01-13-2008, 09:32 AM
Hey all. A quick question about hardwood and getting it installed. We would like to get this done this Spring and I'm looking for recommendations /feedback both good and bad.
Thanks!
Thanks!
01-13-2008, 09:32 AM
01-14-2008, 11:16 AM
We did it ourselves and ended up with professional results. It's fairly easy to do but it's hard on the back. I ended up renting the tools from Home Depot for the weekend and with the help of a friend we were able to cover about 500 sq ft in 2 days. We were sore as hell, not because we're out of shape but because our bodies weren't used to bending that way for 24+ hours. Some advice if I were to do it again:
1) I'd buy instead of rent the tools. Home Depot sells the hardwood nailer they have for over $600. My 2 day rental cost was approx. $145 after taxes and insurance. After using it, I think it's overkill for a weekend job. A smaller but just as useful nailer can be yours for a mere $200 if you know where to look. We nearly killed ourselves rushing to get done on the second day to avoid a 3 day rental. It would have only taken a day and a half If I had followed my next suggestion.
2) If you do end up doing it yourself, get a back brace. There isn't any heavy lifting involved but being bent over for much of 24 hours takes its toll on your back. By the second day we were so sore that we moved about 1/2 the speed as the first day.
3) If you have a gas fireplace in the room where you're laying the floor, rent the undercutter from Home Depot. It's about $12 for a 4 hour rental which is more than you'll need. With all the small cuts on the front of the fireplace, it is next to impossible to match your cuts to the front trim. With the undercutter, you can set it to the exact height of the floor boards and slide them underneath for a nice clean finish.
4) If you're not a DIYer and want to hire a pro stay away from Home Depot. They charge a rediculous amount for their very limited selection of flooring AND are even more outrageous with their install fees. For example, they charge over $3.50 per sq ft for install. I was quoted by a specialty shop at a rate of $1.50 per sq ft which is a huge difference in cost over 500 sq ft. I'm not sure what the policy is here so PM me if you want more info on a place to get hardwood flooring and installation at a good price.
1) I'd buy instead of rent the tools. Home Depot sells the hardwood nailer they have for over $600. My 2 day rental cost was approx. $145 after taxes and insurance. After using it, I think it's overkill for a weekend job. A smaller but just as useful nailer can be yours for a mere $200 if you know where to look. We nearly killed ourselves rushing to get done on the second day to avoid a 3 day rental. It would have only taken a day and a half If I had followed my next suggestion.
2) If you do end up doing it yourself, get a back brace. There isn't any heavy lifting involved but being bent over for much of 24 hours takes its toll on your back. By the second day we were so sore that we moved about 1/2 the speed as the first day.
3) If you have a gas fireplace in the room where you're laying the floor, rent the undercutter from Home Depot. It's about $12 for a 4 hour rental which is more than you'll need. With all the small cuts on the front of the fireplace, it is next to impossible to match your cuts to the front trim. With the undercutter, you can set it to the exact height of the floor boards and slide them underneath for a nice clean finish.
4) If you're not a DIYer and want to hire a pro stay away from Home Depot. They charge a rediculous amount for their very limited selection of flooring AND are even more outrageous with their install fees. For example, they charge over $3.50 per sq ft for install. I was quoted by a specialty shop at a rate of $1.50 per sq ft which is a huge difference in cost over 500 sq ft. I'm not sure what the policy is here so PM me if you want more info on a place to get hardwood flooring and installation at a good price.
01-20-2008, 08:11 PM
Go ahead and post those details. I'm sure it's fine!
We want to ours by spring also. If you shop around and do some negotiating, you could probably get an installer at $1.00 per square foot, and at that price it makes no sense to do it yourself.
We want to ours by spring also. If you shop around and do some negotiating, you could probably get an installer at $1.00 per square foot, and at that price it makes no sense to do it yourself.
Mancubus Wrote:
We did it ourselves and ended up with professional results. It's fairly easy to do but it's hard on the back. I ended up renting the tools from Home Depot for the weekend and with the help of a friend we were able to cover about 500 sq ft in 2 days. We were sore as hell, not because we're out of shape but because our bodies weren't used to bending that way for 24+ hours. Some advice if I were to do it again:
1) I'd buy instead of rent the tools. Home Depot sells the hardwood nailer they have for over $600. My 2 day rental cost was approx. $145 after taxes and insurance. After using it, I think it's overkill for a weekend job. A smaller but just as useful nailer can be yours for a mere $200 if you know where to look. We nearly killed ourselves rushing to get done on the second day to avoid a 3 day rental. It would have only taken a day and a half If I had followed my next suggestion.
2) If you do end up doing it yourself, get a back brace. There isn't any heavy lifting involved but being bent over for much of 24 hours takes its toll on your back. By the second day we were so sore that we moved about 1/2 the speed as the first day.
3) If you have a gas fireplace in the room where you're laying the floor, rent the undercutter from Home Depot. It's about $12 for a 4 hour rental which is more than you'll need. With all the small cuts on the front of the fireplace, it is next to impossible to match your cuts to the front trim. With the undercutter, you can set it to the exact height of the floor boards and slide them underneath for a nice clean finish.
4) If you're not a DIYer and want to hire a pro stay away from Home Depot. They charge a rediculous amount for their very limited selection of flooring AND are even more outrageous with their install fees. For example, they charge over $3.50 per sq ft for install. I was quoted by a specialty shop at a rate of $1.50 per sq ft which is a huge difference in cost over 500 sq ft. I'm not sure what the policy is here so PM me if you want more info on a place to get hardwood flooring and installation at a good price.
1) I'd buy instead of rent the tools. Home Depot sells the hardwood nailer they have for over $600. My 2 day rental cost was approx. $145 after taxes and insurance. After using it, I think it's overkill for a weekend job. A smaller but just as useful nailer can be yours for a mere $200 if you know where to look. We nearly killed ourselves rushing to get done on the second day to avoid a 3 day rental. It would have only taken a day and a half If I had followed my next suggestion.
2) If you do end up doing it yourself, get a back brace. There isn't any heavy lifting involved but being bent over for much of 24 hours takes its toll on your back. By the second day we were so sore that we moved about 1/2 the speed as the first day.
3) If you have a gas fireplace in the room where you're laying the floor, rent the undercutter from Home Depot. It's about $12 for a 4 hour rental which is more than you'll need. With all the small cuts on the front of the fireplace, it is next to impossible to match your cuts to the front trim. With the undercutter, you can set it to the exact height of the floor boards and slide them underneath for a nice clean finish.
4) If you're not a DIYer and want to hire a pro stay away from Home Depot. They charge a rediculous amount for their very limited selection of flooring AND are even more outrageous with their install fees. For example, they charge over $3.50 per sq ft for install. I was quoted by a specialty shop at a rate of $1.50 per sq ft which is a huge difference in cost over 500 sq ft. I'm not sure what the policy is here so PM me if you want more info on a place to get hardwood flooring and installation at a good price.
01-21-2008, 11:13 AM
The place I'm referring to is Brampton Hardwood. The bad part is they are not local but they are high volume so they have very good prices on quality hardwood. You can view their monthly specials on their homepage at http://www.bramptonhardwood.com.
Even at $1.00 per square foot I think I would still prefer to do it myself. I'm a DIYer and I'd rather put the $500 dollars I would have spent on installation into purchasing a better quality floor, but that's just me. If you're not willing or able then yes, $1.00 per sq foot is a very good price.
Even at $1.00 per square foot I think I would still prefer to do it myself. I'm a DIYer and I'd rather put the $500 dollars I would have spent on installation into purchasing a better quality floor, but that's just me. If you're not willing or able then yes, $1.00 per sq foot is a very good price.
01-27-2008, 09:35 PM
We used these guys, both to buy the floor and install
http://www.aafloors.ca/
we put in bamboo, and shopped around a ton, and they were the best price
the only negative is they are based in etobicoke, so it cost slightly more to have it installed...
http://www.aafloors.ca/
we put in bamboo, and shopped around a ton, and they were the best price
the only negative is they are based in etobicoke, so it cost slightly more to have it installed...