Most single rooms of laminate are fitted in a day. Sheet vinyl in a bathroom or kitchen is usually a day or less. LVT is where timings vary most, because the floor often needs levelling first, and a standard latex screed, though walkable in two to four hours, is normally left until the next day before LVT goes down. So a typical LVT room is a two-day job: preparation on day one, fitting on day two. Stairs, large open-plan areas and patterned layouts such as herringbone take longer. Here is how the time breaks down for each floor and how to plan around it.
Laminate: usually a day per room
Laminate is quick to fit. The boards click together over an underlay, with no adhesive and no drying. In most homes a bedroom, lounge or hallway is finished in a day, including lifting the old floor and fitting beading and thresholds.
The time goes up with cuts rather than size. A long, plain room is faster than a small one with a bay window, a chimney breast and four doorways. If the floor needs levelling in patches first, that is usually done the same morning.
Sheet vinyl: often a day or less
A bathroom or kitchen in sheet vinyl is commonly finished in a day. Templating around the toilet, basin and units takes the most care, and the laying itself follows once the pattern is cut.
If a plywood overlay is needed over floorboards, it goes down first and the vinyl follows straight on top, so it rarely adds a second day. A screed underneath is different, as it needs to dry.
LVT: plan for preparation, then fitting
LVT shows every bump beneath it, so it more often needs preparation than laminate. Where the floor is screeded, the compound is walkable in two to four hours and ready for LVT the next day; deeper screeds take longer and we advise on the day.
Once the base is ready, plank LVT in a normal room is typically fitted in a day. Herringbone and other patterns take longer because each piece is set out and cut to the line, and borders or feature strips add more time again. Large kitchen-diners and open-plan spaces may run to more than one fitting day.
What adds time to any job
None of these are surprises if the floor has been seen before the quote. That is the point of the site visit: we check what is underneath and give you a realistic schedule alongside the price, rather than a best case that slips on the day.
- Lifting glued floors, old tiles or bitumen adhesive
- Screed drying time before LVT or vinyl
- Stairs, where every tread is cut and fixed separately
- Patterned layouts such as herringbone
- Doors that need trimming after the new floor is down
- Heavy furniture or appliances to move out and back
Planning around the fitting
For a kitchen, expect to be without the room for the fitting day, and for a screeded floor, the day before as well. Keeping the kettle and a few essentials in another room makes it painless.
Upstairs rooms can usually be used again the same evening once laminate or vinyl is down. With glue-down LVT, keep heavy furniture off the floor for the time the adhesive needs, which we will tell you on the day.
If you are doing several rooms, it often makes sense to prepare them all first and fit them in sequence, so the house is only disrupted once. Carpet timings are covered separately in our guide on how long carpet fitting takes.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to fit laminate in one room?
Most single rooms of laminate are fitted in a day, including lifting the old floor and finishing the edges.
How long does LVT take to fit?
A normal room is usually fitted in a day once the base is ready. If the floor needs screeding first, allow the day before for preparation and drying.
How soon can I walk on a new floor?
Laminate and sheet vinyl can be walked on once fitted. For glue-down LVT we will tell you how long to keep heavy furniture off while the adhesive sets.
Does herringbone take longer to fit?
Yes. Each piece is set out and cut to a line, so herringbone takes noticeably longer than straight planks in the same room.
Will I be told how long my job takes before it starts?
Yes. After the site visit you get a written price and a realistic idea of the schedule, including any preparation and drying.