forgotten
Quoting exactly the floor area without a 10 percent wastage allowance means buying extra boxes out of your own pocket.
Site visits turn into all-day jobs
Measuring, sketching, and then going home to type up a quote burns half a day. The client has already got two other prices by then.
Subfloor prep gets priced as zero
Clients assume the concrete is ready. You find it's uneven, cracked, and needs self-levelling. Without a provisional line, you absorb the cost.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes it simple
A faster, cleaner workflow built around how flooring crews actually work, measure once, quote on the spot, and move on to the next job.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for floor layers
Line items for subfloor prep, self-levelling, underlay, flooring material, skirting, and silicone. Structure the quote the way the job runs.
Per square metre pricing
Enter the area once and QuoteGenio multiplies the rate. No calculator, no arithmetic errors on big open-plan rooms.
Quote from the site visit
Measure the room, add the lines, and send the quote before you leave. Clients are impressed and you're home on time.
From quote to paid invoice
When the floor is laid, convert the accepted quote to an invoice in one click and track the balance.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how flooring installers actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Flooring Installers choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Flooring Installers build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Flooring Installers job pricing
A rough guide to what flooring installers charge for common jobs. Pricing swings with material type, room complexity, and how much subfloor prep is involved. Use these as a sanity check when you build your own rate card, not as fixed numbers.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Site measure and detailed quote | R0 - R2,479 |
| Laminate supply and install (per sqm) | R297 - R578 / sqm |
| Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) install (per sqm) | R463 - R909 / sqm |
| Ceramic or porcelain tiling (per sqm) | R364 - R744 / sqm |
| Hardwood or engineered wood (per sqm) | R744 - R1,570 / sqm |
| Self-levelling screed (per sqm) | R248 - R529 / sqm |
| Skirting supply and install (per metre) | R132 - R297 / m |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A small measure-and-quote visit is usually free locally, but a full commercial take-off with a CAD drawing and material schedule can easily take a day. Many installers charge R1,322 to R2,479 for a detailed quote on large jobs, refundable against the install. It filters out tyre-kickers and pays for your time.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use per-square-metre pricing for known rooms with a clear spec. Use hourly or provisional sums for subfloor remedial work, odd-shaped rooms with lots of cuts, and staircase work. Mix both on the same quote when the job has a clean main area and tricky corners.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here's what a clean, itemised quote for a typical open-plan laminate install looks like. Notice the 10 percent wastage added to the material quantity, the self-level line, and a separate line for old floor removal. That level of detail is what separates a professional flooring quote from a scribbled total.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Open-plan living and dining, 42 sqm laminate install
Uplift and dispose of old carpet
Subfloor prep and self-level (minor)
Underlay (3mm foam with vapour barrier)
AC4 laminate boards (client spec)
Laminate installation labour
Beading and trim around edges
Silicone and finishing
Site clean and offcut removal
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uplift and dispose of old carpet | 1 | R2,975 | R2,975 |
| Subfloor prep and self-level (minor) | 42 | R198 / sqm | R8,330 |
| Underlay (3mm foam with vapour barrier) | 46 | R66 / sqm | R3,041 |
| AC4 laminate boards (client spec) | 46 | R364 / sqm | R16,725 |
| Laminate installation labour | 42 | R297 / sqm | R12,494 |
| Beading and trim around edges | 28 | R149 / m | R4,165 |
| Silicone and finishing | 1 | R1,405 | R1,405 |
| Site clean and offcut removal | 1 | R1,570 | R1,570 |
| Subtotal | R50,705 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R5,074 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R55,779 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Old floor uplift and disposal, a 10 percent wastage allowance on the material, beading and trim per metre, door undercut if the new floor is thicker, silicone to wet areas, and a site clean-down line. Put these on your template once and stop absorbing them out of your margin.
Peer snapshot
How Flooring Installers actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Flooring Installers on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
26
Quotes sent per month
52%
Average quote acceptance
4 min
Median time to send quote
R55,779
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Flooring Installer jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of flooring installers. The same traps come up every time: forgotten prep, missing wastage, and disappearing margin on subfloor surprises. Fix these and your jobs become predictable.
Mistake: Quoting exact square metres without wastage
Better: Always add 8 to 12 percent to the material quantity for cuts and waste, more for diagonal or patterned layouts. State the wastage assumption on the quote so the client knows why the box count is higher than the floor area.
Mistake: No line for subfloor prep
Better: Add a provisional sum for self-levelling and crack repair on every concrete subfloor quote, subject to inspection. It saves an awkward conversation when the screed turns out to be cupped or cracked.
Mistake: Forgetting door undercuts and thresholds
Better: A new floor changes the door height. List door undercuts, transition strips, and threshold bars as separate lines. They're small items that add up fast across a three-bedroom house.
Mistake: Bundling uplift and disposal as free
Better: Old carpet, vinyl, or tile removal is real labour and skip cost. List it as a priced line, even if you discount it to win the job. Never give it away invisibly.
Mistake: Not specifying the board grade
Better: AC3, AC4, and AC5 laminate are different products at different prices. Put the exact spec, click type, and finish on the quote so there's no dispute when the client compares with a cheaper competitor.
Mistake: No validity period on the quote
Better: Laminate and LVT prices move with import costs and exchange rates. Put a 30 day validity on every quote, and state that material costs beyond that date are subject to re-quote.
Mistake: Ignoring underlay as a line item
Better: Underlay is often assumed and forgotten. Spec the thickness, whether it has a vapour barrier, and price it per square metre separately from the floor itself.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote flooring jobs
Walk every room with a tape, a moisture meter, and a long straightedge before you price anything. Measure the floor area in square metres, count doorways because every one is a transition strip and a door undercut, and check ceiling height only for staircase work because stairs are priced per step. Run the straightedge across the concrete to find dips or crowns, because anything over 3mm across a 2 metre span needs a self-levelling screed. On renovations, check what the existing floor is: old carpet is a quick uplift, vinyl with bitumen adhesive is a slow scrape, and timber or tile on concrete is plant hire and skip fees. Photograph door thresholds, skirting heights, and any visible cracks.
Itemise uplift and disposal, subfloor prep, underlay, flooring material, install labour, beading, silicone, and site clean on separate lines instead of one rate. Add 8 to 12 percent wastage to the material quantity for straight lays, 12 to 15 percent for diagonal or herringbone, and state 'includes 10% cutting wastage' in the description. Specify the product precisely: AC3, AC4, or AC5 laminate, click or glue-down LVT, 3mm foam underlay with or without vapour barrier. List a provisional sum for self-levelling on every concrete subfloor subject to inspection, door undercuts and transition strips per doorway, and beading or trim per linear metre. For staircase work, quote per step at $ 45 to $ 95 because a flight is two to three times slower than a flat floor.
Put a 30 day validity on every flooring quote because laminate, LVT, and adhesive prices track the exchange rate and stockist promos, and a quote written six weeks ago may not cover your cost today. State on the PDF that material costs beyond the expiry are subject to re-quote. For flooring jobs over about $ 1,500 take a 40 to 50 percent deposit because boxes are non-returnable once cut and batch-matched stock gets pulled quickly. Use a minimum callout of around $ 450 on small rooms so you are not driving across town for half a morning. Always photograph and issue a variation inside QuoteGenio if the subfloor turns out worse than quoted, so the client agrees the screed work in writing before you pour.
Send the quote from the site visit while the client is still picturing the new floor. Homeowners collect two or three flooring quotes in the same week, and the professional itemised PDF that lands on WhatsApp first with a clear wastage line and subfloor provisional usually wins even when it is not cheapest. Build the quote on your phone while you are still in the empty room, share the link via WhatsApp, and follow up politely after two or three days. When the client adds a second bedroom mid-job or upgrades from AC4 to hardwood, duplicate the quote inside QuoteGenio, update the relevant line, and reissue the variation so every extra square metre is accepted in writing before a single board is cut.
FAQ
Common questions from flooring installers
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Set the unit to square metres, enter the area once, and QuoteGenio multiplies the rate automatically. You can mix per sqm lines with fixed-price lines on the same quote.
Yes. Once your quote is built, share it as a secure link via WhatsApp. Your client opens a professional branded document on their phone instantly.
Yes. As you add line items and quantities, subtotals, VAT, and grand totals update in real time. No calculator, no spreadsheet.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Your client can open it on their phone and accept it online. No signup required on their side.
Yes. Convert any accepted quote into an invoice with one click. All the line items and quantities carry over, so there's no double entry.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
8 to 10 percent for straight-lay installs in simple rectangular rooms, 12 to 15 percent for diagonal or herringbone patterns, and up to 20 percent for small rooms with lots of cuts. Always state the wastage assumption on the quote so the client isn't surprised when you order extra boxes.
Add a provisional sum on the original quote for self-levelling and crack repair, subject to inspection once the old floor is lifted. When you find the issue, issue a variation order through QuoteGenio so the extra work is agreed in writing before you pour screed.
Per square metre is fairer and easier to defend, because the client can see how the price scales with the area. Use a small minimum callout (for example R7,437 on small rooms) so you're not driving across town for half a morning's work.
Price per step, not per square metre. Nosings, risers, and cuts make stairs two to three times slower than a flat floor. A typical charge is R744 to R1,570 per step for laminate or LVT, more for hardwood, and list the step count clearly on the quote.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
Pricing benchmark
What do flooring installers charge in 2026?
Hourly rates by region, common job prices, a worked sample quote, and the FAQs customers actually ask. The complete pricing reference for flooring installers.
Typical hourly
$45-$100/hr
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Carpenter · Bloemfontein
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"Everything is in one place now. Quotes, invoices, and payments. I do not have to chase paperwork anymore, which saves me a lot of time."
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Builder · New York City
Guides
Guides for Flooring Installers
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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