How much should I expect to pay for wood flooring?
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Wood flooring is a wonderful home improvement that will likely increase your enjoyment of your home and increase its resale value. Homes with wood floors sell faster and for more money than homes that don’t have them, according to professional realtors.
Installing wood flooring
But upgrading to hardwood floors is expensive, even if you do it yourself. And the final cost is usually much more than the square-foot price that’s advertised. If you’ve tried to calculate how much wood floors will cost based on the ads in the paper, you’re in for a shock.
Of course, prices vary by region, but if you take a few things into account, you should be able to make an educated guess about how much it will cost to upgrade to wood flooring. Once you have an idea, you’ll know whether it’s worth your time to start shopping or not.
Bear in mind that, unlike carpeting, wood floors will last for generations if properly cared for. So you’ll be amortizing the investment over many years. And many flooring companies offer interest-free financing for 12 months and other payment options. They realize that wood flooring is a big purchase that many customers may want help with.
The square-foot price of the wood is just the start. In addition to that, there are other supplies and labor, which will vary based on how the floor is installed.
Wood flooring supply costs.
If you’re lucky enough to have a wood sub floor, you won’t need anything more but some felt paper and some nails or staples. If you’re having your floor installed, these will usually be included in the price of labor. If you’re doing it yourself, figure around $50 for a box of 7,000 staples and ten cents per square foot for the felt paper.
The cost of renting a stapler or nail gun is usually pretty reasonable.
Those without a wood sub floor will incur some additional expense, especially if the floor is to be floated. An underlayment, which can run from 25 cents to $1.50 per square foot will be needed to cushion and insulate the new flooring.
Wood flooring installation
If you have concrete floors, you’ll probably want to use engineered wood flooring that can be glued down. The cost of glue runs from 50 cents to $1.00 per square foot. To be on the safe side, add $1.00 to the price of the wood. Gluing wood flooring often takes longer than nailing it down, so your labor costs may be higher too.
Moisture protection, which is often needed with concrete floors, can add another $1 to $2 per square foot to the cost.
In addition to the floor boards, you’ll need to buy some trim to finish off the floor. If you want quarter-round molding in the same wood and finish as the flooring, this can run as much as $5 a lineal foot. Because there’s waste, it takes more than you think. Your flooring company can help you calculate how much you’ll need.
Wood flooring labor costs.
The cost to install your floor can vary a lot depending on where you live, who installs the floor, and how difficult or easy your specific situation is. If you’re having a full-service dealer install your wood flooring, figure between $2 – $4 a square foot.
The price should include having the wood delivered to your home and stacked, removing the existing flooring, prepping the sub floor, installing the flooring, installing all the trim, cleaning up, and hauling away all the debris. Most installers will move your furniture out and back in once as part of the installation process.
All in, a good-quality, pre-finished wood floor will probably cost between $8 and $12 per square foot, or about $1,200 – $1,800 for a 12’ x 12’ room installed. Bamboo or laminate wood flooring will cost less. Premium hardwoods like cherry will cost more.
Before making a commitment, make sure everything is spelled out in writing so there are no unpleasant surprises.
Reducing the cost of wood flooring.
Buying the wood and getting it to your home yourself will bring down the price, and paying cash will sometimes save you another 2 or 3%. Using inexpensive pine molding and adhesive or staples from your local home store will bring the cost down even more. And installing it on your own will probably get the price to about $6 or $7 a square foot, depending on the flooring, where you live, and the competition in your area.
Learn how to install wood flooring here.
Installing wood flooring Image Flickr: j2davis2005
Wood flooring installation Image Flickr: Steve & Jan Cornwell
Improve your home by upgrading your garage floor.
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If you’re like most of us, your garage floor is less clean and attractive than the rest of your home. It probably has dark marks from the tires, and may even have oil, coolant, or other chemicals that are not just ugly, but hazardous too.
The typical garage is several hundred square feet, and most people use the extra storage around the perimeter for storage. But if your garage floor is unfinished concrete, whatever you’re storing is subject to moisture, spills, and debris from your cars.
A few garage floor options
Upgrading your garage floor will make your garage cleaner, healthier, and a more pleasant place to do laundry or other chores. And the right floor will also be a lot easier on your feet and back.
Garage flooring can help to deaden noise, and reduce accidents by provided a non-slip surface.
Several different kinds of garage flooring are available. And most are inexpensive and easy to do yourself.
Rubber garage floor mats provide some limited protection underneath your cars, but since they don’t cover the entire floor, they don’t improve the appearance of your garage as much as a wall-to-wall solution will. The best ones are leak proof and have a raised lip to contain spills.
Rolled garage floors are an affordable option. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, and all you have to do is roll them out. They protect the garage floor from grease and oil, and resist condensation. Ribbed floors also reduce the risk of accidents by channeling away liquids that may have spilled or dripped from your car.
In most cases, little preparation is required, as the flooring is installed over the existing floor. And with a few basic tools, you can have a new floor – and a dramatically improved room – in just a few hours.
Garage floor tiles are almost as easy to install and they can be mixed and matched to create a truly custom look. Checkerboards, stripes, and borders can really jazz up a room.
Tiles with a peel-and-stick back are extremely easy to install, and once the floor is down, it can be kept cleaned with an occasional mopping.
Epoxy garage floor paint doesn’t take long to apply, but it requires some preparation in advance. The entire floor must be thoroughly cleaned and any cracks should be filled. One it’s dry, epoxy does look good and any spills will wipe right up.
In most cases, your garage floor is the first thing you see when you come home, so don’t settle for an ugly, dirty one. With a little time and money, your garage floor can be as inviting as the rest of your home.
A few garage floor options Image Flickr: stevendamron
When and where to use laminate wood flooring.
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Although nothing beats the appearance of natural wood flooring, there are some drawbacks. Wood floors are expensive. Depending on the size of your home, it could cost $20,000 or more to upgrade to wood flooring. And even the hardest wood scratches. If you have big dogs, lots of children, or heavy traffic, you may be surprised how quickly wood flooring shows some wear and tear.
Laying laminate wood flooring
For circumstances like these, laminate wood flooring may be a better choice. It looks like wood flooring, but it’s less expensive, more durable, easier to install, and better suited to high-traffic areas.
Nowadays, there’s a huge selection of laminate wood flooring to choose from. Virtually every color, finish, and wood grain is available. You can even buy wide planks, if that’s the look you want. In addition to wood, laminates also duplicate tile, slate, and stone flooring.
Laminate wood flooring resists moisture
Laminate wood flooring consists of a top layer made of melamine resin, which is extremely durable. It resists scratches, stains, fading, and water damage better than natural wood. The core can be anywhere from 6mm to 12mm thick. The thicker the core, the better the floor. Look for one that’s been treated to make it water repellant. And make sure the joints have a coating of wax to keep moisture from ever reaching the core.
Some people don’t care for the sound of laminate floors. Investing in a thicker core will make them sound more like real wood flooring.
Two kinds of laminate wood flooring are available – High Pressure Laminates (HPL) and Direct Pressure Laminates (DPL). Because HPL takes two steps to glue and fuse the layers together, it costs more to produce than DPL, which is manufactured in a single step. As a rule, HPL costs more, wears better, and lasts longer than DPL.
HPL also has greater moisture protection in the tongue-and-groove system that joins the boards together. This will help prevent the seams from swelling when humidity is high.
Laminate wood flooring is designed to be floated over an existing floor, which means that you can use it over almost anything – vinyl, concrete, or plywood. Because it’s not glued down or nailed to the subfloor, it’s easy to install. In fact, most do it yourselfers can achieve good results on their own. You just need to make sure that the floor you’re going on top of is level and smooth.
A thin padding is laid over the existing floor and then the laminate boards lock together with a tongue and groove system. Molding in a matching finish is easy to cut and install.
Once they’re installed, laminated floors are very easy to take care of. They never need to be waxed or polished and a dust mop is usually all that’s needed to clean them.
Read more about engineered wood flooring here.
Laying laminate wood flooring Image Flickr: Hendricks Photos
Laminate wood flooring resists moisture Image Flickr: John Loo
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