The price of a wood flooring is not only determined by the flooring material but is also dependent on several other factors. Read on to know more..
Wood flooring is one of the finest forms of flooring. It not only reflects the aesthetic taste of the homeowner but also brings grace and class to any home. Needless to say, it is one of the most popular choices for flooring. However, one thing that goes against wood flooring is its high price. Not everyone can afford the very expensive hardwood flooring. Also, the installation of hardwood flooring is pretty tedious and often needs to be done by a professional, which further adds to the cost. Besides, there are several other things that need to be considered while estimating the cost of a wood flooring. So, all in all, wood flooring is an expensive affair.
Factors Affecting Wood Flooring Cost
Cost of the Materials
Cost of the materials is one of the major factors that influences the total wood flooring installation costs. However, the material cost would depend upon the type and variety of hardwood you go for. Typically, the cost of hardwood is around USD 5 to USD 15 for hardwood planks. On an average, the hardwood planks may cost you somewhere between USD 1100 to USD 1700 for a 12×12 foot room. Bamboo planks for wood flooring come cheap, at about USD 6 per foot.
Cost of Equipment
You can either rent some of the equipment required or may opt to buy them. These include circular saw, drill or driver, yard broom, pry bar, straight edge, caulking gun, tape measure, putty knife, utility knife and hammer. If you need to remove the existing flooring, then you might have to rent some additional equipment such as scraper. Inquire with your local equipment hire shop about their cost per day.
Professional’s Fees
As mentioned above, hardwood floor installation is a laborious job and requires certain skills. Thus, if you have no expertise in this area, you are likely to hire a professional to do the job for you. This would increase your budget for hardwood floor installation. The professional installers charge anywhere between USD 2 to USD 8. Ideally, you should invite an estimate from at least 3 installers before zeroing on one. The cost of installing prefinished hardwood flooring is likely to be less than cost where finishing has to be done after installation.
Other Costs
Wooden flooring costs are likely to be influenced by other costs such as transportation of wood planks or labor required to unload the planks. Also, the cost of products required for finishing or decorating your newly installed wood flooring should also be taken into account while preparing a budget for wood flooring. Custom borders or patterns are great ways of enhancing the look of your wood flooring. But then, you will have to spend another dollar or two per foot.
Cost is often the deciding factor for many homeowners who wish to install wood flooring. However, you can always hunt for discount stores where you might get flooring material at cheaper rates. But then, you might not get too much variety in terms of material, if you are opting to buy it from a discount store. Discount stores are a cool option if you are not particular about matching wooden planks in all the rooms.