So you finally decided to get rid of your stinky, stained carpet. Good, it probably needed to be replaced a couple of year ago, but life is tough and you don’t always have the money for these kinds of projects. Now that you are looking for something to replace it with, there are so many options to choose from, and that’s just picking out which material to use for your new floors. Do you want to go with carpet, or maybe a nice wood floor? Perhaps you’ve heard something about vinyl or laminate flooring and want to investigate that as a potential option. With all of the options available, it can be a little overwhelming. Luckily, we at Ozburn-Hessey are here to help by providing a brief overview of what you can expect to pay for most of your flooring options.
Hardwoods
Wood flooring, including stuff like cork and bamboo options, are pretty hot right now. They look nice and add a certain visual flair you aren’t going to get from carpet, but is it cheaper? Hardwood is where you will find the most variations in price, since there are so many different options within the category to choose from. On the low end of the spectrum, using something like pine is going to cost between $3-$6 per square foot, whereas something on the higher end, such as mahogany or cypress, is going to run between $8-$14 per square foot, and that’s not including the installation costs.
A cheaper alternative that looks nice and is one of the most environmentally friendly options on the market is bamboo, which only costs between $2-$4 per square foot. Of course there are trade-offs, as the cheaper and lower end products tend to not be as durable as the higher end materials.
Other Residential Options
If the wood flooring, which usually ends up falling in the middle of the spectrum when it comes to cost, is too much, then you have to decide between carpet, laminate, and vinyl flooring. Stereotypes aside, all three can give your home exactly what you’re looking for without breaking the bank.
Laminate and vinyl are definitely the cheapest flooring options, usually running between less than a dollar to around $5 per square foot. If you are really on a money crunch, then these are the best options, but again, they won’t last and there are some issues with cleaning the surfaces and fading. It comes down to what you’re willing to pay for is what you get.
Carpets, on the other hand, are similar to wood flooring in that there are many, many options available, and with that comes a whole lot of factors to take into account when figuring out just how much you’ll be paying for new carpeting. Some people have paid as little as $200, while at the other extreme some have paid as much as $4,000.
Usually though, most people pay around $1-$11 per square foot for the actual carpeting and no more than $4 per square foot for the extras, like padding and labor costs.
This is only a brief guide to help you consider what you might need to pay for your new flooring, but the best way to figure it out is to give the professionals here at Ozburn-Hessey a call. We’re happy to offer our services, and will provide you with a free cost estimation so we can get things started.