what is the rough going rate for installing laminate today?

N

noMoneyBackin2011

Member
was at the design studio for a rowland property - i had gone in with the mentality of "listen to talkirvine - they had a thread that suggested, if anything, upgrade wet areas and upgrade the countertop".  Well I forgot that the counter top are fixed (i.e. can't upgrade it).  So the plan was to upgrade the tile, and then go with a standard carpet, which I would get upgraded later.

So then I burned about 2-3 hours at least selecting the type of tile i would want to see in the property.  At the very end, i came to the conclusion i need to go back to the model home to see/walk through because its insanely difficult matching 6x6 in^2 squares of colors.

When i walked into each model home, I realized one big thing: the whole space shared a common tile.  If I were to break out the kitchen with a different tile than the living room (or in this case, carpet), it would kill the open concept feeling.  But, I don't want this upgrade to be done by the builder and then get taxed on it during appraisal time.

So now I'm thinking of just taking standard everything despite how ugly it looks.  Now, I'm more of a functional guy - quartz over granite so I don't have to think about it at all.  On the same note, I'm attracted to laminate because its so durable, and at least for 2017, it doesn't look half bad!  If I were to place laminate all over, I wouldn't have to worry as much.  Given that the pricing is also quite excellent, I could select a more high end laminate. 
But when I used the calculators, I'm coming back with averages from as low as 7K to as high as 20K+ for covering ~2000 sqft. Obviously I don't plan to laminate everywhere (i.e. I'd probably prefer carpet in bedrooms but I'd need to walk through everything again to make sure that makes sense to me)...but I'm definitely thinking about most of the space.

So that brings me back to my point: what is the approximate going rate to install laminate and remove the existing flooring today in IRV?  Do most places here just focus on a sqft basis?
 
YellowFever said:
In one of my rental condos, I used a Mexican guy on craigslist and I had laminate done. We agreed on $180 for the master bedroom.  So what is that, about 120 square feet. And yes, I bought the laminate (7 or 8 boxes worth) from a Rowland Heights factory. What's good about that factory was that I could return any left-over un-used boxes, and I did get my money back.  I forgot how much it was, but it was like $1.20 a square feet.

These guys are hard-working. He worked non-stop for hours going in and out of the home to cut the boards.

If you go to that store in Culver Plaza that does flooring, "Thompson's Flooring" I think..expect to pay a lot more!

If you have 1000-1500 sq feet to do, and you supply the materials, I think the Mexican guy would do it for $1000-1200 bucks easily!  He will bring his tools though: machine saw, ruler, knife, etc.
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Yeah but i need to be careful because I don't want to damage/mess up the wet areas in case its done wrong and you get water damage because of a poor job (or so I'm assuming - isn't that why everyone says if you can upgrade the bathrooms with the builder, do it?)

edit:now that I think about it, might it make more sense to upgrade the bathrooms through the builder, and then just do the whole living area separately?
 
YellowFever said:
In one of my rental condos, I used a Mexican guy on craigslist and I had laminate done. We agreed on $180 for the master bedroom.  So what is that, about 120 square feet. And yes, I bought the laminate (7 or 8 boxes worth) from a Rowland Heights factory. What's good about that factory was that I could return any left-over un-used boxes, and I did get my money back.  I forgot how much it was, but it was like $1.20 a square feet.

These guys are hard-working. He worked non-stop for hours going in and out of the home to cut the boards.

If you go to that store in Culver Plaza that does flooring, "Thompson's Flooring" I think..expect to pay a lot more!

If you have 1000-1500 sq feet to do, and you supply the materials, I think the Mexican guy would do it for $1000-1200 bucks easily!  He will bring his tools though: machine saw, ruler, knife, etc.
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Toxic laminate from China?  I guess it's a rental so you DGAF.
 
Chinese made laminate flooring compromises on the adhesive and the fast drying finish on the decorative simulated wood surface. It exceeded the toxicity level by 1000% it nearly bankrupt Lumber Liquidator. It's threat was direct contact to skin and breathing vapor in a confined space. The only solution is to remove it from premise and please don't put it in the trash because it will end up at the Bowerman Landfill and will ultimately end up at elevation 300.
 
We had the Costco laminate installed.  It is rated for wet areas as well.  Cost was $2.50 per sq foot through a GC.  We went craigslist first and had to fire the person halfway through job.  It looked like crap and it made sense why it was only $1 per sq ft. GC provides warranty and has already come back because we felt like it was slanted at 1 corner.
 
OCVillager said:
Anyone had recent experience with Costco laminate flooring? How was the pricing for laminate as well as for installation?
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Hi! I'm an Interior Designer and have done projects with a reputable General Contractor in the area. If you purchase your own materials, you are looking at an average of $5.00 to $6.00 per square foot for installation on top of the cost of your materials. You will also need to purchase the glue which is about $50 for a tub that covers about 250 square feet. Another thing to keep in mind is the condition of the surface that the laminate floor is going on. Whether it is concrete or wood, it should be in good condition. If it needs to be resurfaced, you may need to factor in the costs to have that done. Hope this helps! :)
 
If you're going to live there awhile, I suggest try the real hard wood floor or engineering at least.
Laminate is looking better now days, but it will still feel fake and you will regret it. Something timeless would be a good choice rather than trendy looking crap which will look so outdated in 5 years.

 
Mety said:
If you're going to live there awhile, I suggest try the real hard wood floor or engineering at least.
Laminate is looking better now days, but it will still feel fake and you will regret it. Something timeless would be a good choice rather than trendy looking crap which will look so outdated in 5 years.
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I agree with Mety. If it is your primary home, not a rental, and you plan to be there for some time, it is worth the investment to put in higher quality flooring. In my opinion, it not only adds to the value and improves the aesthetics of your home, but will also give you greater senes of pride of ownership.

There are affordable flooring options out there. Floor and Decor is a great place to look at wood flooring options, including Bamboo. The look of Bamboo flooring has improved so that it looks more like real wood and is a more economical option. Have you considered any other types of flooring besides wood? I know wood is popular, but there are lots of beautiful and functional options available out there!
 
Who still puts laminate in 2018??? Check out SPC or WPC flooring if you are looking for something that in not wood. You're welcome.
 
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