What is the hardwood floor installation cost? Doing a hardwood floor installation estimate must take into account a lot of items. The final hardwood floor installation cost really depends on the agreement that you strike with the installation company and how much work you are willing to do yourself.
Our last post discussed all of the components and now we will talk about those items you can easily do yourself to minimize the hardwood floor installation cost and save you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars depending on the size of the job.
Hardwood Floor Installation Cost – DIY
Most people do not want to lay the floor themselves since they are concerned that they may make a mess of it, however, there are lots you can do which will contribute to reducing the overall cost of the hardwood floor installation. Various hardware stores that sell hardwood flooring also offer training courses as enticements to make your purchase from them. if you would prefer to lay your own floor to further control the cost, then taking one of these courses is an excellent idea.
The items we discussed in the last post consisted of
- Preparing your Space for a New Hardwood Floor
- Choosing your Hardwood Floor Material
- Installing a Sub floor (if needed)
- Hardwood Floor Installation
- Installing the Baseboards
- Clean Up
More Details
All of these items can be done by do it your self consumers, however, if you are concerned about laying the hardwood floor, then why not try to do the other things to reduce some of the installation cost.
Preparing your Space for a New hardwood Floor: This one is pretty easy to do for most people. Move all of the furniture out of the room and remove the existing carpet and flooring. Nail down the existing plywood if there are any loose areas and remove any staples or other material that might make the floor uneven.
Installing a Sub floor (if needed): That is the easy part. Laying a new sub floor to strengthen the main floor can also be completed by almost any consumer. However, you will need some tools for this work. Lay the 4 by 8 sheets across the joists and nail them into the joists. You will need to cut the sheets of plywood to fit in the corners and at the end of the walls.
Installing the Baseboards: The new baseboards can also be easily installed by do it your selfers. However, you will need to have the proper tools to cut and nail the baseboard on the wall. Also caulking compound will help to deal with any imperfections, nail holes and joints that do not fit properly.
Clean Up: Cleaning up is not that hard to do and will reduce your hardwood floor installation cost a lot. Remove all small pieces of wood that cannot be used. Sweep up all sawdust and give the room that has the new hardwood floor a thorough cleaning. It is amazing just how much dust is created. It gets on everything when a hardwood floor is being laid.
Installation Summary
The total hardwood floor installation cost can be reduced to the cost of the material and the labor cost to install the floor. This saves a great deal of money for the consumer. As long as you are prepared to do a bit of work, the cost of hardwood floors can be quite reasonable. The installers really do not like to do these other jobs as well. So if you are willing to pitch in and help they will appreciate it.
Comments are welcome about the cost to install hardwood floors, especially if you have the experience and knowledge.
June 27th, 2012 on 6:06 am
this is a really great resource. Keep doing more posts on hardwood floors, maintenance and care of the floors especially