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aypi
09-23-2009, 11:30 PM
i'm planning to install some laminated flooring on my family room and 12 steps stairs. the thing is, they gave me an estimate of $2400 for labor alone on a 700 sq/ft job. the guy told me that its that much bec. it takes time to do the stairs. is that a reasonable price? coz i think thats way too much.

did anybody here laminated their stairs? how much did it cost you and did you hire somebody to do it? any suggestions on whats the best way to do it or who to hire?

masoncgy
09-24-2009, 10:32 AM
I don't like the feel of laminate on the stairs... not only is it far more dangerous to walk up/down (think socks), but the nosing pieces make for an uneven surface and those joints are hard on the feet. I had mine re-carpetted, but laid all of my own laminate flooring.

Stairs do add a ton of cost to the bill. All of the nosing/trim pieces you have to buy add up, in addition to all of the cutting & installation involved as you have to fasten the laminate to the tread & riser so it doesn't move, then add the nosing pieces.

What's the total bill, materials & labour, for that job?

aypi
09-24-2009, 03:59 PM
well the labour alone is $2400. then the material will depend on which kind of laminate i'll use. is that fair?

i also talked to a family friend of ours and he said that he will do it for me and he also suggested to use hardwood instead which make sense coz i rather spend the money to get it done right and nice. but not $2400 for labour alone. :banghead:

masoncgy
09-24-2009, 04:15 PM
Hardwood on stairs will be even more expensive... for the same reasons as laminate... except now you are paying a premium for the hardwood decorative nosing & trim pieces.

I do agree that $2,400 seems to be rather pricey for a 700 sq ft + stairs install...

However, I used to work for a home builder, and for a normal staircase in a 2 storey home, it was about $6000 just to do the stairs in hardwood (materials & labour)... and that was with a pretty standard material too.

barmanjay
09-24-2009, 04:51 PM
when I was doing contracting, I charged anywhere from $2.25 - $2.75 per sq/ft for laminate install (labour only), then $25-$35/step + materials on the stairs.

Hardwood started at $3.25 - $5.75 sq/ft, $50/step

Sounds like his quote is close,.. a bit high ($125.00) to what my prices would've been.



Laminate on stairs sucks


*edit*

Just did some calculations:

Hardwood install labour + 12 stairs, should be about $2800 for a basic maple 3-4" wide pre-finished hardwood

The hardwood itself, the cheapest you'll find will be about $1500,.. up to $2800 for lower grade.

aypi
09-24-2009, 07:49 PM
thanks for the help guys. i dont mind paying a lot on the material as long as its what i want. i already found the hardwood i want its about $5 per sq/ft so materials will be around $4000. but for labour, i'm not sure if i want to spend that much.

a family friend is coming on saturday to check out my place, hopefully i'll get a better price if not then i'll just get my carpet cleaned. :rofl:

btw just to make it clear the first guy said that i will need 650 sq/ft of laminate (that includes the stairs.) he just want me to buy 700 so that i have some extra. so that will be just around 500 sq/ft of family room + 12 steps. so barmanjay base from your price the labour should be around $1800 or less?

barmanjay
09-24-2009, 08:09 PM
Originally posted by aypi
thanks for the help guys. i dont mind paying a lot on the material as long as its what i want. i already found the hardwood i want its about $5 per sq/ft so materials will be around $4000. but for labour, i'm not sure if i want to spend that much.

a family friend is coming on saturday to check out my place, hopefully i'll get a better price if not then i'll just get my carpet cleaned. :rofl:

btw just to make it clear the first guy said that i will need 650 sq/ft of laminate (that includes the stairs.) he just want me to buy 700 so that i have some extra. so that will be just around 500 sq/ft of family room + 12 steps. so barmanjay base from your price the labour should be around $1800 or less?

Still pay the sq/ft rate for steps + an extra $$/step because they require more time to do properly.

luv2ride_bikes
09-28-2009, 03:01 PM
We installed these treads, Oak Stair Treads (http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=904608&Ntt=904608&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber) on our stairs going to the basement. They worked out great and are not slippery at all. The front of the tread has a rounded corner. We just got a finish that matched the laminate that we put in the basement. this was a lot cheaper to install than laminate or hardwood would have been.

black300
09-28-2009, 04:24 PM
Do it yourself, installing laminate floor is pretty easy it just locks into each other. But I really don't like it, it cracks, squeaks not very good. If you want put more money and do real hardwood.

Mazstyle
09-30-2009, 05:54 PM
I do hardwood for a living, hardwood stairs are usually over $100 per stair (including riser) as they are very time consuming plus the cost of the nosing's really add up.