We are getting prices for a wood floor in the living room and dining room. What all do we need to know?

Question

We are looking at a Brazilian Walnut.

Yes, it is a Gilford Hardwood - Exotics line. 3/4", Aluminum Oxide Finish, 15 year warranty. Also, no crawlspace - our house has basement. Thanks.

Answer 1

first,.... make sure ur floor system can cover the warranty on the flooring.....floor joist can not be more than 19.2" on center, if 24" o.c. then the flooring is not covered under most/all flooring warranties.......

second.....make sure have the correct thickness in ur sub floor, must be 3/4" or greater......

make sure the sales person is quoting u 3/4 hard wood not 3/8...they r now starting to make hardwood in 3/8.......

make sure u have a vapor barrier under ur house on ur crawl space.......

make sure the installer puts down 15 lbs. felt on floor before installing hardwood......

if pre finished get at least a 15 yr warranty on the finish...aluminum oxide is the best finish now days.....

tell the sales person want a turn key price not a price per sq ft and another price for labor........this way u r not charged for wasted material from the installer....if they come up short then its on them.....


lic. gen. contractor

Answer 2

If you're going to install it yourself, be mindful that you'll probably want to replace the base moulding which will raise the cost a bit -quite a bit in some cases. The other thing is, I don't know if you mean a Brazilian Walnut laminate or solid BW. If it's a laminate like Pergo or something similar, be aware that the moulding and all the other little things they don't tell you about, is incredibly expensive! You can save a lot by using regular wood moulding with a matching stain and it looks fine and is much easier to work with.

Answer 3

First get a contract. Specify in this contract exactly what you will provide the contractor and what you expect the Contractor to do.

You can still be friends with a contractor but to protect yourself and the contractor work with a contract.

Some things to specify: Start of project, end of project, Clean up, responsible for broken or stolen items, Back ground checks on those to enter your house. Who takes the furniture out, who puts it in, who cleans up, who gets the extras or scraps, Bathroom privileges, drinking water, smoking in your house, Penalty for late starts or finishing, hours expected to work.

Answer 4

the prices you get make sure it's for first quality wood not cabin grade means second quality and it does not have a warranty from the manufacturer first quality does have a warranty ,cabin grade could be much cheaper also just do you're home work and good luck

Answer 5

Square footage.........maybe ask about the care and preservation of the floor once installed!