Floors are subjected to a lot of wear and tear, but they last a long time. A high-quality and well-maintained solid wood parquet will last 40 years or more. Nevertheless, there comes a time when it is time for renovation or the good old block parquet no longer matches the modern designer furniture. With a new floor covering, for example cork, parquet or carpet, you can change rooms with little effort. How much it will cost depends on the floor covering and the quality. It's best to talk to a floor layer who can give you expert advice and professionally install any floor covering.
If you are interested in ceramic, natural stone or porcelain stoneware as flooring, we recommend our article «Costs for Tilers and Prices for Tiling Work».
Floor coverings have an average lifespan of 10 to 50 years. The lifespan depends on the material and quality, but also on wear and maintenance. This is how long floor coverings should last on average:
Parquet should be sanded and oiled or sealed every 10 years. The better you care for and protect your parquet floor, the longer you will enjoy it.
Read more about the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the different floor coverings in our article «Laying a Floor: Coverings, Costs and the Right Craftsmen».
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The costs of resilient and textile floor coverings differ as much as their service life. The price depends strongly on the material and the quality. A few price examples:
* These are approximate values.
Don't save on quality. If you buy an oak parquet floor for 50 instead of 80 francs for a 40 square metre living room, you will only save 30 francs a year in 40 years.
Laminate is an alternative to parquet. It looks and feels like wood, but is easy to maintain. High-quality laminate costs about half as much as cherry wood and lasts 25 years.
Floorers usually charge 80 to 100 francs per hour. For a simple cost estimate, calculate 25 to 35 francs per square metre for preparation and 25 to 35 francs per square metre for laying. That makes 50 to 70 francs in labour costs per square metre. Then there are the material costs (see "Material costs for parquet, carpet, vinyl & co."). A square metre of cherry tree parquet with labour costs about 230 to 270 francs*, a square metre of high-quality laminate about 150 to 190 francs* and a square metre of vinyl about 150 to 170 francs*.
* These are approximate values.
The job title is "EFZ floor parquet layer". The apprenticeship lasts three years, and apprentices are trained in two specialisations: "textile and elastic coverings" and "parquet".
You could probably install a simple Novilon floor in a basement room yourself. More demanding installation work such as rooms with a winding floor plan, transitions from one room to another or solid wood parquet should be left to a floor layer. On the one hand, the result will be professional and the floor layer guarantees his work, on the other hand, a professional will finish faster - and your time is worth money. An experienced parquet layer, for example, will professionally lay 25 to 35 square metres of parquet in one working day, a do-it-yourselfer about half as much.
If you want to know exactly how much a cork floor in the children's room or easy-care laminate flooring in the kitchen costs, ask certified floorers from our partner network for quotes. A few details are enough and you will receive up to three offers. Compare the services and costs. Make sure that all services are included and that all offers are complete. In addition to the labour and material costs, they should also include the travel costs, the expenses and the hourly rate for additional work as well as the terms of payment. Ask the tilers if anything is unclear and decide on the offer that convinces you the most. Not only financially.
All prices are indicative only (as of 2023) so you can estimate the cost. If you want an exact offer, ask our certified floorers from your region.
