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Drop the bedrooms; not in the budget.
There are literally 1000's of laminates on the market- they come from all kind of different manufacturing facilities. So, there's also an abundant amount of size, color, texture, and price. The major drawback is limited runs- if you pick something buy every bit you need (then&there). Otherwise sometime down the road when you want to expand- its GONE.
So; with that in mind, I'd stick with a quality product that has been around for many years, continues to produce the same colors, sizes, etc., year in and year out- It's engineered and prefinished; install it and done!
This also gives you the ability to start with certain rooms- and continue down the road without worrying about color, style, etc.
Look at Bruce Hardwood Flooring.
It gives you REAL hardwood at an attractive price, and with diligent care and maintenance it will give you many years of durable flooring- it can even be refinished if necessary.
For hardwood, $3000 is WAY off for a "smallish" home. What is smallish? Assuming around 1500 sq ft, that's $2 per sq foot, which won't even buy you the wood plus trim pieces, let alone the installation. And you may need to install a subfloor - laminate is a floating installation, which can go over most existing surfaces. Hardwood needs a plywood subfloor, which is additional materials plus labor costs. Depending on your square footage, you could be looking at 2 to 4 times that $3000.
I agree.
We just put down engineered hardwoods throughout about 1500 square feet of our home and the cost including labor was about $11,000. And we got a good deal on the hardwood because it was part of a bigger project and we negotiated (we actually found it at a lower price elsewhere and they came in a bit lower to get all the business - it was originally about a $1.50 more per foot).
And yes, there are many hidden costs as others have mentioned - removing/disposing the old flooring, getting the surface ready for the new flooring, quarter round, glue - the price per square foot generally doesn't include ANY of this.
Also, don't assume that the big box stores' prices are the best, for material OR labor. Without exception, I've found better prices away from Lowe's or Home Depot when it comes to larger items/projects that require installation as well as just the product.
On our most recent project(s), we found that hiring a reputable contractor was actually less expensive all the way around. Though we're paying 20 percent of the total as a contractor's fee, the contractor passes on her contractor discount to us. Now - we're still about 10 percent above what it would cost us to "do it ourselves," but between the possibility of expensive errors, waste, and our TIME, it's the best 10 percent upcharge I've ever spent. And it was STILL cheaper than having the Big Box stores install it. I've done it every sort of way - DIY, subcontractors from the Big Box stores, and now using a reputable contractor. I will never tackle another big project without a contractor!
I agree with the other poster, who said wait on your bedrooms and focus on the living areas. You MAY be able to have the living areas done for $5000. In fact, you might even consider buying the surface stuff (hardwood, engineered hardwood, whatever) for the bedrooms so you have it on hand, but just have it installed later. Just a thought.
By the way, we had a Bella Cera engineered hardwood in our previous home. It wasn't all that expensive (under $4 a foot) because it was a very popular floor that the store kept in stock. We lived with it four years and loved it, so when we bought our current home, we wanted that flooring throughout the house. That's the flooring we got - here's a photo of it. I can get the name of it if you like it. I was VERY pleased with the price and we have been very pleased with the floor as well. It looks great, and is very easy to keep clean. It also doesn't seem to scratch easily - we moved our entire house (including lots of heavy furniture) in on it without a scratch. I mean, we were pretty careful but even so, that was a good test of the finish.
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 07-25-2014 at 08:07 AM..
Awesome advice everyone. Stupid question here: If the total square footage of the house is around 1200, how do we figure out just the area of the floors by that figure? or IS that the figure we use? I am so clueless and feel really stupid to ask.
Awesome advice everyone. Stupid question here: If the total square footage of the house is around 1200, how do we figure out just the area of the floors by that figure? or IS that the figure we use? I am so clueless and feel really stupid to ask.
Measure each area to be floored; add 10% for cutting, etc. and that's the amount of flooring to get. However try to negotiate installation just on the exact measurement of the space to be floored.
Measure each area to be floored; add 10% for cutting, etc. and that's the amount of flooring to get. However try to negotiate installation just on the exact measurement of the space to be floored.
^^^^ that
and don't forget to measure closets space.
Transitions pieces are also expensive as well. Make sure you account for that.
Transitions pieces are also expensive as well. Make sure you account for that.
You may want to consider a filler (silicone, grout) INSTEAD of those humpy transition pieces (which I hate) between tile/stone/carpet and hardwood. If the hardwood and the tile (or whatever) are going to be pretty even, you can perhaps do without the transition piece. If you need a photo of what I'm talking about I can give you one.
Don't try to rush such an expensive purchase. Can you live with what is there for a few months?
I just bought a 15 year old condo and the 15 yr old carpeting through out will be replaced with a good quality (10mm thick) laminate.
Here is why I waited until after I moved in to decide on which product and what color:
The types and color of the flooring I thought I wanted were soon eliminated once I saw them with my furniture and the available light in the home - get samples in your home before you commit to a particular brand and color;
Your installer should do floors, not floors and everything else. Half the battle is finding an installer that does not take short cuts. If your concrete slab for instance slopes by a small amount- the installer may first have to use leveling cement (I think that is what it is called) to get the slab level;
Get a free estimate from a local company that does flooring. They can recommend products that are suitable for you particular home. I had considered putting laminate in a three season room- which they did not recommend because it was an unheated space. A local company that does flooring will be able to guide you in your product choices and give you an estimated cost (that covers everything needed for a particular job).
Everyone makes it sound like putting down flooring is an easy do-it-yourself job- not so! The quality of the installation makes a big difference.
I think you are way off in you pricing for hardwood. I selected a good quality laminate (10mm thick) to do about 1200 sq ft of space over a concrete slab. I skipped the big box stores and selected a local flooring business in my area. They will be installing next month - will cost about $8500.
Don't rush this purchase - live with what you have for a few months and make an informed decision. Don't let it end up an "expensive mistake".
Have it done professionally, word of advice. Flooring is not something you want to screw up.
Agree! I did a huge remodel and hired the 600 sq ft t&g oak floor installed: about $12.00 a sq FOOT
Myself and my friend got some old oak t&g, old gym floor out of a school, reworked the wood (you need a router) and put the floor in ourselves doing a great job. I paid to have it sanded and varnished. Problem; after a while probably because the t&g really never fit tight the floor is squeaking terribly. At night, when I am trying to sleep, it sounds like someone is walking around. Scarry. I do not recommend doing this!
Real nice hardwood floors look great, they are great, they hold up very well and are worth every cent. Wait a while, save up, then get a reputable contractor to install using new oak t&g, and, here is the secret to long life - have them put 3 layers of commercial quality varnish/poly urethane on.
Thank you so much for the advice. I think we'll be waiting a while on the flooring. It's a starter home...so we may not even be there for more than 5 years...so, we'll probably at least do tile in the kitchen and live with the laminate that's already there. If we decide to stay and have saved up, we'll probably do the hardwood floors then. I'm just ga ga over making the place to my liking and I haven't even moved in yet. We'll definitely get the place painted before we move in and then do what Mary says: wait to see what we like with some samples. Thanks for the advice!
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