The short answer
Flooring in Miami runs about $3.50 to $15 per square foot installed for luxury vinyl plank and $10 to $23 for solid hardwood. A 500 square foot LVP job runs roughly $1,850 to $7,450. Most homes sit on a concrete slab in a humid climate, so the slab gets tested before anything goes down.
Flooring costs in Miami
The table applies the Miami metro construction cost factor of 0.93 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to national installed prices. Each range includes the material, standard underlayment and labor.
| Job | Miami (typical range) | US average |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury vinyl plank (LVP), installed | $3.5–$15/sq ft | $4–$16/sq ft |
| Laminate, installed | $3.5–$13/sq ft | $4–$14/sq ft |
| Engineered wood, installed | $6.5–$18.5/sq ft | $7–$20/sq ft |
| Solid hardwood, installed | $10–$23/sq ft | $11–$25/sq ft |
| Tile, installed | $9.5–$33/sq ft | $10–$35/sq ft |
| Old floor removal | $1–$3.5/sq ft | $1–$4/sq ft |
| Subfloor repair or replacement | $2–$8.5/sq ft | $2–$9/sq ft |
| Luxury vinyl plank, 500 sq ft | $1,850–$7,450 | $2,000–$8,000 |
| Hardwood, 500 sq ft | $5,100–$11,650 | $5,500–$12,500 |
Estimates for 2026, including labor and standard parts. Miami prices use the metro's construction cost factor of 0.93 (US average = 1.00) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Area Cost Factors. Your quote depends on access, materials and the condition of the home.
A 500 square foot hardwood job runs $5,100 to $11,650 here. Removal of the old floor adds $1 to $3.50 per square foot, and subfloor repair or replacement adds $2 to $8.50. Older homes often hide a second layer of flooring or a damaged slab edge.
To price your own rooms, use the cost estimator below. Our flooring cost guide compares materials at national prices.
What pushes a Miami quote up
- Tearing out tile set on a mortar bed, which is heavier and slower than pulling up carpet
- Grinding or leveling a slab that has cracked or settled
- Moisture mitigation if a slab test fails
- Waterproofing in bathrooms, laundry rooms and anywhere tile meets a wet area
- Condo rules that require a specific sound underlayment
- Stairs, which are priced per tread
Which floor suits a Miami house
Most South Florida houses sit on a concrete slab poured at grade, often with concrete block walls.
Concrete slabs and moisture
A slab passes ground moisture up into whatever covers it. The August dew point averages 74.4°F, according to NOAA's 1991 to 2020 hourly normals for Miami International, so that moisture has nowhere to go. Installers test before they install, using an in-slab relative humidity probe or a calcium chloride dish left on the concrete for a few days. The flooring maker's limits decide what is allowed.
Three checks come before installation:
- A moisture test before any wood, laminate or glue-down product goes in.
- Flattening. Click-lock floors need a flat base, so high spots get ground and low spots filled.
- The right product. LVP, porcelain tile and engineered wood rated for concrete handle slabs well. Solid hardwood over a damp slab can cup and swell, so it needs a moisture barrier and careful testing. Many installers here steer slab homes toward engineered instead.
Humidity and acclimation
Miami gets 67.41 inches of rain a year at the airport, with June at 10.51 inches and September at 10.22, per the same NOAA normals. Freezes are essentially absent: the normal count of nights at 32°F or below is 0.0 at Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood. Wood still moves with the air, so solid and engineered boards should sit in the house long enough to match conditions before installation. The installer should check them with a moisture meter.
After a leak or a storm
Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. Water that gets under a floor is the most common reason Miami floors get replaced early. If a leak or storm soaks a floor, let the subfloor and slab dry, then test again before new material goes down. Our plumbing page for Miami covers the repair side of a leak.
Termites
Florida has 20 established termite species, the most in the mainland United States, six of them invasive, according to UF/IFAS. The Formosan and Asian subterranean termites both occur in South Florida. Get a termite inspection before and after installation for wood floors, especially solid hardwood over a slab or near exterior walls.
Materials compared for Miami homes
| Material | Miami installed cost per sq ft | Where it fits in Miami |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) | $3.50 to $15 | Slabs, kitchens, baths, rentals, homes with pets |
| Laminate | $3.50 to $13 | Dry bedrooms and living rooms over a flat subfloor |
| Engineered wood | $6.50 to $18.50 | Slabs and humid rooms where solid wood may cup |
| Solid hardwood | $10 to $23 | Raised floors and dry rooms with a moisture barrier |
| Porcelain or ceramic tile | $9.50 to $33 | Kitchens, baths, entries and slab homes throughout the metro |
Tile is the default in Miami kitchens and baths because it tolerates moisture and heat. Before tile goes down on an older slab, ask the installer to look at existing cracks and settling and explain how they will handle them. For whole-room projects, see our guides to kitchen remodeling in Miami and bathroom remodeling in Miami.
Old flooring, asbestos and lead
About half of all homes in Miami-Dade and Broward were built before 1980, according to the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey. In Hollywood that share is 74.7%, in Miami Beach 67.3%, in Fort Lauderdale 65.1% and in Coral Gables 61.1%. Older vinyl floor tiles, sheet vinyl backing and the adhesive under them can contain asbestos. They pose little risk while intact, but sanding, scraping or grinding releases fibers.
Miami-Dade County requires an asbestos survey for commercial demolition and for renovation projects over 160 square feet, and a completed Notice of Demolition or Asbestos Renovation form at least 10 working days before work starts. The rule covers commercial work. In a house, ask for a test before anyone pulls up old vinyl or mastic. You can also lay floating LVP or engineered wood over the old floor to avoid disturbing it.
Homes built before 1978 may also have lead paint on trim, doors and baseboards, which a floor replacement can disturb. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in pre-1978 housing to be EPA- or state-certified and follow lead-safe practices.
Condos and apartments: sound and waterproofing rules
Most homes in the city core sit in large buildings. The ACS shows 50-plus unit buildings hold 48.6% of homes in Miami Beach and 40.1% in the City of Miami, and only 8.8% of Miami Beach homes are detached houses. Many of those units are condos, so association rules apply.
Before you buy flooring for an upper-floor unit, read the association rules on hard flooring and underlayment. Many require a sound underlayment with a published impact rating. Some restrict hard flooring to certain rooms. Tile over concrete in a high-rise is common. Wet areas still need waterproofing.
Miami-Dade also requires milestone inspections for condominium and cooperative buildings three stories and taller, and the county recertifies buildings at 30 years and every 10 after. Those inspections can trigger special assessments and unit work. Talk with your association about timing a floor replacement around them.
Do you need a permit?
For most flooring swaps in a Miami-Dade house, you do not need a permit. The county's permit exemption list says you do not need a permit to resurface a floor or do other interior surface treatments. The county treats a straight replacement of one floor covering with another that way.
You need a permit when the job turns structural or joins a bigger project.
- Replacing or sistering joists, or rebuilding a sagging floor
- Leveling that involves new framing
- Flooring that is part of a permitted remodel, addition or ADU, where it gets inspected with the rest of the work
- Any electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work that comes with the job, which always needs a permit
Florida House Bill 803, effective July 1, 2026, lets certain projects valued under $7,500 on single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses skip a building permit. Units in multifamily buildings do not qualify, and neither do properties partly or fully in a flood hazard area. Projects cannot be split into phases to avoid permits. The owner or contractor submits a written request with the contract through the county portal.
Each city runs its own building department. Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach all issue their own permits, so check with your city. Miami-Dade County's permitting process applies only to unincorporated areas with folios starting with 30. Take in-person exemption applications to the Permitting and Inspection Center at 11805 SW 26 Street, Miami, open 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
How to check a flooring installer before you hire
- Ask for the license number and check it on the DBPR license verification portal. Florida licenses contractors through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. A certified contractor, with a license code beginning with C, may contract anywhere in Florida. A registered contractor, code beginning with R, may contract only in the jurisdiction that registered them.
- A general, building or residential contractor often installs flooring, or a flooring specialty contractor does. A building contractor is limited to buildings not over three stories, or remodeling that does not affect structural members. A residential contractor is limited to one-, two- or three-family homes not over two habitable stories.
- Confirm the license is active and check workers' compensation coverage through the Florida Department of Financial Services.
- Ask how they test a slab for moisture and what they do if it fails.
- Ask whether they will test old vinyl or mastic for asbestos before removal.
- Get a written price that lists removal, subfloor work, transitions and baseboards.
Under F.S. 489.128, Florida law makes a contract with an unlicensed contractor unenforceable by that contractor. Work of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature under $2,500 needs no license, but that exception does not apply when the work is part of a larger job or split to evade the law. Unlicensed contracting during a state of emergency declared by the Governor is a third-degree felony.
Every installer in the GOLDGCP network passes six-step vetting covering license, insurance, background, portfolio, references and onboarding. See our guide to paying a contractor for how milestone payments work.
A typical flooring timeline
| Step | Usual time |
|---|---|
| Measure, moisture test and samples | One visit, plus a day or more for a slab test |
| Wood acclimation | Several days, depending on the product and the house |
| Removal and subfloor prep | Half a day to two days |
| LVP or laminate, 500 sq ft | One to two days |
| Tile, 500 sq ft | Three to five days with setting and grout |
| Site-finished hardwood | Extra days for sanding and each coat of finish |
Where you can, schedule exterior-adjacent work around hurricane season. Crews get busy after storms, and material deliveries slow down.
Areas we cover
GOLDGCP connects homeowners with licensed flooring installers across the Miami metro.
- Miami and Miami Beach
- Coral Gables
- Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood
- Boca Raton
- West Palm Beach
Enter your ZIP code to see flooring prices and installers near you.
How GOLDGCP works
- Tell us the rooms, the square footage and the floor you want. You see prices by ZIP code before anyone comes out.
- We match you with up to 3 vetted, licensed flooring pros who measure and quote in writing.
- You choose one and schedule the work.
- You pay in milestones, each one only after you approve that stage, such as removal and prep, then installation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does flooring installation cost in Miami?
Installed prices in Miami run about $3.50 to $15 per square foot for LVP, $6.50 to $18.50 for engineered wood, $10 to $23 for solid hardwood and $9.50 to $33 for tile. Removal, subfloor repair and stairs cost extra.
Which flooring works on a concrete slab in Miami?
LVP, porcelain tile and engineered wood rated for concrete are the usual choices for Miami slab homes. No product goes in until the slab passes a moisture test and is flat. Solid hardwood over a slab needs a moisture barrier, since it can cup and swell over damp concrete.
Do I need a permit to replace flooring in Miami?
Usually not for a straight replacement in a house, since the county treats resurfacing a floor as an exempt interior surface treatment. You do need permits if the job involves structural repair or electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work. Each city issues its own permits.
Can I remove old vinyl tile myself in Miami?
If you own and live in a single-family house and do the work yourself, you may be able to. Test first, because old tile and its adhesive can contain asbestos. You can cover the old floor with floating LVP or engineered wood to avoid disturbing it.
Can I put hardwood or LVP in my Miami condo?
Often yes, if your association approves and you use the right underlayment. Many Miami Beach and City of Miami buildings are large condos with rules on hard flooring and sound. Use an underlayment with a published impact rating so noise does not reach the unit below.
What license does a flooring installer need in Florida?
Florida licenses contractors through DBPR. A certified contractor may work anywhere in the state, and a registered contractor may work only in the jurisdiction that registered them. A general, building or residential contractor can install flooring. Miami-Dade also issues local specialty certificates for some trades.
How long does it take to install floors in a Miami home?
A 500-square-foot LVP job usually takes one to two days after prep. Tile takes three to five days. Add time for a slab moisture test, wood acclimation, subfloor repairs and finish coats on site-finished hardwood.
How we calculate these prices
GOLDGCP starts from national price ranges for each job, taken from published 2026 cost guides and checked against local price guides where they exist. To get a local price, we multiply the national range by the construction cost factor for the metro from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Area Cost Factors (US average = 1.00). Where that table has no entry for a metro, we use the nearest listed location or the state value. For ZIP codes outside the 50 largest metros, the cost estimator uses the state's price level from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities. Ranges include labor and standard materials but not unusual site conditions, so a written quote after an inspection is always the final price.
Sources
- myfloridalicense.com
- Miami-Dade County · Other Permits
- NOAA
- Miami-Dade County · Building Homepage
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
About this guide
Written by the GOLDGCP editorial team. Prices come from national cost guides adjusted with official construction cost factors for Miami; rules and statistics come from the agencies and reports linked in the text. We update this page when prices or codes change.