OT: Anyone know approximate cost to rip out tile and install wood laminate?

[fredo4]

We are finally buying a house and I’m trying to figure costs. Thanks!

[Coronita]

$1….

But seriously, you can start with sqft approximately of the place that needs to be ripped out.

[an]

It depends on who you hire, but I got tiles rip out for $1/sq-ft. I got my bamboo flooring installed for $1.50/sq-ft.

[Oni Koroshi]

[quote=AN]It depends on who you hire, but I got tiles rip out for $1/sq-ft. I got my bamboo flooring installed for $1.50/sq-ft.[/quote]

Wow, that’s an amazingly low cost for wood floor installation. Was it floated on a plywood subfloor? I’m guessing that’s not including the installation materials because I paid about that for just the glue and moisture barrier, not including all the time and effort it took to get my concrete subfloor flat.

Back on topic, if you’re taking the time and money to get rid of the old tile, why go with laminate? I know not everyone has a huge budget but in the long run, wouldn’t it be better to save a little longer and get real wood?

[The-Shoveler]

hmm
First I am No expert on flooring, but.

As long as you have clearance for things like doors etc…
And you can live with floating the laminate floors instead of Glue (makes it easier the next time you want to change it again).
Why not just float the new floor on the tile ?
ie.. put the underlayment down on top of the tile.
I have installed laminate flooring before, takes me about 1 day to float a room working slow and careful.
Quality Laminate can hold up better than real wood in some cases as it does not absorb stains etc..

[an]

[quote=Oni Koroshi]Wow, that’s an amazingly low cost for wood floor installation. Was it floated on a plywood subfloor? I’m guessing that’s not including the installation materials because I paid about that for just the glue and moisture barrier, not including all the time and effort it took to get my concrete subfloor flat.

Back on topic, if you’re taking the time and money to get rid of the old tile, why go with laminate? I know not everyone has a huge budget but in the long run, wouldn’t it be better to save a little longer and get real wood?[/quote]
It’s floated on moisture barrier. It’s also on concrete. Yes, that price is labor only. Materials are extra.

I agree that everyone might not have the budget to do it, but my personal experience is that, the biggest cost of the project is usually the labor, so upgrading to high end real bamboo was a no brainer for me.

[Hobie]

You probably have considered this already but the best time to do the floor is when the house is empty. Same with paint ( before the floor)

If you are a bit handy or pissed at the election, grab yourself a small sledge, good eye protection, and a wide cold chisel and you can smash and remove the tiles. This will save some money.

One difference between real wood and laminate is the durability. Real wood looks best and does not have that hollow sound when you walk on it. But– it will ding, show dog nail marks, heel marks,etc. So if you have kids, laminate is the way to go.

One thing that can get costly is leveling the floor. It is tricky, even if you try the self leveling stuff. Best to find a good floor man.

Floating floors can be a DIY project as mentioned.

Remember to figure in new baseboard too.

[The-Shoveler]

[quote=Hobie]
Remember to figure in new baseboard too.[/quote]

Sometimes you can get away with a cheap baseboard extender (well depending on the situation and how picky you or your family is).

[an]

[quote=Hobie]One difference between real wood and laminate is the durability. Real wood looks best and does not have that hollow sound when you walk on it. But– it will ding, show dog nail marks, heel marks,etc. So if you have kids, laminate is the way to go.[/quote]We have kids are still went with real bamboo. Dark cherry color at that. The first dent I noticed, but after a few, I stop stressing about it. No one else notice except for me. Most people don’t go and look at your floor to see if there are any dents. Now, if you a distressed real wood flooring, then the dent and scratch will just bend right in. Also, with real wood, you you always sand it down and restain. You can’t do that with laminate.

[fredo4]

The reason we are going with laminate and not wood is:

A. We’re poor
and
B. all of the other rooms already have laminate.

With four kids and two cats, laminate will be just fine for us. Thanks for all of the advice.

[outtamojo]

[quote=Hobie]You probably have considered this already but the best time to do the floor is when the house is empty. Same with paint ( before the floor)

If you are a bit handy or pissed at the election, grab yourself a small sledge, good eye protection, and a wide cold chisel and you can smash and remove the tiles. This will save some money.

One difference between real wood and laminate is the durability. Real wood looks best and does not have that hollow sound when you walk on it. But– it will ding, show dog nail marks, heel marks,etc. So if you have kids, laminate is the way to go.

One thing that can get costly is leveling the floor. It is tricky, even if you try the self leveling stuff. Best to find a good floor man.

Floating floors can be a DIY project as mentioned.

Remember to figure in new baseboard too.[/quote]

Yes, do not skimp on leveling the floor. If you do, seams that were perfect when you locked the planks together will open up later if your surface is uneven. Also, your baseboards will have have dips and corners will be difficuclt to join.

[Oni Koroshi]

[quote=outtamojo]
Yes, do not skimp on leveling the floor. If you do, seams that were perfect when you locked the planks together will open up later if your surface is uneven. Also, your baseboards will have have dips and corners will be difficuclt to join.[/quote]

You just need the floor to be flat, getting some of these slabs level is more work than it’s worth. I rented a concrete grinder to smooth out all the left over thinset but didn’t realize my subfloor wasn’t very flat. It looked to be ok with my 6′ level but I realized I still needed more work. I was able to get some people from G&A Sanding to come in and get everything nice and flat for the same amount it would have cost to rent the concrete grinder again.

Back on topic, you might want to look at installing the flooring yourself to save a lot on money. I just did the tile and bamboo flooring at my house for the first time. I did a glue down on a concrete slab and it was fairly easy, much easier than tile. I was working with 6’x6″ planks so I would think the smaller, lighter laminate pieces would be even easier. If you’re going to float it, it should be very easy if you’re working on a flat surface already.

[Author]

Posts