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September 18, 2007
Hardwood Floor Installation. Cost?
I am looking to have pre-finished hardwood floors installed over a sub-floor in my brownstone. Does anybody know what I can expect to pay per square foot for the labor on this?
Comments
i forget costs but an aside - prefinished floors aren't as nice as they have the bevelled edges. Much better to get the unfinished wood finished in place if poss...
Posted by: guest at September 18, 2007 8:17 PM
I agree with the above. Prefinished floors tend to look rather plastic. You would save money by having the unfinished installed and then finishing them yourself if you are so inclined and end up with a more authentic look. But hey, is is your call, and a prefinished floor will always look better than a subfloor or shag carpeting. From my own renovation memories, an average good-quality prefinished floor including installation will run you about $29 per square foot. Unfinished will not save you more than $4 or $5 per sqaure foot. Have fun.
Posted by: bheightsejp at September 18, 2007 9:56 PM
$29 per square foot!!!!!! Where do you people pull these numbers from? Is it the new "You really need 9 inches"?????? Goodness!!!!!!!
Posted by: guest at September 19, 2007 9:19 AM
Go to Premium Wood Floors on 3rd ave: http://www.premiumfloors.com/ and take a look at what they have.
If you are not doing any fancy design work you can buy prefinished floors for $4-5 per foot. Installation should only run $2-3/ft. maybe a little more for a high end installer and/or if you need any repair work done on the subfloor.
If you get unfinished you will pay an extra $2 or so per foot but the wood will be cheaper so it works out to be about the same price.
Yes, you can spend more if you go for the really exotic woods or if you want fancy inlaid designs but in general you shouldn't need to pay more than $7-$10/ft. for everything.
Posted by: guest at September 19, 2007 10:32 AM
You get what you pay for.
Posted by: guest at September 19, 2007 12:34 PM
Well, I guess I was taken for a ride. My floor guy must have a house in East Hampton.
Posted by: bheightsejp at September 19, 2007 1:26 PM
May I suggest prefinished bamboo..it is a highly renewable resource and the same price as wood or less.
Posted by: guest at September 19, 2007 3:13 PM
You do get what you pay for ...to a point. Beyond that point spending more creates little or no additional value, except of course value to your contractor. The poster bheightschlep above describes his $29 psf install as average good quality. I shudder to think what he would have paid for a top drawer install of pre-finished African Wenge.
Unless that quote includes a lot more than the wood and install, then he was either taken for a royal ride or this is his form of phallic chest beating.
Posted by: guest at September 19, 2007 3:16 PM
"Phallic chest beating"? God I love this blog. It has made moving here so much more interesting. No one has ever accused me of "chest beating," "phallic" or otherwise. Thanks. I will add that to the stories I tell my parents in Manhattan who warned me that Brooklyn was full of socialist anarchists. Thanks!
Posted by: bheightsejp at September 19, 2007 8:35 PM
I also recommend Premium Floors. I have engaged Albert Chica (646-472-4842) (who was recommended by someone else on this site) to level and install my flooring. My old floors were extremely unlevel, split and warped, so they must be leveled out first. Alberto is charging $3500 to level the floors and install the new flooring (650 sq ft). Also, after lots of research I went with pre-finished floors because I have animals. I would also recommend purchasing flooring in generally the same color you want your finished floor to look rather than a stain. It is more economical in the long run if you have animals or are hard on floors. Scratches will not be so obvious. Although I wanted to be "green" and get bamboo, bamboo is made with too much formaldahye and other chemicals. Also, bamboo may split and crack, at which point it will react just like any other grass.
Posted by: guest at September 20, 2007 10:18 AM
i just found this site. I am about to have hardwood installed in my house and have received estimates ranging between $7,500 and $8,400, which includes everything except moving furniture. it includes engineered wood @ $5 sf, remove/reinstall baseboards, glue or nail, padding etc..the area to cover is 750 sqft. I am trying to find out if those estimates are typical or if i'm being taken for a ride...
Posted by: guest at March 14, 2008 3:28 PM
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