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Flooring Installation Cost: What to Consider
When shopping for new flooring, homeowners often focus most of their time and energy on choosing the perfect option that offers style, performance, and comfort. Whether you prefer hardwood, ceramic tile, natural stone, or red oak, it’s important to also consider the costs of flooring installation. These costs will vary depending on the type of floor you choose and the specific requirements for its installation. Instead of viewing this cost as a burden, think of it as an investment in ensuring your home’s foundation is properly installed, providing greater peace of mind for years to come. In fact, many manufacturers require professional installation for their warranties to remain valid.
Here are some factors that will influence your installation costs.
Will you need to hire professional installers?
The type of flooring you choose will determine whether professional installation is necessary. For example, wood flooring installation needs can vary significantly depending on the product. Solid wood planks require more expertise to install, whereas many of today's engineered wood products feature locking systems designed to simplify installation and reduce the time required. According to HomeAdvisor, the average cost of installing wood floors in a 1,000 sq. ft. home is around $8,000. However, the total cost will depend on the type of flooring you select, specific installation requirements, and regional factors in your area. If installation costs are a concern, your sales professional can help guide you to more affordable options for your home.
Shopping Tip: Always take the square feet measurements of your home or rooms, plus a calculator (there's probably a calculator function on your phone), with you when you are shopping for flooring. This will help you get a fairly accurate idea of installation costs earlier in the process!
Can you take care of some of the installation process yourself?
If you have the capability to move furniture on your own, handle the delivery of the new flooring product yourself, as well as take care of cleanup and disposal of the existing floors, you will probably save some of your valuable budget. Some installers, or the flooring store you purchase from, may include one or all of these services in the installation cost if you negotiate them during the hiring process! It never hurts to ask or make preparations to handle these steps yourself in order to keep costs down.
What flooring materials and labor are needed for subfloor preparation?
Preparing the subfloor correctly ahead of time will most certainly aid a successful floor installation. Correct subfloor preparation is a vital factor to the sustainability of your flooring installation. It's not wise to put a valuable flooring investment over a subfloor that has not been treated properly, and this may also void your warranty. In some cases, especially if your home is newer, you may not need to factor much of a flooring materials expense other than glue or adhesive, because your subfloor has no issues. However, if your subfloor is uneven or you want to put padding down before the floor is installed, material costs are a proper consideration. When it comes to carpet, you do not want to skimp on the carpet padding in favor of cheap, thin padding that you will later want to upgrade. Again, ask your sales professional if any labor costs associated with preparing your subfloor can be bundled with the overall job cost.
What finishing work, sealing, and trim is required?
Determining the sealing and trim involved for your installation will be dependent on the construction of your home or room, plus the type of flooring you select. However, if your new flooring will require trim, molding or sealing, stay ahead of the surprise costs by using a tape measure to create a home blueprint that accurately measures the dimensions of the rooms receiving new floors. You will need to know the perimeters of the rooms specifically, as opposed to the square footage. Some installers will charge differently for tight spaces so it helps to have a measured blueprint ready for estimating installation costs as well. If you have any uncertainty in creating an estimate, it's always better to err on the side of caution and invite a professional to come out and help you take accurate measurements. A professional will also know how to factor in for any extra material needed to cover any waste from cutting pieces to the correct size.
The key to all of these thoughtful considerations is to prepare in advance so that your final project cost will not be a surprise and to ensure lasting enjoyment once your beautiful floors are finished!