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Bowtieman427


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NOT car related Hardwood floors
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OK wife really wants hardwood floors and I have had 5 contractors in house. 2 have given estimates the other 3 will get back to me. 2 that did give me estimates are Sear and Empire (biggest ripoff outfits out there IMO). The other 3 are pros that do floors for living they range from $5-6ft^2 for finish and install not including materials. I found a mill that has wood that we like and have a good price they are sending samples. We want to go with hickory to have as much contrast and rustic look. 3/4" 3" wide solid site on finish.

Has anyone had someone put in Hardwood floors for them what do you look for in a good contractor? What finishes are ther best oil or water ? I usually do everything myself but this may be where I draw the line. My wife is growing impatient as she gets older and less willing to do work : )

If I were doing this myself I would go prefinished but we really like the site on finish idea. The cost will be about the same. plus it will set our house off real nice if done right.

The contractors are a little funny as I ask for a labor estimate and one if they provide materials. So far they just tell me $5-6/ft^2 labor if they install and do not get back to me on lumber or give me a hard number to work off of. They tell me to be careful what i get and there are mills they like.  I found one on my own and they are skeptical not even seeing the product yet (the mill is in TN) they show me nothing that they have accept webshots or they say they will email me phots but never do. At the same time they tell me they are looking for work yet are booked out to Feb. ??? I bet they are busy right now. Part of the reason I want to nail this stuff down is I am off till the 3rd plus if Ima getting the wood I like to order soon to give time to get hear and acclimate.  I have a lot to tear up before they get in here. I want to time this so we are not living in flux for weeks or months on at a time. It seems right now is a good time to buy wood as the prices just dropped.

We like this flooring as it is a mix of #2 and better tons of contrast and the pieces are nice and long mill tells me 2'-10' long no shorts. 3"wide. mills around here want $1 more a foot and offer much more knots (lower grade). They stell me the wood from TN will have more grey and blue and the wood around hear is so much better blah, blah blah...

here is the flooring we are most interested in so far and samples are on there way. I am no wood expert but it sure looks nice : 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=sF6KJwY0GPM&NR=1



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Jim  -- Pine Island, MN
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I have installed both unfinished and pre-finished 3/4" thick red oak in my house.

Unfinished will have a tighter fit as they don't bevel the edges but it takes more work as you have install, sand, sand, sand, stain, poly coat twice or more. If you have the time, don't need the area for awhile, don't mind the smell and no worry about air borne stuff like cat hair or dust, not a bad way.

Finished flooring was basically install and enjoy. I recall it was Columbia brand. The coating seems very durable (oil finish) and uniform (I would get all the wood from the same lot code so stain finish should be the same color).

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John E - Rogers, MN

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Dave Seitz


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My Brother inlaw does it and he uses the prefinished on the homes I have seen him work on. The good and bad with the prefinish is that he did need to go in and replace some boards that had something big and heavy gouge the floor. New wood matched perfectly to the old and it was 5 years since the install all pulled up and redone in a day. Finishing a floor off yourself ack, been there done that and it turned into a summer project. Started as just the living room floor and true to my form I wound up being asked to refinish the entire house. Plus repaint the walls and other assorted work, the neighbors thought I was the new owner.

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jim larson


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My son, who lives in AK, just got though doing his small condo, about 600 sp ft i n the living room, entry, and bedroom. Very little previous wordworking experience. Help a friend do his condo, then did his. Used this friends tools and rentals from Home Depot. My brother-in Law also did his whole first floor of a house he had built, had a helper. Go for it.

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Jim L

Lake City
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Ask the contractor to provide references then go look at those jobs. Most homeowners enjoy showing off their homes if they were happy with the job performed. Ask if the contractor started and completed the work on time and cleaned up their mess.

 
Know all cost before they start, know when they are going to start and when they are going to finish, your house will be turned upside down, the room will be off limits for a few days if they finish it in house. Make sure they have insurance and provide you with documentation stating so.


I prefer a poly finish but there are lots of good products out there. I also like to finish it in the house as it helps hide any install dings and makes for a smoother floor. It’s not that hard to do as others have stated, if you have the time to devote to it start to finish; the do it yourself method leaves more money for car parts.


I did a small pre finished floor in our dining room and I’m very pleased with it. If you decide to sand and finish the floor in the home, I would wait for warmer weather so you can open the windows. Some of the sealers can be very nasty. Hickory is a beautiful and very durable wood but it is also very hard on tools.



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Kevin

Northwestern Ohio
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