Most people get 2 or 3 quotes before they pick a flooring company. And most of the time, they end up comparing numbers that don't cover the same work.
One quote includes the pad and tear out. Another leaves them off and looks cheaper, until the final bill shows up. One company counted the stairs and the closets. The other didn't.
Here's how we'd read a quote if a friend handed it to us across the counter: the line items people forget, how to line up quotes fairly, and the red flags that mean you should slow down.
1. Put every quote in the same unit. Carpet is often quoted by the square yard. A square yard is 9 square feet, so divide a per-yard price by 9 to get the per-foot price.
2. Check the square footage. If one company measured a lot more or less than another, find out why. Closets, hallways, and stairs get missed. So does the extra carpet needed to make the seams line up.
3. Build the whole number. Material, pad or floor prep, install, tear out, stairs, strips, furniture. Write "included" if something truly is, and a question mark if the quote doesn't say.
4. Compare the same product. "Carpet" and "vinyl plank" each cover a huge range. Ask for the product name, and for carpet, the pad.
5. Ask every company one question: "Is there anything that could be added after install day?" A straight answer is worth a lot.
For a sense of what's normal in Jacksonville, our installed prices are $1.50–$10+ per sq ft for carpet with pad, $8–$17 all-in for vinyl plank, and $8–$25 for tile. More detail is in our flooring cost guide.
If you're stuck between quotes, call us at 904-262-7304 or bring them by the showroom at 9452 Philips Hwy, Suite 1. We'll walk through what each one covers.
Or get our number to compare. Try the 60-second ballpark online, or book a free in-home measure. It takes about 20 minutes, and you get a written price. Ask us about anything on it that isn't clear. We're family-owned, 30+ years in Jacksonville, with 4.7 stars from 184 Google reviews.
“No hidden fees, what they quote is what you pay.”
— Scott, homeowner and landlord, Google review
“Pricing was fair and clearly explained upfront, no surprise charges.”
— Zach, vinyl plank and bathroom tile, Google review
“They installed a superior engineered product for $6,000 less than the competing bids we had for an inferior vinyl material.”
— Jeff, whole-house flooring, Google review
Ask two questions: who covers the installation, and who covers the product. Every Gator Carpet and Tile install comes with a 1-year labor warranty on workmanship at no extra cost, starting from the completion date. It covers workmanship like seams, stretching, loose trim, and planks or tile set out of line. The flooring itself carries its own manufacturer warranty for defects, and for special order products we will pull the product-specific warranty on request.
A complete flooring quote should list the material, the pad (for carpet) or floor prep (for vinyl plank and tile), installation labor, tear out and haul away of the old floor, stairs, the strips between rooms and trim, furniture moving, and what happens if the floor underneath needs work. If a quote doesn't mention one of these, ask before you compare prices.
Two or three is plenty. Make sure each company measured the same rooms, quoted the same kind of product, and included the same items, such as pad, tear out, stairs, and furniture moving. Otherwise the cheapest quote may just be the least complete.
Divide the price per square yard by 9, because one square yard is 9 square feet. For example, $27 per square yard is $3 per square foot.
Watch for pressure to sign the same day, large percent-off discounts from a high list price, a price given without anyone measuring, vague line items like "carpet" with no pad listed, and charges added in the middle of the job without your sign-off.
Usually because something is missing. Common gaps are pad, tear out and haul away, stairs, and furniture moving. At Gator Carpet and Tile, for example, carpet stairs are $200 per standard staircase, furniture moving is $0.60 per sq ft on carpet and tile jobs, and removing old tile is $4.00 per sq ft.
Free in-home measure in about 20 minutes, with a written installed price you can hold up next to any other quote.
Get a Free Estimate Call 904-262-7304