Flooring bids with waste, prep, and trim done right
Flooring estimators forget two things: waste factor and subfloor prep. Miss either and a 'profitable' job becomes free labor. Bid Buddy prompts both, every time.
Bid Buddy AI
BetaYour hands-free estimating buddy.
Hi! I'm Bid Buddy, your AI bidding assistant. I'll guide you step by step through your bid. You don't need bidding experience. Just answer a few questions and together we'll build a professional bid.
Your bid
Your bid is calculated as total cost ÷ (1 − margin) for a true margin.
Total job cost
$23,000.00
Recommended bid
$28,750.00
Profit
$5,750.00
Margin
20%
Turn this estimate into a signed job.
Go Pro to price materials at stores near your job's ZIP code, save unlimited estimates to the cloud, reuse templates, and let AI write a client-ready proposal & bid — in seconds.
- Local material price lookup
- AI proposal & bid writer
- Unlimited cloud saves
- Branded PDF bids
Cancel anytime. No charge during trial.
Waste factor
10% for straight lay, 15% for diagonal, up to 20% for herringbone or complex rooms.
Subfloor prep
Leveling compound, patching, moisture barrier — often 10–15% of the job on older homes.
Trim & transitions
Shoe molding, T-molding, reducers, stair nosing. Price each linear foot.
Demo & haul-off
Ripping carpet or tile is billable time. So is disposal.
Markup & margin for flooring
Flooring installers commonly mark material up 30–50% and price labor per square foot. Aim for a 20–25% net margin after subfloor and trim.
Line items to include in every flooring bid
- Demo of existing floor
- Subfloor prep / leveling
- Moisture barrier / underlayment
- Flooring material (+ waste)
- Install labor (per sq ft)
- Trim & transitions
- Haul-off
Frequently asked questions
Guides that go deeper
The calculator gives you the number. These walk through where each number comes from.
See other trades
Every trade has its own quirks. Browse the full library.