Is this a good price for having a floor installed?

[Onion69420]

My floor is beyond fixing so I had an estimate of removing it and replacing with wide plank pre finished 3/4 inch hickory.
The room is about 500 square feet.
I got a quite of 5600, that includes ripping out the old floor, putting in the new floor and installing new molding.
Not sure if that's a decent price or not?

 

[user 4883]

Hard to say, don't have all the variables.
Get 2 additional quotes that will give you a general consensus of cost.

 

[oldognewtrick]

What type of floor are they removing, what type of flooring are they installing? Are they moving furniture, appliances? Does it require finishing?

 

[Onion69420]

Removing a wood floor and that quote does include moving furniture. Floor quoted was prefinished hickory

 

[slownsteady]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. Did you go with the quote? I don't think it's out of bounds, but there are still variables.

 

[Onion69420]

No, I didnt. I got another quote which was 5200, basically the same price, but then he said the floors can be refinished if he replaces a few boards and trowel fills the gaps, which are big and many. He did say that the filler will start cracking in a few years and then the floors will need replacing. I have 3 year old twins so I think if I cam get a few years on the floors...and the twins lol, then replace the floors, that would be best.
Floors are so bad now that they give us splinters so something has to be done..

 

[slownsteady]

So in the first quote you are buying new wood floor, 3/4" prefinished hickory. Floor gets installed in a day (maybe two).
In the second quote, you are buying a few boards and the rest of the money is for the labor to take sawdust and glue and trowel that into the gaps. Hopefully, sanding and staining and polyurethane are included in that. Floor will be refinished in about 4-5 days.
Is that a fair summary of the two quotes?
And in a "few years" you will be looking at $5K+ all over again.

 

[Bob Reynolds]

I would like to see some pictures. You are being quoted $10.40 a square foot which does not seem like a bad price to remove and replace a hardwood floor. The material cost alone is about $5 a square foot for prefinished 3/4 true hardwood hickory flooring. However it might not be such a good price if the floor is not hardwood. This is a one day job for a professional.

Exactly what kind of floor do you have now? You mention that you will be replacing the floor with pre-finished hickory. Is this a true hardwood or some other material? How is the new floor going to be attached?

Another possibility is to go with a luxury vinyl plank. They look and feel like wood, but they cost less to buy and are much easier and quicker to install. However your subfloor has to be in good solid condition to use this material.

Removal and replacement of a floor can be a DIY project. Have you considered this possibility? You have a lot of folks here that can help guide you though the process in addition to numerous youtube videos. Maybe a friend can help you with this project.

One other thing (for you and others that might be interested in this type of project) is that tools to remove and replace flooring can be rented at the tool rental centers. (TaylorRents, Sunbelt, Home Depot, etc)
The folks that work at the tool rental centers can help you select the right tool and instruct you on the process. They are used to these types of questions. It's a simple matter of calling the rental center and telling them about your project and asking them what tools they have that will help you accomplish this project.

 

[bud16415]

I have been watching a 2 & 3 year old a couple days a week, so I have an idea what you are up against.



If you are on a budget and waiting a couple years is an option, I would be waiting more than a couple. I would do the minimum to make what you have safe. Normally splinters show up in wood floors here and there from wearing off of the finish and then moisture spills and just wear and tear. I would do it DIY first gluing down the splinter spots or hand sanding them off. Clean the floors and give them a good coat of water based poly.



They won’t be a show house floor, but will hold up till the kids bike riding moves outdoors. Save up and in a few years get a pro job done. It might mean a couple nights at grandmas house or a motel. Much cheaper than doing the job twice.

If you have the money and just want it done right go with option one and get them ripped out and replaced.

 

[ekrig]

Between refinishing and new floor, I would go with the new floor option any day, especially with such a small difference in price. I tried refinishing my floors 2 years ago and the dust basically just gets everywhere, not to mention that the result really wasn't good. Although the second part is largely because of my inexperience, my experience is that refinishing is something to avoid as much as possible. Unless putting a new floor is going to cost more than double that of refinishing I would think that is clearly the best value because you get a brand new floor which will truly look good, should last longer, and save you the pain of the refinishing experience.

For reference, I plan to install wide vinyl floor plank over the refinished floors later this year. I could have done the exact thing last time and would have saved me a ton of aggravation.

 

[slownsteady]

Good point. Laminate or vinyl can be installed right over the existing floor....unless it is not level and even. Much cheaper to install, and a clean job. But the OP seemed to have a preference for hardwood.