Recommendations for hardwood floor installers?

[Guillermo]

We want to put hardwood floors in our 1000 sq. ft. condo. A friend suggested Maple Leaf Flooring, so they came out to do an estimate and just called back telling us that it would cost "about $10,000", but they wrefused to give a breakdown of the costs and also said "we don't disclose your square footage because the estimate is free." (whatever that means.)

This price seems about double of an estimate we got at End of the Roll. needless to say this all sounds a bit shady, so we want to get another estimate.

Can you guys recommend good hardwood floor installers?

[Weapon_R]

Best bet is to buy the flooring and then get someone to install it. There are tons of guys who will put it in for you for about $2/ft.

[Guillermo]

^^can you recommend anyone?

[project240]

Originally posted by Guillermo
^^can you recommend anyone?


What type of flooring do you currently have in your condo?

Also, expect more in the range of $3/sq ft.

[Guillermo]

right now there is carpet and lino. we need someone to remove and dispose of that, install subfloor and hardwood, and install new trim and baseboards and stuff.

[dj_rice]

I'm not sure if calgary dave on here installs tile only or if hes tile/hardwood.

[project240]

Originally posted by Guillermo
right now there is carpet and lino. we need someone to remove and dispose of that, install subfloor and hardwood, and install new trim and baseboards and stuff.

So your original quote of $10K included everything?

[Guillermo]

Originally posted by project240


So your original quote of $10K included everything?

yea. we are just unsure since when we had a breakdown of costs from another guy from the same company (before they measured), we estimated it at around $5k based on the breakdown they gave us. We're also buying/painting the trim, they will just cut and install that.

we're just a bit put off because they guy wouldn't "disclose the square footage" to us, and also seemed reluctant to give us a breakdown of the various fees for materials, labor, etc. he eventually said he would email us that info, but still hasn't.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Guillermo


yea. we are just unsure since when we had a breakdown of costs from another guy from the same company (before they measured), we estimated it at around $5k based on the breakdown they gave us. We're also buying/painting the trim, they will just cut and install that.

we're just a bit put off because they guy wouldn't "disclose the square footage" to us, and also seemed reluctant to give us a breakdown of the various fees for materials, labor, etc. he eventually said he would email us that info, but still hasn't.

Most professional quotes don't include a breakdown of everything. The reason? Customers then start comparing "your price" on this part of the quote against "someone else's" price on a different part of the quote. People then use it to "bid against" other tradespeople. You want a job done....this is how much it will cost..total.

The price of $10,000 for 1,000 sq ft including re&re of old floor and install new plywood, plus new hardwood is not out of line at all. I charge $5/sq ft to re&re old sub-floor alone. Now add prep work, install, etc....$10,000 is a decent price.

[Guillermo]

thanks dave. you don't know a good installer, do you?

[CapnCrunch]

I'm curious, why do you need to put in a new subfloor for hardwood? Can't you just hardwood over the existing sheathing?

[BrknFngrs]

How does hardwood flooring rank for DIY-able? Straight forward task or is it a "pro-only" kind of project?

[Guillermo]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
I'm curious, why do you need to put in a new subfloor for hardwood? Can't you just hardwood over the existing sheathing?

i'm not the guy to ask (obviously), but we have a concrete building with concrete floors, and the condo bylaws stipulate that a particular type of subfloor has to be laid first.

[Stunt66]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


Most professional quotes don't include a breakdown of everything. The reason? Customers then start comparing "your price" on this part of the quote against "someone else's" price on a different part of the quote. People then use it to "bid against" other tradespeople. You want a job done....this is how much it will cost..total.

The price of $10,000 for 1,000 sq ft including re&re of old floor and install new plywood, plus new hardwood is not out of line at all. I charge $5/sq ft to re&re old sub-floor alone. Now add prep work, install, etc....$10,000 is a decent price.

:werd: What really only matters in the end is how much the total cost is. $5k sounds pretty low to cover 1000sq/ft of floors especially if you have a lot of prep work and trim that needs to be installed.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by Guillermo


i'm not the guy to ask (obviously), but we have a concrete building with concrete floors, and the condo bylaws stipulate that a particular type of subfloor has to be laid first.

That makes sense to me. I lived in a condo where the neighbor above had hardwood. You could hear every time they walked on it in shoes or dropped something on the floor.

I'm guessing in a normal (wood sub-floored) house you wouldn't need it though? Assuming the existing sub-floor is sound?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
I'm curious, why do you need to put in a new subfloor for hardwood? Can't you just hardwood over the existing sheathing?

Depends on the hardwood. Normal, pre-finished 3/4" HW can go straight onto the 5/8th's sub-floor. If it's engineered hardwood, then most builders will put down 3/8th's on top of the 5/8th's just to keep the finished floor level with other floors (tile and carpet).



Originally posted by BrknFngrs
How does hardwood flooring rank for DIY-able? Straight forward task or is it a "pro-only" kind of project?
If you're a skilled "DIY'er" then it's not that hard. Need to rent a compressor and stapler. Plus good blades on a table saw as well as a chop-saw. I'd say tile is harder to lay than hardwood.


Originally posted by Guillermo
thanks dave. you don't know a good installer, do you?
I know quite a few...but I can almost guarantee their price will be higher than the 10k. You can have "good", "quick" or "cheap"...you only get two.