Author Topic: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?  (Read 9047 times)

jamesbond007

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$7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« on: November 02, 2017, 12:04:11 PM »
We are planning to replace our old carpet flooring with laminate. We went to Home Depot to take a look at carpet installation and the estimate was coming to around $4000 for a good carpet that we liked. So, we began exploring laminate for longevity and look. The estimate came to around $5500 to install through out the house (minus bathroom, of course). The area is around 800sft. But when we got the final quote, they say it cost us $7200. When I looked into it, one thing stood out:


1. For houses built before 1978 ... lead paint ... certification...something. They said if I can get the certifications, then they will remove that fees of $1000. What is this certification? How much would it cost?


This experience made me re-think whether I want to install laminate. Cannot fathom spending $7200 for flooring. Is this a normal reasonable estimate for a house that is 800sft (minus bathroom). I went with a laminate that cost me $2/sft. Are there any cheaper/better alternatives?


bacchi

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2017, 12:17:46 PM »
[Dual posted to other thread.]

Holy shit. Get a second bid. That labor is way too much.

Not sure about the lead paint. That's just...weird. Is it because they'll be cutting/replacing base trim? There's no sanding, right? Even the exterior painters for my place didn't charge extra for a light sanding of the window frames (the siding was replaced so it was just the wood window frames).

Personally, I'd buy the laminate you want and DIY.

jamesbond007

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2017, 12:22:24 PM »
[Dual posted to other thread.]

Holy shit. Get a second bid. That labor is way too much.

Not sure about the lead paint. That's just...weird. Is it because they'll be cutting/replacing base trim? There's no sanding, right? Even the exterior painters for my place didn't charge extra for a light sanding of the window frames (the siding was replaced so it was just the wood window frames).

Personally, I'd buy the laminate you want and DIY.

Is it possible to DIY? I am not very handy with tools and never done anything like this. Possible for a total noob to DIY installation?

Papa bear

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2017, 12:25:24 PM »
You can get an installer to put it in for 1.50-2.00/ sf in my area.

And I wouldn't spend more than 2/sf on material. So 4/sf max and you're looking at $3200




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Lanthiriel

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2017, 12:29:46 PM »
You can get an installer to put it in for 1.50-2.00/ sf in my area.

And I wouldn't spend more than 2/sf on material. So 4/sf max and you're looking at $3200


This. If you don't want to do it yourself, have you tried Thumbtack? Pick out the flooring you want, then post to Thumbtack and get some bids for labor. I've had great experiences through that site.

bacchi

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2017, 12:38:17 PM »
[Dual posted to other thread.]

Holy shit. Get a second bid. That labor is way too much.

Not sure about the lead paint. That's just...weird. Is it because they'll be cutting/replacing base trim? There's no sanding, right? Even the exterior painters for my place didn't charge extra for a light sanding of the window frames (the siding was replaced so it was just the wood window frames).

Personally, I'd buy the laminate you want and DIY.

Is it possible to DIY? I am not very handy with tools and never done anything like this. Possible for a total noob to DIY installation?

Yeah, I think so. Most laminate is line up and "click." With a pull bar and a mallet/hammer, it's simple.

You'll need a saw for the edges. You can pull up the base trim and the edges don't even have to be straight as long as the trim covers the edge. Or you could leave the current trim and use a rotary cutting tool (i.e., dremel) to cut away the bottom 3/8" or whatever for the new laminate; this approach might take some practice though.

The hardest part might be making angle cuts for the trim. A table saw works best but a circular or jig saw would work as well (or a hand saw with a miter box).

What's on the floors now? Is it pier&beam or slab?

ketchup

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2017, 12:47:29 PM »
Yeah, that is insane.  I put down about 600 square feet of laminate about a year ago, and all-in (DIY) I think my cost was around $1500-1700, and that project also included repainting the rooms.  Maybe double that to farm it out.  Seven grand is ridiculous; at first I thought you were going to say your house is 3000 square feet.

lbmustache

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #7 on: November 02, 2017, 12:53:44 PM »
$7k for laminate on 800sqft sounds ridiculous. You should get it for half that.

I would shop around... I personally feel that laminate, hardwood, or tile is far superior to carpet.

frugaliknowit

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #8 on: November 02, 2017, 01:09:52 PM »
Home Depot has this "thang" about possible lead paint/asbestos from previous tiles.  I don't get it...?  Afraid of liability, I guess...?

doneby35

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2017, 01:10:21 PM »
Should be closer to $3000-3500. Going through home depot is not a good idea because they are expensive.

Duke03

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #10 on: November 02, 2017, 01:39:49 PM »
That is way high!  About 4 months ago I had 800sqft of 7in width hand scrapped hand chiseled wood flooring installed for $8000 out the door.  That included everything.  Even moving furniture and repainting baseboards.  Also came with a life time warranty.

ZMonet

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #11 on: November 02, 2017, 01:48:12 PM »
This is definitely a skill you should learn (laying floor) and it is not very difficult once you get rolling.  The hard part is around doors, etc.  Special saws make this much easier, but if you think you'll just do this one job then you can get by with hand tools...or just rent the equipment.  I'd also strongly consider using real wood.  You can probably get something nice for close to $2/square foot and you'll be able to refinish it if need be.

AccidentalMiser

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2017, 02:03:05 PM »
We just laid 2000 sf in the downstairs of our rental/summer house.  Nice, thick plank vinyl.  $2500 from HD, four day's labor, four sore knees and six pots of coffee.

Find a handy friend to get you started, you'll be glad you learned to DIY.

jamesbond007

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #13 on: November 02, 2017, 02:06:56 PM »

This. If you don't want to do it yourself, have you tried Thumbtack? Pick out the flooring you want, then post to Thumbtack and get some bids for labor. I've had great experiences through that site.

Never heard of Thumbtack. I will check it out. Thanks for the tip.

jamesbond007

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #14 on: November 02, 2017, 02:08:06 PM »
[Dual posted to other thread.]

Holy shit. Get a second bid. That labor is way too much.

Not sure about the lead paint. That's just...weird. Is it because they'll be cutting/replacing base trim? There's no sanding, right? Even the exterior painters for my place didn't charge extra for a light sanding of the window frames (the siding was replaced so it was just the wood window frames).

Personally, I'd buy the laminate you want and DIY.

Is it possible to DIY? I am not very handy with tools and never done anything like this. Possible for a total noob to DIY installation?

Yeah, I think so. Most laminate is line up and "click." With a pull bar and a mallet/hammer, it's simple.

You'll need a saw for the edges. You can pull up the base trim and the edges don't even have to be straight as long as the trim covers the edge. Or you could leave the current trim and use a rotary cutting tool (i.e., dremel) to cut away the bottom 3/8" or whatever for the new laminate; this approach might take some practice though.

The hardest part might be making angle cuts for the trim. A table saw works best but a circular or jig saw would work as well (or a hand saw with a miter box).

What's on the floors now? Is it pier&beam or slab?


Right now it is carpet over concrete.

jamesbond007

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #15 on: November 02, 2017, 02:09:33 PM »
That is way high!  About 4 months ago I had 800sqft of 7in width hand scrapped hand chiseled wood flooring installed for $8000 out the door.  That included everything.  Even moving furniture and repainting baseboards.  Also came with a life time warranty.

Where do you live? If in the SF Bay Area, can I get a reference?

nyxst

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #16 on: November 02, 2017, 10:28:13 PM »
I just installed a laminate floating floor over top of concrete and asbestos tile in my house saved a ton of money doing it myself and it turned out great! You do need some tools to cut the laminate but nothing too extensive.

partgypsy

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #17 on: November 03, 2017, 07:02:09 AM »
That's ridiculously high. A lot of laminate is lock in place. The things you will need to do are: read the directions about proper subfloor (and make it a proper subfloor), remove the trim, and c) finagling where you have to figure out how to center and then most likely cut at the edges.  It's moderately easy because most of the time it is a floating floor.

If you don't want to do the labor, contract it out yourself. Where I live we have a neighborhood listserve where people have created a list of recommended (and not recommended) workers for various home repair areas. I've had my best success with word of mouth referrals.

des999

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #18 on: November 03, 2017, 07:45:08 AM »
that is way too high.  I just did our whole basement (about 350 sq ft) with high end vinyl flooring that fits together just like laminate.  The flooring was $1950, we did the work ourselves.  Labor was going to be another $2200

also, do it yourself, it's really not that hard.  The only tricky part is having a miter saw for any angles that you may have to cut.  Do you have one or a friend that could lend it?

paddedhat

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #19 on: November 03, 2017, 08:04:26 AM »
I know several folks in the flooring industry, guys that I've done business with for decades, and are honest. They find the whole big box store installed flooring business to be nothing but a mess. First, the actual installers are often far from the best, and the brightest. I have mentioned an installer's name to my buddy that's owned flooring stores for decades, and he will say, "how did you meet that junkie?"  Well, I met his since I was doing some work for a customer, who insisted that the big box store had the best installed flooring deal, and there he was, on the job. My buddy then responds that the guy is blackballed by all the legitimate flooring contractors in the area, so reach your own conclusions. The other issue is that a lot of the big stores flat out lie, when it comes to pricing. I had a pretty large basement build-out where the homeowner insisted that he was getting a better price for a berber carpet install that I could get. I told the guy to have at it, since it didn't matter to me. The big box store that measured the job was about 10% cheaper on their claimed price per sq. yard installed. When the homeowner got the quote it was about 15% higher than mine. I took it to my guy who owns an independent store and asked him what was up. He took a glance and said, "it's simple, they quote lower per foot or per yard price, then add 20-25% more than they are actually going to install, when they show up to measure the job, to rip the customer off"

The same store owner will no longer look at, or attempt to repair carpet installations, done by big box stores. The original installs are so bad that the material is loose and humped, and useless, a few months after it was done. The store won't honor their warranty, and my guy sends a crew out, only to find that it is unrepairable, since it was cut poorly, and never properly stretched when installed.

As others mentioned  IMHO, most laminate is shit, and not worth dragging home from the store. That said, I have had several jobs done where I paid my trim carpenter/ hardwood installer to do it by the hour, and installing 100 sq. ft. an hour is no big deal, for a pro.

partgypsy

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #20 on: November 03, 2017, 08:25:53 AM »
We had bamboo strand woven wood flooring installed in our bathroom, and are very happy. May cost more than your typical laminate.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2017, 08:28:26 AM by partgypsy »

Finallyunderstand

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #21 on: November 03, 2017, 08:26:39 AM »
Just had almost 1000/sqft installed in my place.  Went with high quality Armstrong and total cost was around $3500.  This included removing and and hauling away old flooring (carpet and vinyl), removing and reinstalling all trim, and moving all appliances.

Check with an actual flooring company and not Lowes.  Lowes simply hires a flooring company to do it but they mark it up because they have to make some money on it too on top of selling you the product.

tralfamadorian

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #22 on: November 03, 2017, 04:31:39 PM »
1. For houses built before 1978 ... lead paint ... certification...something.

You're getting scammed on the lead paint.  The current lead paint remediation recommendation is encapsulation- or literally painting over it.

I don't know Bay Area prices but you should be able to get VPL or hardwoods installed by an independent professional for much less. 

jamesbond007

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #23 on: November 03, 2017, 04:57:07 PM »
All, per your suggestions, I posted on Thumtack and found a couple of contractors that are ready to install for $4000 including the material. I also dug up my network and found a contractor "friend" who is coming tomorrow to check out the place and give us a quote. I am hoping to wrap this up in under $4000. Will keep you all posted. Thanks for all the suggestions. You did not disappoint, as usual.

paddedhat

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #24 on: November 03, 2017, 05:15:43 PM »
Sounds like you have it well under control. Always good to see a fellow MMMer  finding a work around that cuts the big box store out of the picture. Screw those clowns.

Broadway2019

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #25 on: November 03, 2017, 06:34:42 PM »
I went through Costco and got 1200 sq ft of hardwood flooring for about $10k plus 10% of the price back in gift card form.

jamesbond007

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #26 on: November 03, 2017, 08:45:31 PM »
How is engineered hardwood. I found something on Lumber Liquidators for $1.89/sft which is basically the same price as the laminate that I was going to buy. Is engineered hardwood worth it? Compared to laminate?

bacchi

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #27 on: November 03, 2017, 10:15:14 PM »
How is engineered hardwood. I found something on Lumber Liquidators for $1.89/sft which is basically the same price as the laminate that I was going to buy. Is engineered hardwood worth it? Compared to laminate?

I prefer engineered hardwood over laminate. Less "clicky" than low and mid-range laminate.

Bearblastbeats

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #28 on: November 03, 2017, 11:10:48 PM »
Laminate is chit. I i stall flooring and I would suggest a LVT, luxury vinyl tile. Armstrong is the leading brand and in which I install.

Easy to install yourself, measure SF, ad 5% and buy the boxes.
I personally charge around $2.50 a sf to install.

Recently installed LVT in my bosses living room. Demo and install $500 For the day, he bought the materials.

paddedhat

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #29 on: November 04, 2017, 05:07:43 AM »
How is engineered hardwood. I found something on Lumber Liquidators for $1.89/sft which is basically the same price as the laminate that I was going to buy. Is engineered hardwood worth it? Compared to laminate?

The question is not about the material, in this case the supplier is the issue. LL is a discount house that has stupid low prices, since they direct contract with extremely low cost offshore suppliers to produce their house brands of flooring. They have had significant issues with quality control and poisonous materials, including a serious problem with formaldehyde that caused them to recall a huge amount of flooring. I used them once, lured by the low pricing. I got about half a box of material installed, pulled it back up, and returned the load. It was that bad.

Hadilly

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #30 on: November 04, 2017, 07:44:12 AM »
I would also suggest LVT. We have laminate in out living room and LVT in the kitchen. I LOVE that we can peel up a plank and repair it easily. The laminate is not repairable in the same way. When we do replace it, it will definitely be with LVT

Merrie

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #31 on: November 11, 2017, 11:58:30 AM »
My husband and his father did our floors. It's not proper hardwood but a wood laminate product. It took them a couple of days to do 2 rooms, not counting the time to rip up the carpets and pads and pry loose all the staples etc, which my SIL and I did a lot of. We would have gotten it done faster if there hadn't been long portions of each day where no hammering was allowed because our niece was sleeping in the basement. It was a little fiddly but not really that difficult.

Dicey

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #32 on: November 12, 2017, 10:59:12 AM »
Luxury vinyl plank is the way to go. Works great in kitchens and baths, and is easy to cut and install so you can DIY. It's by far the best option, especially laid over concrete.

Goldielocks

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Re: $7000 for laminate flooring - Reasonable?
« Reply #33 on: November 12, 2017, 11:11:31 AM »
Home Depot has this "thang" about possible lead paint/asbestos from previous tiles.  I don't get it...?  Afraid of liability, I guess...?

I just got an asbestos certificate test done for $60 CDN, so a lead paint one can't be that much in testing fees.  It is easy to take the sample in yourself, rather than paying someone else to do it, and you may as well find out now if you have lead paint.

I am not sure why a flooring quote would want to know about lead paint, except that it is a default requirement.. so even if it comes back as lead paint on your trim, your flooring base quote should not come out as very much more.     

Worst case is that they pop off the lead painted baseboards and dispose of them for you if lead-covered, and disposal is more expensive, and they need to replace baseboards with something new.   But you could do that yourself, and even paint over them (without sanding) and put them back on the walls yourself after.