Cost to install laminate flooring (sale, renting, insurance)

[foma]

So we want to replace our carpet with laminate flooring,
about 2,000 sq ft. We found a contractor and he gave
us an estimate of $8,700 which comes out to about
$4.35/sq ft. The cost includes pretty much labor (pulling
the carpet, installing, hauling out debris and woodtrim)
and the type of flooring we pick is additional.

You go to Home Depot or Lowe's and they charge around
$2/sq ft. I know I'm getting better service (estimate was
free - I know, I know, we're "paying for it" in the end);
he's come to our house to explain how all the process
works and explained the different types of flooring and
left samples for us. I know for the $2/sq ft there's
probably hidden charges what have you so can anybody
tell me with experience - either as a customer or
professional - if you think $4.35 is on the high end or
reasonable?

Thanks!

[AADAD]

I had my kitchen and hallway done with commercial grade laminate. It cost $1,800.00 for 400 square feet.

[roundball]

Laminate is one of the easiest things that you can do yourself. Buy a chop saw/compound miter saw and do it yourself. You just have to keep a 1/4"(depending) gap along the wall and stagger it so it doesn't look like crap.

Heck, hire some homeless guy with a background in construction and tell him he can keep the saw plus a few hundred. You'll still come out way ahead. It's almost impossible to screw up.

[foma]

I've installed laminate myself before. I'm 6 months pregnant so obviously it's not a good idea for me to do it myself right now. Plus, I want it finished SOON. Husband has stressful job working too many hours to tackle on the project; hence, we have to hire someone. I want someone who is licensed, bonded and insured but thanks for the advice.

[mistygrl092]

I was quoted a labor rate of $1200 to do 1421 sq ft (house is 2300 sq ft but has tile. This meant four bedrooms, living room, dining room, family room and hallway and a sunken master bedroom (4 BRS total) This includes ripping up all carpet, tackboards, laying of laminate, delivery of laminate and going to buy all new baseboards and moving all furniture - he even said he'd haul it all away for $80. Of course, tile will be involved and I am going to offer him a few hundred extra dollars and MORE work. I had him paint the exterior of my house which involved tearing down ivy, power washing the house, painting, digging up all roots and he charged me $3500. I bought the paint and materials. I bought the laminate on sale at Home Depot for 99 cents per sq ft and it looks wonderful. It is still on sale, by the way.

The downside - not licensed, not insured, excellent work, very detailed, nice guy, but not real reliable on the hours of days of work.

If you're interested, I will see if it's ok with him to give you his number. This is a deal that cannot be beat. Can you imagine re-doing a whole house for around $3500 tops?

[KatrynS]

Originally Posted by foma

I've installed laminate myself before. I'm 6 months pregnant so obviously it's not a good idea for me to do it myself right now. Plus, I want it finished SOON. Husband has stressful job working too many hours to tackle on the project; hence, we have to hire someone. I want someone who is licensed, bonded and insured but thanks for the advice.

Ha! So funny you mention that! I still remember ripping up all the carpets and installing laminate flooring in about 1000 sqft of our house when I was 8 months pregnant with our first. Throwing the carpet out the window was my favorite, but I recall I couldn't bend forward over my belly, so I had to sit on one of those car dollies and move along the wall pulling out all the nails left from the trim (dingbat builder used LONG nails). NOT saying you should, but dh and I had a blast -- once you have kids you tend to tag-team rather than do projects together.

Ok, now to more productive comments: I don't think it matters much who does is -- as long as they are competent. Make sure they have exp with laminant rather than hardwood (my mom had a guy who nailed it down, but it should be left floating). We used carpet pad instead of the thin bubble wrappish stuff for underlayment -- costs a little more but makes the floor "softer" under foot. Check out the wholesale clubs for materials -- Costco had a coupon, plus now adays you may be able to get natural bamboo flooring for the same price (less dimensional change with temp), if you like that look.

Good luck with the remodeling and the baby. Oh, and make sure DH does the diapers at the hospital -- smartest thing I EVER did (and he'd never changed one before). Trust me, you're going to want a PARTNER for parenting, so start early and give him a chance to develop his own expertise (resist the urge to tell him how to do everything). Our attitude was we BOTH had two full-time jobs, no "honey, I had a tough day at work and need to unwind a bit" shift #2 started as soon as I drove into the driveway from work. LOL, ok I'll shut up now, but if you want to still like your husband 3 years from now, give him the opportunity to step up.

[khuntrevor]

One Dollar per SF. Remove the old carpet and pad yourself. Cut it into pieces with an exacto knife.....

[mistygrl092]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

One Dollar per SF. Remove the old carpet and pad yourself. Cut it into pieces with an exacto knife.....

Disagree. I scored in the 13th percentile for mechanical aptitude. Clearly, I need to hire someone.

[239stairs]

I think this is a stupid idea to hire a homeless guy to install your wood flooring. I wonder what kind of work you perform to earn a living. People like you don't even know what quality work looks like. Pretty smart to give a person with no insurance or workman's comp power tools to work illegally on your property with your consent. Not to mention what if excessive floor prep is required or moister is detected. Its funny when people like yourself complain about getting ripped by an unlicensed contractor and pay double in the long run

Originally Posted by roundball

Laminate is one of the easiest things that you can do yourself. Buy a chop saw/compound miter saw and do it yourself. You just have to keep a 1/4"(depending) gap along the wall and stagger it so it doesn't look like crap.

Heck, hire some homeless guy with a background in construction and tell him he can keep the saw plus a few hundred. You'll still come out way ahead. It's almost impossible to screw up.

[Ponderosa]

4 bucks a foot to install! You've got to be kidding. Maybe this is reasonable with some types of flooring, but it strikes me as expensive for your average laminate install. Whether it is DIY or not, it is a simple job. Go with the Lowes or Depot guy. It is hard to mess up a laminate install.