You quote 600 square feet of luxury vinyl plank. The client accepts. You order the material. Install day, the old carpet comes up, and the subfloor underneath is soft in three places.
Now what? If the extra work was never mentioned, you either eat the cost or have an awkward conversation in the client's living room.
Flooring is a trade where the quote and the paperwork decide whether a job makes money.
The short version
- Measure on site and record it with photos. Phone and email quotes are where margins disappear.
- Quote with options: material grades, underlay, trim, removal and disposal.
- Take a deposit that covers the material order. Flooring is ordered before it is installed.
- Put subfloor and extra work in the quote as priced options, and get changes signed before you do them.
Step 1: Measure properly
- Measure every room, closets and transitions included
- Note doorways, stairs and thresholds: they take time and trim
- Check the subfloor where you can: soft spots, height differences, moisture in basements
- Record the existing floor: what comes up, and how hard it is to remove
- Photograph everything, including furniture that has to move
Then add your waste allowance. Many installers add around 5% to 10% for straight lays and more for diagonal or herringbone patterns. Say on the quote what is included.
Step 2: Quote with options
One number invites a price comparison. Options invite a decision:
| Line | Notes |
|---|---|
| Material | Good, better, best grades, with the client's pick |
| Underlay | Included or upgraded (sound, moisture) |
| Removal and disposal | Existing carpet, tile or hardwood |
| Floor prep | Levelling, per bag or per area |
| Subfloor repair | Priced per sheet, if needed |
| Trim and transitions | Baseboard, quarter round, thresholds |
| Stairs | Per step |
| Moving furniture | Included or extra |
The subfloor line is the one that saves you. Put a per-sheet or per-area price on the quote up front, "if we find damaged subfloor, replacement is $X per sheet, installed", so the conversation on install day is about a number the client has already seen.
Step 3: Take a deposit that covers the material
You order the flooring before you lay it, and much of it cannot be returned once it is cut to size or special-ordered. Take a deposit when the client accepts, sized to cover at least the material order. For larger jobs, split the rest:
- Deposit on acceptance: covers material
- Balance on completion, or a progress payment at the midpoint on multi-room jobs
(More in why you should take a deposit on every install.)
Step 4: Handle change orders in writing
Change orders are where flooring jobs go sideways: "While you're here, can you do the hallway too?" or the subfloor surprise.
The rule: no extra work without a signed change. That does not need to be a big process:
- Take photos of what you found
- Add the line to the job, at the price already on the quote or a new one
- The client signs on your phone
- Then do the work
The client is never surprised by the final invoice, and you never work for free.
Step 5: Hand over and get the review
At the end:
- After photos of every room
- A short walkthrough and sign-off with the client
- Care instructions for the new floor
- Final invoice with a pay link, before you leave the driveway
- A review request once it is paid
How crewduo helps flooring installers
- Quotes with optional lines from your own catalogue: materials, underlay, prep, subfloor per sheet, trim, stairs. Built on the phone during the measure.
- The client chooses options, signs online and pays the deposit in one step.
- Payment schedules for multi-room and multi-day jobs.
- Job walkthrough and scope sign-off form, signed by the client on the phone, with before photos.
- Multi-day jobs with several visits, and the crew sees it all in the app.
- Job costing (Crew plan): what you quoted against materials, hours and expenses.
- Review requests after the invoice is paid.
See crewduo for handyman and renovation businesses, or how quotes work.
Quick answers
Should I quote flooring by the square foot? For the material and install, yes. Price prep, subfloor repair, stairs and trim as separate lines, so the client sees what they are paying for.
What if the client buys their own flooring? Quote install only, and say on the quote that you do not warrant the material. Check the boxes before you start.
How do I handle a basement with moisture? Test it, record the reading on the job, and quote the right underlay or moisture barrier as a line the client can see.
