Low-Cost Flooring Ideas for Australian Homes

Flooring a whole house is one of the bigger line items in a renovation, and the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive way to do it is enormous. These are the options that genuinely cost less in Australia in 2026, with real prices, and the two places where saving money costs you more later.

Laminate: from $20 per m²

Laminate is still the cheapest hard floor. Entry-level 8mm AC3 boards start around $20 per square metre and good 12mm AC4 and AC5 boards run $35 to $50. It looks convincing, it is hard-wearing, and a confident DIYer can lay it. Its weakness is water: the core is compressed wood fibre and swells if a spill sits in a join. Choose a water-resistant board for kitchens and keep it out of bathrooms. Our laminate range has the current prices.

Hybrid: from $29 per m²

Rigid-core hybrid costs a little more than laminate but is fully waterproof and comes with underlay attached, which cancels out part of the difference. Our own BestBuys 6.5mm starts at $29 per square metre. For a rental, a first home or a pre-sale refresh it is usually the best value on the market because one floor can run through the kitchen, laundry and living areas. Browse the hybrid range.

Vinyl plank and sheet: from $19 per m²

Thin glue-down vinyl planks start under $25 per square metre, and vinyl sheet is cheaper again and quick to lay in small rooms. Both are waterproof and soft underfoot. The catch is that glue-down vinyl needs a smooth subfloor, so the levelling cost can wipe out the saving on an uneven floor. See the vinyl plank range.

Carpet: from $30 per m² laid

For bedrooms, solution-dyed polypropylene carpet with a basic underlay is the cheapest comfortable floor you can buy, and it hides an uneven subfloor better than anything hard. Spend the saving on a better underlay rather than a better carpet; it makes more difference to how the floor feels and how long the carpet lasts.

Where to save safely

• Buy supply-only and hire a labour-only installer. This is the single biggest saving on a large job.
• Pull up the old carpet yourself. Half a day’s work saves $10 to $20 per square metre.
• Keep the existing skirting if it is deep enough to cover the expansion gap, and use scotia instead of replacing it.
• Do the living areas now and bedrooms later. One floor type through the main space still reads as a full renovation.
• Buy end-of-line and clearance stock if you can get enough for the whole job from one batch.

Where cutting cost backfires

• Skipping subfloor prep. A $20 floor on an unlevelled subfloor fails within two years. Prep is not the place to save.
• Buying too little. Reordering means a different batch and a visible colour shift. Always order 10 per cent extra plus a spare box.
• The thinnest wear layer. A 0.2mm wear layer in a hallway with a dog will be through to the print within a few years. 0.3mm is the sensible minimum, 0.5mm for busy homes.

For what installation adds on top, see our flooring installation cost guide.

Frequently asked questions