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| Typical costs: | - Installing a standard solid-strip hardwood floor averages about $8 a square foot for materials, insulation and site finishing, and up to $12 a square foot for wide pine planks, or $1,150-$1,750 for a 12x12-foot room.
- Factory-finished wood starts at $8 a square foot installed, but generally runs $10-$14, or $1,140-$2,000 for a 12x12 space.
- Bamboo runs $4-$6 a square foot, uninstalled, or $575-$865 for material for a 12x12 space Other pre-finished, environmentally-harvested exotic woods such as Brazilian cherry or Australian cypress are $4-$13 a square foot, or $575-$1,870 (installation extra) for 12x12-feet.
- Complete installation of laminate flooring is $7-$11 a square foot, including foam underlay and glue, or $1,000-$1,585 for a 12x12-foot floor.
- HardwoodInstaller.com lists estimates for various installation tasks. Fees in urban areas may be higher and rural projects can cost less.
What should be included: | - Wood floors can be solid, engineered or laminate; BetterHomesandGardens.com gives a good overview of each type as well as a quick list of exotic options, such as cork or Santos mahogany. ThisOldHouse.com gives ideas for custom-designed laminate projects with borders and multiple patterns, as well as how to choose environmentally-friendly "green" flooring.
- Floor installation takes at least intermediate-level handyman skills; detailed do-it-yourself instructions for laminates are provided by DIYNetwork.com; for solid hardwood floors visit HomeTips.com.
- New wood flooring should be stacked inside the room for up to a week before installation to allow it to adjust to your home's indoor humidity level. Always buy a waste allowance of 5 to 15 percent extra, depending on the project's complexity. Unfinished floors must sit for a week or two after being installed, the finishing process can require several coats, and the floors can't be walked on for several days. The fumes can be strong, and some people aren't able to stay in a house where the floors are being finished.
Additional costs: | - Custom borders and patterns can look fantastic but bump up installation costs by $1-$2 or more a square foot, adding at least $144-$288 for a 12x12-foot room. The more custom the project, the higher the additional expense. Ripping out old flooring, moving furniture out of the room, odd-shaped layouts or steps can all add to the bottom line.
Discounts: | |
Shopping for hardwood floors: | - HoskingHardwood.com, consultant to the This Old House television show, provides a wide range of products, available with installation; iFloor.com also features a range of wood floor products and brands.
- Check a company with the Better Business Bureau and ask for and contact references. Get at least three on-site estimates where they measure the room and see all aspects of the project. Ask about experience, training, licensing and insurance. If you can see a previous flooring project, notice the finishing touches on the edges of the room, at thresholds and along stairs.
- Ask if the installer will move furniture, seal off nearby rooms with plastic, cut the wood outside (it's an extremely dusty process) and if the estimate includes quarter-round trim to cover gaps between the wood flooring and baseboards. Finishing details vary widely, know exactly what approach each contractor plans to use.
- A written contract should include all specific materials to be used, the work to be done, cost, dates within which the project will be completed and a payment schedule. Try for the minimum possible deposit, and tie payments to actual material deliveries and specific work done.
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Article updated November 2006 |
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Recent Posts |
| Amount: $3,400.00 |
Laminate Floors - Honey Oak look
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| Posted by: Josalyn in Hollister, CA. | Purchased: November, 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Flooring: 400 | Installer: Empire Today |
| Brand: Empire Today |
| Had living room and hallway carpets replaced with a honey oak laminate. Installation was done in one day and included new 3" basebards, transition in 6 doorways. They took away the old carpet & pad and moved emptied furniture. So happy with it!!! Looks great and they had great service. |
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| Amount: $3,400.00 |
@ Josalyn in Hollister, CA
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| Posted by: ApplyForMe.net in Chicago, IL. | Purchased: December, 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Flooring: 1096 | Installer: |
| You way overpaid. That\'s like $9 a square foot. You should have paid no more than $600. Empire Today preys on people who are unaware of pricing or will not research contractors. With the number of home improvement warehouses why would anyone go with such a company? I just did my floors 1,096 SF for a total of $1350. |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
empire floors
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| Posted by: kippa in San Bernardino, CA. | Purchased: 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Flooring: 700 | Installer: |
| Brand: laminate floors |
| we called empire for laminate floors for 700sf and they told us 9900.00 and thats with buy 1 room get 2 free ya right we told them your crazy they are way over priced |
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| Amount: $0.00 |
Empire Floors
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| Posted by: Unlimited Hardwood Floors Of NY,Inc in Bayshore, NY. | Purchased: May, 2010 |
| Sq Ft of Flooring: | Installer: Empire |
| Brand: No brand |
| this company empire hires out sub contractors & has no experience or right to be in the flooring business ,not there ads only say reliable & service & not how many yrs they have been in business what they are installing? people get a grip & do ya research & go to a flooring company that has over 25yrs or more in the business ! ! ! |
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| Amount: $10,000.00 |
sanding and refinishing
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| Posted by: a user in Fairfax, VA. | Purchased: May, 2010 |
| Sq Ft of Flooring: 3000 | Installer: |
| Brand: oak hardwood |
They gave me a choice between pre-finished in "natural color" to match the hardwood floor in the rest of the house for $6,80 per sq/ft of new flooring or any color I wanted if I sanded and stained all the wood in the house (sanding, staining, three coats of poly, baseboard, toe molding, etc) for $6.80 for the new hardwood and $2.50 for the existing hardwood. It took them a week and another week before the floor was dry enough that you could spend the night (it smells pretty bad even with the windows open for the first week or two, it wouldn't have smelled at all if we went with the pre-finished wood).
They did a great job and even came back to buff and refinish spots that got scratched as I was moving furniture (they even brought little felt pads to put on the bottom of my furniture so they wouldn't have to come back).
If i got ripped off then please break it to me gently because I feel pretty good about the value i got. |
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| Amount: $2,000.00 |
Refinish Wood Floors
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| Posted by: Doug H. in Lakehurst, NJ. | Purchased: November, 2009 |
| Sq Ft of Flooring: 1100 | Installer: 1z2 Hardwood Floors |
| Brand: 1z2 Hardwood Floors |
| "I have a 65 year old house with floors that are really thin from multiple refinishing attempts. The floors were also very discolored in spots 1z2 floors did a great job refinishing them!!! Floors look great Extremely happy with the results A+++, price was $1.90 with stain and was more than fair so I leave a tip $200" |
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| Amount: $3,100.00 |
hardwood floors
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| Posted by: frantic in philly, PA. | Purchased: 2010 |
| Sq Ft of Flooring: 228 | Installer: empire |
| Brand: empire |
I have only had an estimate from empire today and want to make sure I do not get ripped off.....also had one phone est. for $1600.00,...is there anyone out there who thinks $3100.00-$1600.00 is a rather extreme gap??
need helpful advice for the philly region..ASAP |
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