We want to install real hardwood, NOT laminate, in our living room and bedrooms. We have been pricing it out and it will be about $1600+ just for the dinky 200sq living room. That is way over our budget so I wanted to find out how hard it would be to do this ourselves. The living room is a perfect rectangle, concrete flooring, 1st floor. I've found the wood I want, that price isn't too bad, it's the installation price that is killing us! I've been to Home Depot and a few local flooring places. Any advice would be great, thank you!!
2007-09-22 19:02:17 · 17 answers · asked by NoFrillsM 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Labor is pricey but for good reason. Putting down hardwood flooring is not an easy job. I've tried to do many projects myself to save money and ended up wishing I had just put the bucks out there. (Example, it took my husband and I two full months to put up a 28' round pool this summer. The job would have cost us $1000 from a local pool installer. But we ended up spending $700 ourselves and did a TON of work in 100 degree temps--when hubby had the time from work to do it.) We should have just paid somebody else to do it, do it right and do it quick.
Have you tried looking around to find a local handyman who could do this for you at a reduced price? I wanted a ceiling fan wired into a vaulted ceiling...and a local "major hardware chain" priced $250 to do the job. A local handyman/electrician only charged us $100 and did a very professional job. If you go this route I suggest you get reputable references and go with someone who at least pays for advertising. Anything less and you may be getting a total shoddy job.
2007-09-22 19:34:03 · answer #1 · answered by just me 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Installing Hardwood Floors Yourself
2016-11-16 16:37:31 · answer #2 · answered by brokaw 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2017-01-21 21:56:41 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One problem that you should be aware of is the flatness of your concrete floor. Second is that you will need to put down a "backing" down on the floor first.These are usually available for purchase at the same place as the flooring. It should come in a roll that you just roll out on the floor and can cut with a pair of scissors or box cutter. This allows the hardwood floor some "cushion" so it doesn't crack when weight is on it when there are slight variations on the flatness of the existing floor. Most sales staff are also good for "brain Picking and the flooring "kits" they sell today are fairly easy to install and can help you get the concept of why there are needs for an appropriate backing used before the actual wood floor is installed. Have fun.
2016-03-18 21:23:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
How hard is it to install hardwood floors?
We want to install real hardwood, NOT laminate, in our living room and bedrooms. We have been pricing it out and it will be about $1600+ just for the dinky 200sq living room. That is way over our budget so I wanted to find out how hard it would be to do this ourselves. The living room is a perfect...
2015-08-18 05:21:28 · answer #5 · answered by Cristian 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am 54, single mom, and designed my own home and have done roofing, tiling and other things. I am about to embark on doing what you are because the same reason...funds. My son just left Ideal Flooring where he was a warehouse mgr. and he told me two things. Make sure your underlayment is good. Meaning it will not rot and is a good moisture barrier. If your 1st floor does not have a basement...that means more moisture. Second, make sure of the warranty. It may specify installation must be done by a certified installer.
I am looking into interlocking systems as they vary and depth of flooring material. There is so much to learn. Steer clear of any installation by Home Depot. They contract out and it's been on the news how shoddy the work has been and no follow up. People have been ripped off badly.
In answer to your question, it's as hard as you make it by not reading and asking all you can before starting the project. I am in the middle of designing a mini-greenhouse...no books, just my knowledge and acquiring all items for free. I go to sites that are taking apart homes, etc. then getting the good "stuff", bricks, I-blocks, wood, storm glass, etc. and bring it back to build what I want or need. It's work, but fun. Oh, and Bob Villa, I was there in Dorchester when he did his first "house". He was never on site and treated the 20 yr old workers like SH##! I talked with them so I know. Bob is a phony who knew nothing about homes when he first began. He just knows how to manipulate others to make himself appear knowledgeable and rich. And, as Rooney says it, that's the story.
2007-09-22 20:32:05 · answer #6 · answered by S E 2 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I install hardwood and based on what you say considering your room it should not be real difficult IF you have the right tools and a little carpentry sense in you and your husband......
first off on a cement floor you will have to purchase glue instead of using nails and that can be a little more difficult.....you need properly notched trowel and you work at just a few boards at a time because the glue can set up too fast and they will not stick..secondly you need the right tools as far as cutting......table saw chop saw you need a saw to cut underneath door casings and you need to know what trim pieces you need for different doors..........
the actual process is not that hard but when you have experience it is so much easier....GL.......
2007-09-23 06:31:38 · answer #7 · answered by don_vvvvito 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A lot of good advice has been given too you. Firstly, I am a contractor but flooring is not my specialty so I paid to have mine done. I did help and what I found out was that there are many obsticals. First the floor needs to be almost perfectly level, if not your floor will eventually become bowed and useless. Also concider what is your return on the investment? My cotractor had all of the necessary tools and knowledge. A friend of mine ( a lady) tried her own and ended up using my contractor. You only get what you pay for.
2007-09-24 01:52:36 · answer #8 · answered by Kevin D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you're confident in your building abilities I'd go for it. However, I know from experience that putting in a hardwood floor encounters a helluva lot of unseen problems... uneven floor boards... uneven room sizes (even by an inch or 2)... but it may be worth it for a few hundred extra dollars.
2007-09-22 19:17:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Without reading any of the answers, this is not for the first timers or the persons without tools. If your willing to go the full length and go to Home Depot, their shop schools and find out How to put in Hard wood floors, then I'll give you a maybe.
Price doesn't have anything to do with it, it's the "hands on" the experience, the application, etc. I spent 45 years learning all the techniques and short cuts that took years to learn.
Your not going to learn in a week-end. It's hard work, you need specialized tools and the know how on how to use them.
Once you learn how to do it, good luck.
I agree with SE on Bob Villa, he has crap for brains.
2007-09-23 00:06:23 · answer #10 · answered by cowboydoc 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋