Comments on: What is a good hardwood floor to install yourself?

By: clyde s

clyde s — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:08:52 +0000

Hardwood will run you around 6.50 a foot installed for a standard material. You can buy laminate for 1.29 and install it yourself. Uniclic makes the best locking system for the DIYer. Labor for lam is usually around 2.50 a foot. Wood adds value, laminate is more durable. Both don’t like water!

By: sutla

sutla — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:36:04 +0000

laminate is easiest and probably cheapest and hold up well to pets (dogs).
If you buy the prefinished hardwood and install it yourself you will have to buy or rent a special hammering tool and have a limited color option.. Third option is to buy unfinshed hardwood and then have it sanded and stained to any color you want. The disadvantage of buying the pre-finished hardwood is that the floor is not perfectly smooth when youre done. you can feel the ridges between some of the planks with your foot. Also real hardwoods dont hold up to dogsvery well. Their nails will scratch up the finish in less than a week.

By: floor.refinisher

floor.refinisher — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:11:18 +0000

I have installed al types. Laminate is the easiest but you can install the prefinished flooring yourself too. its a bit more time consuming. but you can rent the tools to do the job. its not as hard to do as one thinks, but it is physically hard on some one if they are not use to doing a lot of bending.
good luck…

By: sbleter

sbleter — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:07:54 +0000

Laminate flooring without a doubt. I worked with a single lady a few years ago that did 3 rooms in her house all by herself. She is no Norm Abrahams either. Showed me pictures afterwards, stellar looking floor! It is also about 1/2 the cost of hardwood. If you’re unsure of your abilities or simply don’t want to, have someone do it for you, it won’t break the bank.

By: beachedcelt

beachedcelt — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:34:09 +0000

get the bruse prefinished..easy to install if you have right tools. if you get unfinished you will have to pay for sanding and finishing

By: mr.obvious

mr.obvious — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:22:53 +0000

Snap together is easy to lay down but one big draw back is that you can only damp mop it, if you have a spill or wet mop it, the seams will swell and your floor will look wavy. Take a envelope and write on it floor money and add to it every week until you have enough to do a real floor by a real pro. Don’t have a contractor/framer or a finish/ carpenter do the job, only someone who does strictly floors. To many guys bid a job and get their drunken buddies to do it and the home owner get screwd. and old saying, Let the Doctors do the doctoring and Let the lawyers do the lawyering. Don’t hire a rough framer to do the finish flooring.

By: builderguy

builderguy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:25:34 +0000

I have laid both types. In my area of Louisiana, material general costs from $1.75 to $6.00 per sq.ft. and labor from 0(if you lay it your self) to $6.00 per sq.ft. Generally a snap together floating laminate is the least expensive and easiest to lay. Real wood being the most expensive and most time consuming. If you have a Sam’s in your area they usually have a laminate that is about $1.75/sq.ft. and very easy to lay.
Hope this helps.

By: Glenn B

Glenn B — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:11:33 +0000

I strongly suggest that you hire this to be done. The price difference isn’t really the biggest thing in my mind. A laminate floor will look like just what it is, fake. A true hardwood floor will add lots of value to your townhome and will last a lot longer. There are lots of options either way, but I feel the best for your money will be real wood. Just make sure you get 2 or 3 estimates, and have them price out a laminate as well. Installing these floors is a lot more work than you may realize, and finishing them is even a bigger job.