A well-insulated floor can make all the difference in keeping your home cosy in winter. It can also help reduce your annual energy bills. Read on for an overview of floor insulation costs and considerations.

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The average cost of floor insulation in the UK is £6,000.

However, your costs can vary depending on factors like the type of floor insulation and the size of the room. Read on for more.

How much does floor insulation cost in 2026?

For the average UK home, you're looking at paying approximately £6,000 for floor insulation, from start to finish.

Just bear in mind that this cost is based on insulation and materials only – replacement boards would be an additional cost.

It's also worth noting that your exact quote will depend on various factors, such as the size of the room and the type and condition of floor you have.

Browse insulation installers for your next project.

Average cost of floor insulation per m²

Floor insulation costs can range from around £60 to £115, depending on whether you have a suspended or solid floor.

However, the costs mount up to £258 per m² if you're insulating suspended timber flooring and the floorboards need to be replaced.

This might be because of dry rot, water damage or general wear and tear.

Floor insulation prices by type

As briefly mentioned above, two types of flooring can generally be insulated: solid flooring and suspended flooring.

Let's look at the different approaches for each and the typical costs.

1. Suspended floor insulation cost

Many older homes were built with suspended floors, also known as cavity floors, to enhance ventilation and prevent the build-up of damp under your floor.

Although effective, this can cause cold air to rise up between your floorboards. In the winter months, this will thwart your efforts to keep your home heated.

To keep your home warm, you can either:

• Remove the floorboards and relay with insulating materials, or

• Insulate under the floor using the crawl space underneath

Whichever approach you choose, it's essential not to cover the ventilation grills as they are critical in preventing damp from damaging timber flooring.

As a general guide, the average cost for suspended floor insulation is £105 per m².

Suspended floor insulation materials

When it comes to the insulation material you use for your suspended flooring insulation, here are some of the most commonly used materials with some pros, cons and costs:

Blanket insulation

• Qualities – Made from unfaced glass mineral wool (including recycled glass), it's regarded as a green option

• Pros – Lightweight, flexible and offers reliable thermal and acoustic insulation. Ideal for use with floors with timber joists, wool roll insulation is highly resilient and fire-resistant

• Cons – Can cause skin and lung irritation if not installed safely with the correct PPE equipment worn

• Cost – If you wish to buy the roll and attempt installing the underlay yourself, you can expect to pay around £45 per roll sized 14m²

Rock mineral wool insulation

• Qualities – Rock minerals, including asalt and recycled slag, are melted down to create a wool-like texture

• Pros – Excellent thermal and acoustic qualities. As well as under floor insulation, you can use stone wool slabs for acoustic ceilings and partition panels

• Cons – Can be more expensive than other options, such as blanket insulation

• Cost – The typical price for rock wool slabs is approximately £100 for a 12-pack covering 9m²

Foamboard

• Qualities – They are made from foam and are faced with paper, plasterboard, or foil. The thicker the board, the better the insulation

• Pros – Foamboard is an all-rounder product that can be used as insulation throughout the home, including walls and flat roofs

• Cons – Air can leak through the gaps of the boards, and it can be prone to mould and damp problems if not correctly installed

• Cost – The average price of foam board is £20-£30 per m² depending on the thickness

Foam spray insulation

• Qualities – Made from plastic composites which expand and harden when applied, this is one of the least eco-friendly insulation options

• Pros – Offers excellent thermal insulation, but it's important to understand the downsides below

• Cons – Foam spray gives off harmful fumes during installation, so it's unsuitable for DIY projects. Also, some types of foam spray can lead to issues with damp. This is why some mortgage and insurance providers will not lend against homes with foam spray insulation

• Cost– Hiring a checked installer is essential as they have the protective equipment and understanding of where to lay the product. Prices of application will cost an average of £525

An insulation installer will happily advise you on the most suitable floor insulation for your home.

View insulation installer profiles, read reviews, and contact them directly.

2. Solid floor insulation cost

A solid floor is where the floor surface is laid directly on the ground - as opposed to having a space underneath like you'd find with a suspended floor.

This is common in new build homes, which typically have solid floor bases constructed from concrete or screed.

Although solid floors will lose less heat than suspended timber flooring, they are still prone to cold.

Adding a layer of rigid insulation above this can be a great way to stop your floors feeling icy cold in the winter. This will then be covered by chipboard and finished with your chosen floor covering.

• Solid floor insulation with a screed finish costs approximately £80 per m²

• Solid floor insulation for a floating floor costs approximately £70 per m²

How to plan for wood flooring

Here's what you need to know when it comes to wooden flooring and executing your next home improvement project.

Learn more

Factors affecting the cost of floor insulation

As we've touched upon already, there are lots of different factors that can affect how much you pay for floor insulation.

Room size

If you're looking to take on your entire ground floor space, costs could soon mount up. To spread out the costs, you could consider taking on one room at a time, starting with the coldest!

Floor type

Suspended timber floor insulation typically costs more than insulating a solid floor.

Insulating material

For a suspended timber floor, you can opt for mineral wool, foam board, or spray foam. Each has its own price tag!

Grants and initiatives

There are various certified installers, local authorities, energy companies, and other bodies that may be able to help towards the cost of your external wall insulation — as long as you know where to look.

Here are some current schemes to check out:

• ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation) scheme – This grant has the potential to shave 25% off your quote for external wall insulation

• The Warm Home Local Grant – Providing funding for local authorities to deliver energy performance and low-carbon heating upgrades to low-income homes in England

• 0% VAT – While not a grant, the UK government offers 0% VAT on installing eligible energy-saving home upgrades until March 2027

Our green grants guide has the most up-to-date information about the schemes available, including eligibility criteria and how to apply.

Read our guide to solar panel grants and schemes for more detailed information. Or, for other green energy ideas, head over to our dedicated green homes hub.

Hidden floor insulation costs to watch out for

When you're budgeting for the cost of floor insulation, you'll want to make sure you've accounted for every eventuality.

• Raising floorboards is a good opportunity to check their condition, as well as the condition of the joists

• If your contractor finds issues such as rot or water damage, it's important that these are dealt with before insulation is added

• Repairing or replacing wooden floorboards and joists will mean you'll need to budget more for both materials and labour

To give you a rough guide, replacing a floor joist and several floorboards will cost around £400 .

Head over to our joist and floorboard replacement cost guide for more ballpark prices.

Every Checkatrade job is backed by our £1,000 guarantee

Up to £1000. Eligibility criteria and T&C’s apply.

Cost of hiring an insulation contractor vs DIY

If you're a confident DIY-er and have the right tools for the job, you can attempt to save money by installing floor insulation yourself.

Just make sure your insulation thickness meets the criteria for building regulations and your home's Energy Performance Certificate. As a general steer, you will normally need at least 70mm of high-performance foam insulation.

Have you just moved into a new home and are unsure about the quality of the existing floor insulation? Here's some guidance from Checkatrade Member Matthew Stott from MES Energy:

"Don’t just use the Energy Performance Certificate recommended measures as a guideline if you have a newer property.

“The methodology suggests that any house built after 1983 is assumed to have good insulation, which unfortunately isn't the case.

“Always speak to an insulation company to get the correct advice and ask for a visit from one of their surveyors as you may not be insulated properly and wasting £100s in lost heat."

Floor insulation day rates

A large part of your floor insulation quote will be labour time.

That's why the suspended timber floor insulation costs above include both the time spent removing existing floorboards and the insulation itself.

While an insulation contractor may be able to give you a rough timescale of labour time, it's rare that they will quote by the hour or day. They almost always prefer to quote for the job in full.

Connect with checked insulation companies for your next project.

Floor insulation cost checklist

Properly insulating your floor could enhance your home comfort and reduce your energy bills

You must ensure floor insulation is laid correctly and is well ventilated to meet current building regulations and avoid damaging your floorboards.

• Don't assume that your floor is well insulated — get an insulation company to check

• Laying down thicker rugs or filling any cracks in your floorboards and skirting boards can help to improve your insulation while you're waiting to carry out the job properly

• Check whether you're eligible for any grants that could help towards the cost of floor insulation

Insulation for Flooring: Things to remember

• Do you have suspended or solid flooring?

• Have you checked results from an Energy Performance Certificate?

• Are there other drafts or temperature losses to address as well?

• What issue are you trying to fix?

• Have you considered other costs, such as moving skirting boards?

• Have you considered underfloor heating as an option?

Get a few quotes from insulation installers covering your local area so you can compare prices.

Start your search for checked insulation contractors today.

FAQs

What is floor insulation?

Ground floors or floors built above unheated spaces, such as garages and cellars, can get cold quickly. This is especially true in older properties that were built with suspended floors to prevent damp.

If left uninsulated, energy bills will inevitably increase as you crank up the heating to fight off the draught. But that's where underfloor insulation comes in.

If you have suspended timber floors (also known as cavity floors) or solid, concrete floors, laying insulation helps to create a barrier between the cold ground and your home.

The approach is relatively simple for any type of flooring.

What are the benefits of floor insulation?

Floor insulation comes with many benefits. Here are some of the main ones.

• Reduce your fuel bills – Means your floor insulation cost will pay for itself over time

• Cut your carbon emissions – Fully insulating your floor will help to retain heat in your home, reducing the amount of carbon emissions produced

• Enjoy a warm home – You can retain more heat in your home

• Reduce damp – Wood floors are vulnerable to moisture build-up, but a layer of insulation can create a vapour barrier, preventing damp from damaging your wood floor

• Sound insulation – You'll be amazed at the difference it makes if you've got anyone heavy footed in your home!

Checkatrade Member and insulation specialist Matthew Stott from MES Energy says:

"Due to the increased cost of energy, the return on investment for an insulation measure is up to 230% quicker now than it was pre-price increases in February 2022, when costs spiked at the highest we have ever known."

What are some short-term ways to improve insulation in your home?

If you're not in a position to invest in floor insulation at the moment, there are some other ways you can help to improve the insulation in your home in the meantime, such as:

• Lay down thicker carpet and rugs on your floors

• Fill in any cracks or gaps in your floorboards or skirting boards with sealant picked up from a local DIY store

• Check out our comprehensive guide for more ideas on home insulation planning

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