One of the most common questions we get before a job: "How long will you be?" Here are real timings from jobs we do every week in Birmingham — room by room, floor type by floor type.
Factors That Affect Fitting Time
The biggest factors are room size and floor type. Carpet is usually the quickest floor to fit, LVT and laminate take a little longer, and engineered wood takes longer again because the cuts need to be more precise. Pattern matters too — herringbone takes much longer than a straight lay because every plank is cut and placed individually.
The condition of the room makes a big difference as well. If the subfloor needs levelling, that adds time before we can start fitting. Furniture that still needs moving, lots of doorways and awkward cuts around pipes, fireplaces and bay windows all add to the job. The timings below assume a clear room and a sound, level subfloor.
Carpet Fitting Times
| Room | Time |
|---|---|
| Single bedroom (10–12m²) | 1–2 hours |
| Double bedroom (12–16m²) | 2–3 hours |
| Living room (20–25m²) | 3–4 hours |
| Stairs + landing | 3–5 hours |
| Whole house (3-bed) | 1–2 days |
These are typical times for a clear room with the subfloor ready to go, including fitting the gripper, underlay and carpet. Stairs take longer than you might expect because each tread and riser is fitted individually, and a whole 3-bed house usually takes one full day, or two when the stairs and landing are included.
LVT Fitting Times
| Room | Time |
|---|---|
| Kitchen (10–15m²) | 2–3 hours |
| Living room (20–25m²) | 3–5 hours |
| Open plan (40m²+) | Full day |
| Whole house LVT | 2–3 days |
Click LVT is the quicker option; glue-down LVT takes longer because the adhesive has to be spread and each plank or tile bedded in carefully. Glue-down products also need a smooth, level subfloor, so if the floor needs preparing first, add time for that before the LVT goes down. Kitchens take longer per square metre than living rooms because of all the cuts around units and appliances.
Laminate Fitting Times
Laminate fitting times are similar to the LVT timings above. The boards click together over a thin underlay, so on a level floor a bedroom or living room goes down quickly, with most of the time spent on cuts at doorways, radiator pipes and the edges of the room.
Laminate should acclimatise in the room before it is fitted, for as long as the manufacturer's instructions say. If the boards arrive on the day and still need time to settle before we start, add 1–2 hours to the job.
Engineered Wood Fitting Times
Engineered wood takes longer than laminate. The boards are less forgiving, the cuts need to be more precise, and many engineered floors are glued down rather than simply clicked together, which adds time on every board.
If you choose a herringbone pattern, add 50–100% extra time compared with the same floor laid straight. Every plank in a herringbone floor is cut and set individually and the pattern has to be set out accurately from the start, so it is slower, more skilled work — but the result is worth the extra time.
What Adds Time
Subfloor levelling is the biggest one. Self-levelling compound needs around 24 hours to dry before the new floor can go down on top, so a job that needs levelling usually runs over two visits. Removing old flooring adds time too, especially glued-down vinyl or old carpet with stubborn gripper and staples.
Rooms with lots of doorways take longer, because each one needs a neat cut and a door bar. Stairs are slow, careful work whatever the flooring. And pattern matching on herringbone or chevron adds time at every join. We take all of this into account and tell you how long your job will take when we give you a free quote.