How Much Does Sagging Floor Repair Cost in 2025?

Repairing a sagging floor costs an average of $418, ranging from as low as $85 to over $6,150, depending on the project's scope. If your project involves repairing joists, costs can quickly rise, averaging between $4,000 and $12,000. Understanding the factors that influence the cost—such as the underlying problem, floor layer, floor type, and location—can help you budget effectively.

Sagging Floor Repair Cost Factors

Several factors influence the cost of sagging floor repair, including the floor's type and layer, location, 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, 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 $290 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 $780 to $2,820.

Laminate

Repairing laminate flooring costs $390 to $2,130, 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 $4,700.

Tile

Tile and grout repair costs $280 to $660. In cases of extreme damage, or if you need to rip out tile to repair the subfloor, budget for new tile floor installation costs of $950 to $3,430.

Vinyl

The cost to repair vinyl flooring runs from $350 to $3,320. If the vinyl has suffered serious burns or tears, hire a contractor for a complete replacement. Installing new vinyl floors costs $1,010 to $4,130.

Hardwood

Repairing hardwood floors costs $480 to $1,710. After repairing, you will need to refinish the floors as well. Refinishing wood floors costs $1,100 to $2,700 for a project total of $1,580 to $4,410.

Alternatively, installing a new hardwood floor costs $2,470 to $7,040. On the low end, a complete replacement may be more cost-effective.

Cost by Floor Layer

Repair costs vary by floor layer. From the top down, your floor consists of the surface covering, subfloor, and joists.

Surface

Repairing the floor surface—which may be carpeting, tile, laminate, or other floor coverings—costs between $200 and $800. You might need surface repairs for dents, scratches, water damage, or sagging and squeaking.

Subfloor

Subfloor repair costs run from $300 to $700, going as high as $3,000 for replacement. The subfloor consists of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB), separating the flooring surface from the joists. Some floors 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 $12,000. The extent of the damage and the number of joists or support beams that need replacing determine the total cost of the sagging floor repair job.

Repair Task

The type of repair your sagging 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

Hiring a local flooring contractor costs between $60 and $120 per hour. Labor rates depend on the project's complexity and your location. For minor repairs, contractors might charge a flat fee.

Cost by Problem

Floors endure a lot of wear and tear over time. The repair work needed to restore them varies greatly depending on the underlying problem. Common issues include sagging floors, leveling uneven floors, fixing squeaky floors, and repairing water damage.

Level a Floor

Hiring a contractor to level a floor ranges from $5 to $50 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) costs $100 to $300 per joist, but replacing subfloors ranges from $500 to $700, and installing beams costs 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 costs between $1,350 and $6,275. Look out for these signs of water damage and their associated repair costs:

Buckling and Crowning

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 cost up to $3,000.

Warping

Like buckling floors, warping indicates improper installation or, more likely, water damage from standing water or heavy moisture beneath the floor's surface. Repair work follows the same steps as fixing buckled floors. A professional will remove the baseboards, pull up the flooring to access the damaged boards, replace them, and reinstall everything. This project costs between $225 and $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 costs $1 to $3 per square foot of flooring.

Repair by Material

Water can also damage bamboo, laminate, and vinyl flooring. Water-damaged floor repair costs for these materials can vary. For example, hardwood floor repairs 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.

Sagging Floor Repair vs. Replacement

Although sagging 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

Sagging floor repairs can be expensive, but you can keep costs down with some smart strategies:

• Don't delay repairs: The longer you wait, the worse the sagging may become, leading to more costly and unsafe structural issues.

• Arrange an inspection: A structural engineer can pinpoint the root cause of the sagging, helping you avoid unnecessary repairs and get accurate quotes from contractors.

• Get multiple quotes: Don't settle for the first contractor you contact. Comparing quotes from several reputable pros can help you find the best terms and pricing.

• Consider repair vs. replacement: While replacement may cost more upfront, it could save you money in the long run if repairs are extensive.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro to Repair a Sagging Floor

If you're handy with basic tools and comfortable with home repairs, you might handle a simple subfloor fix yourself, potentially saving hundreds in labor costs.

However, sagging floors often result from complex structural issues that require in-depth knowledge and specialized equipment to diagnose and repair properly. Professional contractors have the expertise to identify underlying causes like foundation settlement, joist damage, or moisture problems. Complex floor repair work, especially involving joists, requires specialized training.

Pros also carry proper insurance and understand local building codes, ensuring repairs meet safety standards. What might seem like a simple fix could mask serious structural problems that, if left unaddressed, could lead to dangerous living conditions and more expensive repairs down the road.

Hiring a floor repair professional in your area protects your home's structural integrity and your family's safety.

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.