Carpet in NZ costs about $25 to $190 a square metre before fitting, depending on the fibre (ArchiPro, March 2024). Underlay adds about $10 to $20 a square metre, and fitting starts around $20 a square metre. For vinyl, laminate and timber, NZ sources give “from” prices and no clear installed rates.
Most of the pages below do not say whether GST is included, and several are undated. Treat every number as a guide and get a written, itemised quote.
The quick answer
| Job | Typical NZ price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet, supply only, per square metre | Polypropylene $25 to $50+, nylon $30 to $120+, wool $40 to $190+ (GST not stated) | ArchiPro, March 2024 |
| Carpet underlay, per square metre | About $10 to $20 (GST not stated) | ArchiPro, March 2024 |
| Carpet fitting | About $50 an hour or $20 per square metre as a starting point (GST not stated) | ArchiPro, March 2024 |
| Carpet, per square metre, and fitting | Wool $40 to $100+, solution-dyed nylon $25 to $100+, polypropylene $25 to $39. Fitting from $50 per hour (page undated, GST not stated) | Refresh Renovations, carpet |
| Laminate, vinyl and hardwood, per square metre | Laminate from $11, vinyl planks and tiles from $65, hardwood from $80 (page undated, GST not stated) | Refresh Renovations, wooden floors |
| Timber flooring, per square metre | $139 to over $2,000 retail price, not installed (GST not stated) | ArchiPro, May 2025 |
| Professional flooring services, per square metre | $40 to $80, covering laminate, vinyl, hardwood and carpet (GST not stated) | Airtasker NZ, November 2026 |
ArchiPro is a design and building directory. Refresh Renovations is a renovation company, and its pages say costs are rough estimates. Airtasker is a task marketplace. The Refresh wooden floors page does not say what its “from” prices include, but it adds that uplift, sanding and installation need to be taken into account on top.
Gaps in the published figures
There is no published NZ figure we could open for any of these, so we have left them out rather than guess.
- Installed price per square metre for engineered timber and solid timber.
- Sanding and polishing an existing timber floor, per square metre.
- Removing old carpet or vinyl, and levelling a subfloor.
Superior Renovations (updated 26 October 2026) says a per square metre figure for timber would be a guess because the subfloor changes the number so much. If a quote for any of these has no itemised breakdown, ask for one.
What changes the price
Floor type and grade. Superior Renovations ranks the types from lowest to highest price: laminate, engineered timber, solid timber. Within each, product grade, room sizes, cuts and transitions, underlay, finish and subfloor condition all move the installed price. ArchiPro adds that timber price depends on species, plank width, grade, construction, and whether the board is prefinished or unfinished.
Carpet fibre. ArchiPro’s list shows the spread: polypropylene $25 to $50+, blended $40 to $90+, nylon $30 to $120+, polyester $40 to $140+, triexta $70 to $160+ and wool $40 to $190+. Consumer NZ (1 August 2012) says wool is the top standard and synthetics suit homes with children or pets. It also says to buy the best carpet you can afford because cheap carpet can look worn within a year. That page is old, so use it for advice, not prices.
Underlay. ArchiPro puts underlay at $10 to $20 a square metre, though some suppliers bundle it into an all-in price. Consumer NZ says not to reuse old underlay, and that “free underlay” deals may be a false economy.
Subfloor. Superior Renovations says levelling and grinding a slab adds cost per square metre, and uneven slabs or timber subfloors cost more. Moisture work is quoted separately after inspection. A damp crawl space can ruin solid timber and shorten the life of engineered and laminate floors. It recommends asking for subfloor preparation as its own line item.
Waste. Online Carpet (published 8 August 2024) suggests allowing 10 to 15 percent extra carpet for cutting and fitting.
Installation method. ArchiPro lists glue-down versus floating, prefinished versus unfinished and parquet versus plank as cost drivers for timber. Superior Renovations says engineered timber and laminate can float or be glued over concrete.
A worked example
Using the figures above, take a 20 square metre bedroom in nylon carpet. GST is not stated by the source, and removing the old carpet is not priced.
- Carpet with 10 to 15 percent waste: 22 square metres at $30 = $660 at the low end. 23 square metres at $120 = $2,760 at the high end.
- Underlay for the 20 square metre floor: $10 to $20 a square metre = $200 to $400.
- Fitting at $20 a square metre: 20 x $20 = $400.
- Total: $660 + $200 + $400 = $1,260 at the low end. $2,760 + $400 + $400 = $3,560 at the high end.
So the same room can come in anywhere from about $1,260 to $3,560 depending on the carpet you pick. Cheap fibre and low fitting rates can make the low end hard to hit, and the sources do not price subfloor repairs or taking up the old floor.
Rules, licences and consents
Building consent. We could not open an official building.govt.nz page that covers floor coverings, so we are not claiming either way. Superior Renovations says whether flooring work needs a consent is a question for a Licensed Building Practitioner or your council. It also says timber and laminate are not on the list of finishes in the Acceptable Solution E3/AS1 for wet areas, so using them in a kitchen, bathroom or laundry is treated as an Alternative Solution. The list does include PVC sheet vinyl, tile and polished concrete. If your job is in a wet area, ask the installer which finish they plan to use and why.
Asbestos in old floors. Health NZ says asbestos is found in some vinyl floor tiles and linoleum, and as backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives. Sanding, cutting or drilling it can release fibres. Material in good condition generally will not release fibres. The page says a sample tested at an approved laboratory is the most certain way to confirm asbestos, and not to take a sample without first talking to a health protection officer at your local public health service. If your floor is old, ask before the installer lifts it.
Carpet laying standard. Consumer NZ says carpet should be installed to AS/NZS 2455.1:2007, that the installer should give you a plan showing seam positions, and that wavy carpet often means a power stretcher was not used. It says most carpet complaints it receives are about laying.
Questions to ask before you say yes
- Is the quote for supply, underlay, removal of the old floor, fitting and trims, and does it include GST?
- What fibre, brand, grade and underlay am I getting?
- What does the price assume about my subfloor, and what happens if it needs levelling or moisture work?
- Is the old floor being taken up, and who disposes of it? Could it contain asbestos?
- For carpet, can I see the seam plan before cutting starts?
- For timber or laminate, how will it be fixed, and what finish and warranty come with it?
- For a kitchen, bathroom or laundry, is the floor suitable for wet areas?
- Is this a refinish of the existing floor, and if so, how many times can it still be sanded?
How GoodTradie helps
GoodTradie is free for homeowners, but we do not list flooring layers yet. This guide is here to help you judge a flooring quote against published NZ figures, and it is not a price check on a specific job. The box at the top of the page is for the trades we do cover, and carpet cleaning is one of them. For those trades you type the job, we call you, find one local tradie, check they hold insurance for the work, and book them in. We do not send your job to several tradies. Type your job into the box at the top of the page to get started.
Sources
- ArchiPro, the cost of carpet in New Zealand, 7 March 2024
- Refresh Renovations, carpet options and prices (page undated)
- Refresh Renovations, how much do wooden floors cost (page undated)
- ArchiPro, what determines the cost of a timber floor, 14 May 2025
- Airtasker NZ, floor polishing, updated 7 November 2026
- Superior Renovations, laminate vs engineered vs solid timber flooring, updated 26 October 2026
- Online Carpet, how much to carpet a house, 8 August 2024
- Consumer NZ, carpet, 1 August 2012
- Health NZ, asbestos in the home (page undated)