How much does flooring cost in Adelaide?
Timber is what Adelaide searches for most, and it comes at three prices a square metre: $140–$260 for solid boards, $100–$185 for engineered and $74–$140 for bamboo, laid and supplied. Carpet is the cheapest cover at $41–$100; vinyl plank at $46–$92 and hybrid at $51–$110 hold the middle of the table; and bringing an existing timber floor back with a sand and polish is $28–$64. Adelaide is a three-bedroom city, 51.3% of its dwellings (ABS 2021 Census), so that is the house these per-metre rates most often get multiplied across. Supply, laying and GST are in every figure.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Flooring cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Flooring Cost in Adelaide 2026
Flooring a shop, office or warehouse instead? See our commercial flooring cost guide for Adelaide.
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet (supply + install) | $41/sqm | $64 | $100 |
| Vinyl plank (supply + install) | $46/sqm | $69 | $92 |
| Hybrid / SPC (supply + install) | $51/sqm | $74 | $110 |
| Laminate (supply + install) | $46/sqm | $60 | $92 |
| Engineered timber (supply + install) | $100/sqm | $130 | $185 |
| Solid hardwood (supply + install) | $140/sqm | $185 | $260 |
| Floor tiles (supply + install) | $74/sqm | $120 | $185 |
| Bamboo flooring (supply + install) | $74/sqm | $110 | $140 |
| Subfloor levelling / prep | $18/sqm | $37 | $83 |
| Old floor removal & disposal | $7/sqm | $14 | $23 |
| Skirting boards (supply + install) | $9/m | $17 | $28 |
| Timber floor sanding & polishing | $28/sqm | $41 | $64 |
| Floating floor installation (labour only) | $23/sqm | $32 | $51 |
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Get Adelaide quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Adelaide metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Hardwood flooring cost in Adelaide (2026): solid, engineered, hybrid and laminate per m²
Timber flooring in Adelaide costs $140–$260 per square metre supplied and installed for solid hardwood, with $185/m² typical, and $100–$185/m² for engineered timber, which is a hardwood veneer on a stable core and floats or glues down faster. The timber-look alternatives are hybrid ($51–$110/m²) and laminate ($46–$92/m²). Installation only, for a floating floor you have bought, is $23–$51/m². Removing the old floor ($7–$23/m²) and levelling the subfloor ($18–$83/m²) come first.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid hardwood (supply + install) | $140/m² | $185 | $260 |
| Engineered timber (supply + install) | $100/m² | $130 | $185 |
| Hybrid / SPC (supply + install) | $51/m² | $74 | $110 |
| Laminate (supply + install) | $46/m² | $60 | $92 |
| Floating floor installation (labour only) | $23/m² | $32 | $51 |
| Timber floor sanding & polishing | $28/m² | $41 | $64 |
| Old floor removal & disposal | $7/m² | $14 | $23 |
| Subfloor levelling / prep | $18/m² | $37 | $83 |
Hardwood vs engineered timber in Adelaide: solid hardwood ($140–$260/m²) can be sanded and refinished for decades ($28–$64/m² each time) but moves with humidity and is slower to lay; engineered timber ($100–$185/m²) gives the same surface on a stable core, lays faster and suits slabs and apartments, with one or two refinishes in its life.
What moves a flooring quote in Adelaide:
- Material and grade: species, board width and grade move hardwood more than anything else; engineered and hybrid vary by wear layer.
- Area and shape: per-metre rates fall on large open areas and rise in small rooms with many cuts.
- Subfloor: a concrete slab that needs levelling or a timber subfloor that needs sheeting is a separate line.
- Install method: secret-nailed solid timber is slower than a floating click floor.
- Finish and trims: site-finished hardwood needs sanding and coating after laying; skirtings, scotia and door bars are per metre.
For a floor quote in Adelaide that compares, give the square metres, the product, the subfloor and whether old flooring comes out.
What Affects Flooring Costs in Adelaide
What a three-bedroom house adds up to
Adelaide homes average 3.0 bedrooms (ABS 2021 Census), and a per-metre rate only becomes a price once it is multiplied by the floor area and the extras are added: pulling up the old floor at $7–$23, levelling at $18–$83 and new skirting at $9–$28 a metre. Big open rooms lay cheaper per metre than a run of small ones with doorways, so send the floor plan, not just the bedroom count.
Solid, engineered or bamboo
Solid hardwood at $140–$260 is the dearest row and the one that moves most with the seasons. Adelaide swings from a January averaging 28.7 °C and 20.1 mm of rain to a June that brings 72.1 mm (BOM averages), and solid boards shrink and swell with that. Engineered timber at $100–$185 is built in layers to stay flatter; bamboo at $74–$140 sits between them on price. If boards are already under your carpet, sanding them at $28–$64 is the cheapest timber floor there is.
Hybrid, vinyl and laminate
Hybrid at $51–$110 and vinyl plank at $46–$92 shrug off water, so they are the usual pick for laundries, kitchens and a house with dogs; laminate at $46–$92 looks similar but swells if it stays wet. All three float over the subfloor, and if you buy the planks yourself the laying alone is $23–$51, which is the figure to compare when a retailer quotes supply and install together.
The slab underneath
Three-quarters of Adelaide's homes are separate houses (75%, ABS 2021 Census), and a great many of those sit on a concrete slab, and a slab that has dipped or cracked is ground or filled before anything is laid: $18–$83 a metre. In winter, with July nights averaging 7.6 °C and June the wettest month (BOM averages), ask for a moisture test on the slab before a glue-down timber floor goes on; a damp slab will lift it.
Tiles on the hot side
Tiles at $74–$185 cost more to lay than hybrid but stay cool underfoot through Adelaide's 28.7 °C January afternoons (BOM averages), which is why they hold on in north-facing living rooms and wet areas here. Removing old tiles is the slow end of $7–$23, so a tiled room being re-floored should be quoted with removal as its own line.
Renting with a pet
Rented homes are 28.4% of Adelaide's stock (ABS 2021 Census). In South Australia a landlord who allows a pet inside can require the carpets to be professionally cleaned when the tenancy ends (Consumer and Business Services SA). For an owner choosing a floor for a rental, that tilts the decision toward hybrid at $51–$110, which takes claws and a mop, over carpet at $41–$100, the cheapest to lay but the one that gets replaced.
How to Save Money on Flooring Cost in Adelaide
Frequently Asked Questions — Flooring Cost in Adelaide
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →