How Much Does Sagging Floor Repair Cost in 2025?

Sagging Floor Repair Cost Factors

Several factors will determine the price of sagging floor repair, including the location, floor type and layer, and local labor rates. 

Cost by Room

The room in your house can affect the overall price of floor repair. Rooms subject to more moisture, like bathrooms and kitchens, may require more extensive repairs for water damage. Rooms like foyers and mudrooms will see more traffic with shoes on, which can lead to more frequent but minimal repairs.

Floor Type

The type of flooring you are repairing or replacing has one of the most significant impacts on cost, with repair prices ranging from $130 to $2,300 and replacement costs going from $800 to $10,000 or more.

The table below breaks down repair and replacement costs based on five common flooring types: carpet, laminate, tile, vinyl, and hardwood. Costs will vary depending on the square footage of the room(s).

Carpet

Carpet repair costs $130 to $300 to address minor problems. If your carpet has undergone extensive damage from burns or flooding, you will likely need to have a contractor tear out and dispose of the old carpet and replace it. Installing new carpet costs $800 to $2,800.

Laminate

Repairing laminate flooring costs $340 to $1,600, but more often, especially when water damage is involved, you’ll need to replace damaged boards. If the damage is extensive, the entire room might need new laminate. Installing laminate floors costs $1,500 to $4,600.

Tile

Simple tile and grout repair costs $275 to $600. In rare cases of extreme damage (or if you need to rip out tile to repair the subfloor), you’ll need to budget for new tile floor installation costs, which start at $1,000 but can go as high as $3,000.

Vinyl

The cost to repair vinyl flooring runs from $300 to $1,850. If the vinyl has suffered serious burns or tears, you might need to pay a contractor for a complete replacement. Installing new vinyl floors costs $950 to $3,650.

Hardwood

Repairing hardwood floors costs $450 to $1,500, but after repairing, you will likely want to refinish the floors as well. Refinishing wood floors costs $1,100 to $2,500 for a project total of $1,550 to $4,000.

Alternatively, installing a new hardwood floor costs $2,500 to $6,800. On the low end, a complete replacement may be more cost-effective.

Cost by Floor Layer

The cost to repair a floor varies by layer. From the top down, your floor consists of the surface, underlayment (sometimes), subfloor, and joists.

Surface

The cost to repair the floor surface ranges from $200 to $800, or $5 to $30 per square foot. Common reasons to repair floor surfaces include dents and scratches, water damage, and sagging and squeaking. The price will vary by surface type, including carpet, hardwood, vinyl, stone, and natural tile.

Subfloor

Subfloor repair costs can run from $500 to $700 or $2 to $10 per square foot. Repairing the subfloor for an entire room costs an average of $2,500. The subfloor typically consists of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB), separating the flooring surface from the joists. Some floors may have an underlayment between the surface and the subfloor. Underlayment repair costs $0.50 to $5 per square foot to install.

Joists

Floor joist repair costs can range from $300 to $5,000. Sistering a single floor joist costs roughly $100 to $300. If you have to replace floor joists for an entire level, the project can go as high as $30,000.

Repair Task

The type of repair your floor requires will affect the total cost. Sistering a single joint can be as low as $100, while replacing an entire level can cost you up to $30,000. These are some of the costs for flooring repair tasks, not including the costs of opening the floor or ceiling and repairing them afterward.

Labor

The cost to hire a local floor repair contractor typically ranges from $60 to $120 per hour. Labor costs vary depending on the project's complexity and the location of your house. For minor repairs, contractors may charge a flat rate fee.

Cost by Problem

As the physical surface that supports our daily activities, floors can see quite a lot of use over time. The repair work necessary to restore your floors varies greatly depending on the underlying problem. Typical issues include fixing a sagging floor, leveling a floor, fixing squeaky floors, or repairing water damage.

Each problem is progressively more expensive to repair:

• Damaged subfloor: $300–$2,500. A damaged subfloor is the easiest to repair. Water damage is typically the source of the sagging.

• Rotting joists: $1,000–$5,000. Because joists are beneath multiple layers of flooring, they are more expensive to repair. They are also structural, so expedient repair is crucial. Joists can rot because of water damage, insects, or dry rot.

• Foundational issues: $1,800–$6,500. Over time, your home's foundation might shift or crack, leading to sagging floors. Another common culprit is poorly installed beams. Depending on the size of your home and the scope of the problem, this cost might climb to $20,000.

Cost to Level a Floor

Hiring a contractor to level a floor ranges from $2 to $30 per square foot. Areas with poor structural support might require pros to sister joists, replace subfloors, and even install beams. Sistering a joist (fastening a second joist to a damaged floor joist for reinforcement) can cost $100 to $300 per joist, but replacing subfloors can range from $500 to $700, and installing beams might cost up to $5,000.

Squeaky Floors

Fixing squeaky floors costs $200 to $1,000 or more. Repair costs will be fairly low if it’s a single area that squeaks, but if your project requires fixing the underlayment of an entire room, expect to pay more. The price to fix squeaky floors also depends on accessibility. If a contractor can easily access the first floor, like from an unfinished basement, the cost will be lower than accessing the second floor from underneath.

Water Damage

Repairing water-damaged hardwood floors can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500. If you need to replace large portions or the entirety of the floor, the price can double to $5,000 or more.

Watch for these signs of water-damaged wood floors and their costs:

• Buckling and crowning: $225–$3,000. While water is a likely culprit, a buckling floor may also happen because the original floor installation didn’t include an extension gap encircling the perimeter. Have a professional investigate and lead repairs. This process generally involves removing the baseboards and flooring until you’ve located the problem area, removing buckled boards and installing replacements, and then reinstalling the rest. Minor fixes might be as low as $225, but larger projects might cost up to $3,000.

• Warping: $225–$3,000. Like buckling floors, warping is a sign of improper installation or, more likely, water damage due to standing water or just heavy moisture below the floor's surface. Repair work will take the same course as with buckled floors. A professional will need to remove the baseboards, pull up the flooring until they can access the affected floorboards, replace them, and reinstall everything. Again, this project can range from $225 to $3,000.

• Fading or discoloration: If water damage has changed the color of your wood and no other damage was done, you can simply apply a stain to recolor the wood. This generally costs $1 to $3 per square foot of flooring.

Water can also damage bamboo, laminate, and vinyl flooring. Water-damaged floor repair costs for these materials can vary. For example, hardwood floor repairs can range from $5 to $25 per square foot, while repairing laminate floors is more affordable at $2 to $8 per square foot. Expect to pay $2 to $7 per square foot for vinyl floor repair, while bamboo floor repair costs $5 to $25.

Floor Repair vs. Replacement

The average floor repair costs $200 to $575, while new floor installation ranges from $1,500 to $4,650. Although floor repair costs are generally lower than replacement costs, this can vary depending on how much of the floor needs to be repaired or replaced and the type of flooring.

A good rule of thumb is if the estimated floor repair cost is more than half the replacement cost, move forward with a replacement, as it will add more value to your home.

If you need to work on the subfloor or joists, you should factor in the cost of replacement flooring, as you may need to rip up the surface level to access the subfloor and joists.

Budgeting for Floor Repairs

The cost of sagging floor repair can vary depending on the extent of damage. To keep your project budget-friendly, consider the following money-saving tips:

• Obtain quotes from multiple contractors to find the most reasonably priced option in your area.

• Consider whether repair or replacement is the most cost-effective option. While replacement may cost more upfront, it can save you money in the long run.

• Schedule an inspection with a structural engineer to determine the underlying cause of the sagging and avoid the need for unnecessary repairs.

• Contact a local contractor as soon as you notice the sagging to prevent the issue from progressing.

How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data

No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. We surveyed over 10,000 real customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.