Hardwood Flooring question

[rezadue]

We have been thinking about tearing up some carpet on our main floor and putting in hardwood, so I have been calling aroud and getting prices which seem to vary, so I wanted some suggestions and/or opinions from those of you who know about this topic and/or know someone or a company who does good work for a good price.

So far home depot will be between $11.50-$12.50 /sq. ft. for Oak(installed) not including tax. A couple of other placeshave given me a rough estimate of around $10 / sq. ft. including tax. Arogs, says they bring in unfinished Oak and install and then finish it after install for only $6 sp. ft. taxes in.

Is there a preference on prefinished vs. finishing at your place after install? Why wopuld these guys be so cheaper?

Any insight would be helpful.

Thanks,
Reza

[spackler]

Have you thought about doing it yourself? Installing hardwood flooring is one of the easiest dyi projects there is. Rent a compresser and a stapler from home depot or rona, and you're off to the races. A chop saw is also very handy. The last time I did it, a buddy and I finished a 12x18 room in about 6 hours. Pros would do that in about 2.

When we bought our house, I refinished the main floor oak, and installed unfinished birch on the second floor. The problem with doing unfinished wood, or refinishing, is the sanding and the vapours. The sanding residue goes everywhere, even stuffing our vents we had to get them cleaned afterwards. And the vapours from the varathane chase you from the house for a couple days. Or they should.

[Big Johnny69]

rez, check out Bargain Builders Warehouse on Carp Rd near the Queensway. They sell hardwood for $3-6 sq/ft. Now you have to buy a few extra boxes (some mismatched pieces in each box) but it comes finished. Now I'm no expert but I've seen their stuff and it looks like good flooring. We plan on buying ours from there when they get in a colour that works for our house scheme. Check it out, you might find what you are looking for. They don't have a large selection but are getting shipments in every couple of weeks. Just ask and they can usually show you a sample. Hope this helps.

[dasnutz]

I just did my hardwood myself, got the hardwood from Barwood Flooring. They had great prices.

[jvincent]

On the unfinished vs pre-finished, go for the pre-finished.

The factory coated stuff is much more durable and you don't have to mess with sanding, fumes, dust in the varnish, bubbles, etc.

I've done it myself, and for a simple room, i.e. not a lot of irregular angles, it is very easy.

[covanant]

Pre-finish is the way to go.
Sanding and staining unfinished hardwood is very messy and tricky.

[fundonny]

If you need someone to install it, professionally, my brother in law does it for a living.

[sandbagger72]

the only thing i dont like about finishing it myself is the smell. it's like throwup. plus you have to rent a machine. but it is very simple.

[Sakuraba]

Another cost you may not have considered is the baseboard and door trim. If you are replacing carpet, you may have to replace all the baseboard and door trim as well, whcih is as big a job as laying down the flooring. And if your spouse chooses a larger baseboard (or different one) you may also have to replace the window trim!

Also, if you are raising the floor (hardwood is either 5/8" or 3/4" thick as opposed to carpet, you may also have the joy of having to remove any interior doors, and cut them down appropriately.

For me, this was a BIG diy project (And I worked for a home renovation contractor for almost 2 years) but the results were worth it. I wound up getting the pro I used to work for to help me, though. I also got him to buy the prefinished flooring at hom depot with me, and he got another %25 off.

[Shivas Irons]

And if your spouse chooses a larger baseboard (or different one) you may also have to replace the window trim!

So don't let your wife choose the baseboard - surprise her and save $$!