How much does flooring cost in Canberra?
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New flooring in Canberra, supplied and laid, runs from $50–$120 a square metre for carpet up to $165–$310 for solid hardwood. The hard floors in the middle of the range are close together at typical prices: laminate at $72, vinyl plank at $82 and hybrid at $88, with engineered timber higher at $120–$220. Canberra's housing is denser than the Australian average: 19.4% of dwellings are flats, against 14.2% nationally (ABS 2021 Census), so in a unit block the owners corporation rules are worth reading before a hard floor is chosen. Prices include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Flooring cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Flooring Cost in Canberra 2026
Flooring a shop, office or warehouse instead? See our commercial flooring cost guide for Canberra.
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet (supply + install) | $50/sqm | $77 | $120 |
| Vinyl plank (supply + install) | $55/sqm | $82 | $110 |
| Hybrid / SPC (supply + install) | $61/sqm | $88 | $130 |
| Laminate (supply + install) | $55/sqm | $72 | $110 |
| Engineered timber (supply + install) | $120/sqm | $155 | $220 |
| Solid hardwood (supply + install) | $165/sqm | $220 | $310 |
| Floor tiles (supply + install) | $88/sqm | $145 | $220 |
| Bamboo flooring (supply + install) | $88/sqm | $130 | $165 |
| Subfloor levelling / prep | $22/sqm | $44 | $99 |
| Old floor removal & disposal | $9/sqm | $16 | $28 |
| Skirting boards (supply + install) | $11/m | $20 | $33 |
| Timber floor sanding & polishing | $33/sqm | $50 | $77 |
| Floating floor installation (labour only) | $28/sqm | $38 | $61 |
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Get Canberra quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Canberra metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Canberra flooring: floating floors compared, refinishing timber, and what goes underneath
Floating floors in Canberra: vinyl, hybrid or laminate
Supplied and installed, our Canberra table has laminate at $55–$110 a square metre, vinyl plank at $55–$110 and hybrid at $61–$130. A 40 square metre living area in hybrid comes to $3,520 at the typical price. If you supply the boards, floating-floor labour alone is $28–$61 a square metre.
Refinishing timber floors in Canberra
Sanding and polishing existing timber is $33–$77 a square metre in our Canberra table, against $120–$220 for new engineered timber, so at the typical figures refinishing costs $105 a square metre less than replacing.
Tiles, bamboo and the preparation underneath in Canberra
Floor tiles, supplied and installed, are $88–$220 a square metre in our Canberra table and bamboo $88–$165. Levelling or preparing the subfloor first is $22–$99 a square metre, and new skirting boards $11–$33 a metre.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Flooring Costs in Canberra
Pricing a three-bedroom house
At 37.1% of dwellings, three bedrooms is the most common home size here (ABS 2021 Census). To put numbers on it, 100 square metres of hybrid at the typical rate comes to $8,800, carpet to $7,700 and engineered timber to $15,500. Measure your own rooms, hallways and robes included, and add skirting at $11–$33 a metre.
Freezing nights underfoot
A July night at Canberra Airport averages -0.1 °C (BOM averages), and the ACT falls in the cool temperate band of the NCC, climate zone 7. Carpet feels warmer to step onto than tiles ($88–$220) or boards, so one way to split the budget is hard flooring in the living areas and carpet in the bedrooms, where bare feet meet the floor first on a winter morning.
Lifting old vinyl
Taking up and dumping the old floor costs $9–$28 a square metre. WorkSafe ACT lists vinyl asbestos tiles among the floor coverings where asbestos may be found, and in the ACT only a licensed removalist may take asbestos out, with no small-quantity exception of the kind the national model rules allow. If an older home has vinyl tiles under its carpet, have them tested before anyone lifts them.
Units and the owners corporation
With almost one Canberra dwelling in five a flat (ABS 2021 Census), plenty of flooring jobs happen in unit blocks. The owners corporation rules come with the unit, and ACT tenants are handed a copy with the unit title rental certificate. Check them for anything on floor coverings or underlay before swapping carpet for laminate, or before a floating floor is laid labour-only at $28–$61.
Getting the base flat
Levelling or preparing the subfloor adds $22–$99 a square metre, and it is the hardest line to price before the old floor is up. Click-together hybrid and vinyl plank need a flat base to lock properly, so a slab with dips or a timber floor with bounce has to be fixed first. Ask for prep to be priced on inspection rather than left as a loose allowance.
Timber you may already own
Timber comes up often in what Canberra readers search for, from floorboard quotes to hardwood prices. If carpet is hiding boards, sanding and polishing them costs $33–$77 a square metre, far below new solid hardwood at $165–$310. Lift a corner of carpet inside a wardrobe to see what is underneath before pricing anything new.
Rentals and wear and tear
Renters make up 30.7% of Canberra households (ABS 2021 Census). ACT tenants hand a home back in substantially the same state as when they moved in, fair wear and tear excepted, and the ACT Renting Book gives carpet faded by sunlight or marked in a busy entrance as an example of that wear. For a landlord, tired carpet is an ownership cost, at $50–$120 a square metre to replace.
How to Save Money on Flooring Cost in Canberra
Frequently Asked Questions — Flooring Cost in Canberra
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 →