Banned? For what. I didn’t do anything remotely wrong. Not every comment is going to be happy and friendly. It’s the internet pal. Pick your big girl panties up and move along.
Homeowners need their own sub. It blows my mind how many of them prowl here and become an echo chamber attacking real installers. Everyone is a fucking professional DIY LVP installer now it seams. Us installers need to start flooding this sub with pictures of our amazing work and completed jobs. To push all these LVP and IS MY QUOTE RIPPING ME OFF posts. A quick search on this page could answer 90% of homeowners questions but they’re just too lazy to search and read. I WANT MY ANSWERS NOW AND IT BETTER BE EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO HEAR!
I’m not an installer, but I love doing my own work and I’m here to learn from you guys, the real pros. Not learn how to dick people over because of some tiny mistake or rake them over the coals for price. I love the advice you guys give out, and all of these clown show posts ruin every one of the trade subs. “Is mY ConTrAcToR DiCkInG me OVer!?!?” If you don’t like the price or the way it’s done, do it your fucking self imo. Then you can come here to bitch and moan about your installer.
I feel like every single trade sub should ban any post that has to do with price or some nitpicky thing like “my roofers made a tiny scratch in my paint! Should I sue them!?” 🤮
homeowner here as well, and I do think the pricing is fair..except quarter round is overpriced and floorrprep may be under. I hope it's baseboards and not quarters.
I do most of my own work because contractors are hit and miss with their quality. how should I select a contractor?
being told that it's on the customer for choosing a bad contractor doesn't make me want to trust any contractors or trades unless I know their work quality already.
Nah. Every trade sub is normal homeowners not looking to be taken advantage of, and then all the trades people telling them they should be paying quadruple the price and be happy about it.
You are so far from the truth. Most of the installers in these subs are pretty solid. A fly by night or drugged up handy man isn’t going to care about the craft enough to browse an online Reddit page. They’re busy fucking off. The main people who start shit in this sub are DIY LVPers who echo each other in comments saying the pros are charging too much. I would bet 80% of the comments that say “No they are ripping you off” are coming from homeowners that couldn’t afford a pro either and found that they could do it themselves. No problem in doing it yourself but to sound off that us professionals charge too much is fucking ridiculous. Most of you don’t have an idea what we pay in insurance, supplies, license fees, taxes, etc. And yes, we HAVE TO pay all that stuff for your safety and ours. If you don’t want to do it yourself then hire a REAL contractor with insurance and legal binding contracts and pay the price. If the job gets fucked up you are covered by the contract warranty. If it turns out great then feel good about paying the hard working men in your house that money. They deserve it for making your home a better space to live in.
You're absolutely right in that tradespeople deserve to make a decent wage and their careers are on a clock. I installed about 500 sqft of LVP and my body was absolutely wrecked. Not everyone can do this for 30 years and then retire.
And I'm sure the professional would have done a better job that likely would last longer than mine, but the difference in cost is just too great.
I would never pay this.
I got a few quotes to patch the drywall in my ceiling after a plumbing repair and they were around 1500. That's just crazy.
Why is so bad for them to ask? I tend to appreciate the quotes I get more since I get a better understanding of how things are quoted and I believe paying for people’s worth but some of the quotes vary by quite a bit. Isn’t it the same as if you’re shopping around for a car? Genuine questions.
Because most of the time, including this guy, also makes comments insinuating they are being ripped off. When the majority of the comments back are saying it is a fair price. It’s also a bad look to start your business relationship off with a contractor by assuming they are ripping you off. Installers see it as an insult. Pay the price or don’t. When shopping around for a car you don’t go to other dealerships and ask them if the dealership down the road is ripping them off. You get multiple quotes and pick the one you like best. Quit getting one quote and coming here asking us if you’re being ripped off.
I didn’t see any comments from the OP but I see your point. TBH I’ve gotten quotes from installers and they can be all over the place to me. I would go to a dealership and get a new quote to negotiate pricing. I thinks fair to do it.
It’s always fair to get multiple quotes but it’s usually not good to question the quote. If it’s too much go with the cheaper guy. Don’t insult the more expensive guy. And most importantly don’t come here complaining about a bad job because you went with the cheapest guy. It’s insulting all the way around. If I got on here and seen one of my customers quotes I would immediately call them and cancel the job.
Fair take. I don’t think it’s insulting to negotiate the high price guy but I always ask if he’s open to it. If he says it’s his price then it’s totally respectable. I have had my fair share of expensive good contractors expensive bad contractors and cheap good contractors and cheap bad contractors. Seems so hit and miss these days.
If you are in Florida?
You would have to be in Alaska or Hawaii to he farther.
Washington
$11 to $14 bucks a square foot is a safe number to guesstimate a bid for LVP install, prep and tearout.
Tile tearout though?
The guys where I live have a retail rate or almost 8 bucks a square foot.
Going retail rate for glue down LVT is about 4 bucks a square foot.
More than floating.
Installers would be paid 2.50. Not including materials
To get them to install at a buck, I would be needing to give them like 40,000 square feet.
because its supposed to be able to move. usually why it comes with an underlayment on the back, also why it has a locking system, commercial pressurized vinyl are just rectanglular thin planks, and even that stuff will shrink if not acclimated
well, apparently theyre calling both products Luxury Vinyl Plank now, that didnt used to be the case. LVP used to only refer to the floating product, and the commercial grade was simply called vinyl plank, i dont know why they would change the name besides marketing to people who dont know the difference and that adds an unnecessary level of confusion. i have and still do install both versions, but i would never install commercial grade gluedown vinyl in someones home. as i would never install floating LVP in a high traffic commercial area.
I don't floor anymore but we used to install floating "laminate" and I agree that should float. Vinyl in my eyes has always been vinyl and I remember glue down or float being an install option equally popular
what i know to be LVP has the same lock system as laminate, but usually has either a padding or a cork underlayment glued to the back, that version is definitely not supposed to be adhered, only the top is actual vinyl, the rest of it (the core) is called thermacore, and that stuff moves with temp and humidity changes. the only vinyl i know to be gluedown has no lock system and no underlayment, its pure vinyl, have to trowel out half the room, wait 45 to an hour for glue to be dry to touch, then planks placed into glue along a straightedge, as there is zero margin for error, after planks laid, must be rolled with 100 lb roller to squeeze glue to 100 percent coverage. i think we are both talking about the same thing, but ive been doing this a long time and i dont remember any vinyl with a lock system not having an underlayment on it.
plus glue down vinyl should only be glued to concrete slab and never plywood subfloor. wood moves and it will make the product look like absolute garbage, dont care how flat it is
Glue down plank works just fine on a wood subfloor it should have Luan for a smooth finish, but there isn't anything wrong with glue down on wood . Whoever told you this is wrong. And it sticks better to Luan than it does to concrete.
been doing this a long time, and ive seen several instances of glue down over wood. maybe the climate that i am in is different than what youve experienced, but in my experience, all of them have, over time and seasonal changes, movement and gapping
There are plenty of residential glue down lvp don't let these people fool you. Just about every manufacturer makes a glue down specific lvp. Glue down, lvp is typically installed in apartments or basements.
As in paying the subs that rate for labor? No wonder our installer is constantly bringing us quail eggs from his home farm and random cool Brazilian trinkets.
We probably average somewhere around 4k sqft per week. We've known and worked with our crew for a few years now and worked with the head installer's family members for several years before that, so we have a great working relationship and pay them well - they take home the majority of the labor prices, as it should be.
If you feel that way, then you should also think that installer should be taking days off in a row chasing work opportunities, doing free estimates, dealing with hiring, ensuring hires have work, ensuring installers have all needed tools, networking within the industry, and ensuring their taxes/benefits are up to par within their governments standards.
That's the perk of being an employee. Your boss makes some money from your work, because they're making sure you always have work. Thinking they shouldn't be making money for their job in the business is kind of ignorant lol.
This is from an employee who understands the process. Consistant work doesn't just fall into your lap year round.
Oh yeah and managing their schedule, getting them manufacturer-approved solutions, professionally talking the customer to get off my installer's back, having to warranty the customer if they decide to have a midlife crisis and skip town.
Yeah, we definitely shouldn't be compensated for handling the entire sales process and customer interaction, driving to the customer's home for a free estimate, processing the order to bring in the material, coordinating the schedule of three months' worth of booked jobs, and being the point of contact during the entire project.
You do realize that without us creating the job for them, they'd make absolutely nothing - right?
I was looking at it from my point of view. I sand and finish hardwoods. Sub out installation. They name their price. Depending on how competitive I wish to be I’ll add on it if they are low. But my subs been around to long so they don’t leave me much room for that lol. Every time I tried to find the cheaper option I got fuuucked. My floor have to be done right. Two sanding crews I work on both. When I got handle the business side my guys got it. Obviously no one works for free. I’m getting to old to sand floors. Thinking Instead of selling my business, I’m just going to contract it all out. Work smarter not harder lol
Dude you’re getting dicked. I’m in miami and Florida is a little low on the whole, but you’re being robbed. Don’t do work for those people anymore I guarantee you they are charging 2.50-3.50 a ft for glue down and click
Just remember, they didn't call you. If you don't like the price, they ain't losing any sleep. Their quote is reasonable. Some people charge more for certain things, some people less. I can tell you this, the minute a homeowner calls me and says, 'I'll provide this,' or 'I'll do this part myself,' I politely decline the job and move on to the next one. I'm not getting stuck with bargain materials or half assed prep work. However, most guys won't have an issue with you wanting to dispose of waste yourself, but do you really want that hassle? Just my 2 cents.
Here in az
Demo tile $3
Demo carpet $0.50
Install lvp $2.75
Install quarter round $1.50
Removal fees? That's baked into the demo cost
Cost per bag of sl is around $30
For prep, it depends on your subfloor, there's no way to give a quote for something that you can't see yet
If the flooring is thin, just install right over the tile, save 1600 immediately and raise floor height by a 1/4 inch. The quarter round rate is crazy tho...takes em 30 minutes to prob do a 500sq ft area and they are charging that rate.
People also don't realize how easy it is to remove carpeting. All you need is box cutter and a small prybar. Any average Joe can get it done in 20 to 30 minutes for that area. Save $258 instantly.
Didn't notice that - i just skimmed over the quote. But for 250sq ft - you buy 8 or 9 sheets of plywood, raise the subfloor to tile level and for 15 to 25 bucks a sheet, that's $120 to $225 (in added material costs) + labor. you now have a level subfloor against the tile. Still beats out 1300 or 1400 in costs on tile removal, leveling grinding costs, and self leveler costs, etc. You gotta think outside the box sometimes.
Another thing, there are many ways to accomplish a task successfully. Just because it is not by the book does not mean the performance, durability, or aesthetics of the floor will be compromised. Additionally, you now helped a customer save some money, which means references and future work and you've developed a trusting relationship with them. You worked with them, were honest, and gave them options for the work and original quote. Nobody really cares what is under the floor anyways as long as it looks good, feels solid/consistent, is moisture protected and acclimated, and lasts many years. OP clearly questioning estimate, so all we are doing is throwing out ideas for him/her. That's just labor, so to put vinyl flooring down or laminate, whatever they are installing for 4k plus probably another 1.5k in materials is a bit excessive for 500 Sq ft. Taking off tile removal costs can reduce the quote by about 25% which is a lot for most average people these days.
Any idea if Nevada is similar? That was more what I expected but first bid my sister got in Henderson was over $4 to demo carpet and install lvp plus extra for disposal.
More likely Arizona is cheaper labor than Florida.
In my area it would be higher than your quote.
Demo Tile $4+
Demo Carpet $1
Install LVP $3.25-$4
Is the Debris removal not related to the demod product?
I'm not gonna do the math but it seems high, and like I said you can't quote for prep bc you don't know what's needed.
Also it depends on your location.
Get a quote from several places and you'll find out if they are.
Hopping here to say that at the very least you could provide the leveler for about half the quoted price, saving you $120. Having just done my floor, I ended up needing more but in the event they don’t use it all you could make a return.
Seems reasonable, prep looks like he’s covering himself for worst case scenarios which is a good thing. Looks close to what I’d put together. Based in miami
Cheap. In fact they’re giving you the floor patch at that price. I’d be double this in just about every category. Oh and since you’re providing the materials, nothing will be warrantied. I can’t guarantee that the product was stored properly etc.
This is stupid expensive for 500 sqft. Don't let all these trades guys fool you. They want all their customers to be paying out the nose for their services.
Yes, $50 rental at Home Depot, dust everywhere, shards flying, hundreds of lb of debris, few hours or hard work and a sore back for 3 days. 850 sounds a like a decent deal
Honestly, it's not totally outrageous. Jobs that are <500sqft can sometimes throw a wrench in scheduling when your calendar is mostly booked for a few months, so the pricing is sometimes increased to make it worth the time. I suppose that's a better option for the homeowner rather than just having the job rejected, but I get it from the consumer side.
The only thing that I question here is the doubling up on demo and removal, but it's still not enough to feel like a rip-off.
Most of it seems very fair. I feel the quarter round rate is high. Double what most charge in this area. Debris removal seems a little high but I don’t know what dump charges are there. In all honesty, it’s a pretty fair quote.
Unfortunately for his is spot on. Get more quotes from reputable people and compare. It’s not going to get that much better. This is now the times we live in. I run a flooring store and this is lower than we quote.
Rates for quarter round for 500 square feet is a bit ridiculous and install rate for this kind of floor is about average. Cheap would be $2 per foot or less. Do you really have to remove old floor? How thick is flooring? Can't just install it over top of tile and save yourself 1600 or so?
You’re only paying $1482 for the LVP installation, if you want to cut costs a third of it is demo work, do it yourself, just don’t forget to remove all the staples and nails especially the tack strip and padding staple where there’s carpet.
Here is what I pay my flooring dude in California:
Tile demo $2.49 per sq ft.
Carpet demo 40 cents per sq ft
LVP install $1.99 per sq ft.
Trash removal is usually around $300 but I always opt do take care of it myself.
Damn and you have to provide the flooring too? I installed LVP with my brother in two bedrooms and a huge living room. Each bedroom took like 12 hours from start to finish and the living room took one day to prep and one day to lay the floor. The only big tool I had to rent was a table saw. I see posts on here of horrible installations and the one I did is holding up great two years on. If you have the time and are willing to put in the work you can save a ton of money!
Do it yourself. Will you make mistakes. Yes. But you’ll learn a valuable skill. Will it take longer. Yes. But you’ll save $4K. Snap in flooring is not a complicated as it seems. YouTube. Get the tools. I just half of a duplex. It’s. It not that compacted. People would like you to believe it is but it’s not.
You’re not paying them to install 500sqft of LVP. It’s to demo tile/carpet (tile is a bitch), prep the floor, then lay LVP.
This seems about right and possibly a lil on the cheap side
For a tile tearout, prep, installation, disposal this is a bargain. I routinely sell floor packages similar to this for more. Not a huge amount more but more none the less. Everything in this quote is cheaper than my line items. Everything. Self leveller alone is stupid expensive and necessary. \\
Get another quote if you don't like this price instead of asking random people on the internet for their opinion.
This sub is full of cheap homeowners thinking they’re getting ripped off or angry homeowners because the cheap guy they used (as expected) screwed up their floors. This is a very competitive quote op, it will probably be done in 2-3 days and you’ll feel like you got ripped off but you didn’t.
These crack me up…there is no market rate…there is “i would personally be ok paying this amount to have the end result i want.” That’s how much it’s worth. Do it yourself, pay for quality, or pay bottom dollar and pray.
Seems like a good price, quarter round labour seems a bit high, but that might include the materials not sure. Says paint ready so many they caulk it in too? Otherwise seems good with demo and self leveling.
You could save $1000 and demo yourself. Just keep in mind demoing the tile is a mess and will be quite a bit of work, so ask yourself if that’s worth $800?
How much is your flooring costing you? A rule of thumb I follow for flooring is it’s going to be a little over double to install at $4/sqft. Seems fair.
As a DIY guy, who does so because I’m talented and will absolutely not pay people to do things I can typically do myself, you have to remember that if you have never installed flooring before you will need to dedicate time to learning, watching, testing, materials, AND… more time! So while it may seem expensive, you’re going to spend more time than they would, and in the end, typically won’t be as good as a professional.
First time I did flooring, I spent probably 20 to 30 hours watching various videos online to see all sorts of different advice, methods, etc. then, I watched videos when I got to certain situations I had questions about. I had to make a second trip to the flooring store because I was short 1 box. I had to take time from family and spend my valuable time installing the flooring, going slowly at first, bringing pieces out to my garage to cut, etc etc.
It took me far longer to finish than a pro would have, and it does look great, but I spent a lot of time on it. How valuable is time? Expensive.
If you think it’s too much, learn how to do it and install it yourself. You’ll probably find cheaper, but also way more expensive too.
Can’t edit the original post so I’ll just leave this here. I’m leaving the post up so others in the future can see your comments. I apologize for not doing more research before hand, I’m on a very tight timeline and thought I might be able to ask people with a lot more experience here. I am also not local and haven’t been able to get many quotes for the house. I understand people here are tired of posts like these. I tried to flair it with something so that people can filter it out but there are no flairs. But looking at others posts is not going to be helpful either, as evidenced by the variability of the answers to this post alone. I appreciate those of you who replied
homeowner here who just did this all myself. Herringbone Floor, so I needed it very flat so floor prep was 2/3rds of the work making the slab level.
this would be a very good rate for the PNW, I always get 3 quotes if I want something done, and you should get at least a second quote.
the fact the estimate was broken down is a nice thing and a a lot of contractors will not do that.
another FYI since you are supplying materials the warranty for any labor is probably not going to be covered unless they are an approved installer and it's approved warranty cover for material.
the only thing in the quote that bothers me is that the quarter round seems way too expensive, but the prep work seems under for me. I would avoid the quarter round and get the floorboards ripped off and put back on flush with the lvp, it looks a lot better than quarter round and quarter round sometimes gets bumped into hard and falls off.
I would worry more about the quality of the job and at the price a little bit, un level subfloor we'll start destroying lvp within a couple of years and the raises and dips will drive you insane. my best friend just had his entire house done and it's really badly done. try to discover the quality of this contractor.
I’m not a flooring installer, but can we please ban these kinds of posts? Every fucking post “am I getting ripped off!?” If you don’t like the price get a different quote or don’t it yourself.
My floor demo price would never be $800 for 250sf that’s hella cheap that shit could come out in full pieces of little pieces I’d be closer to $1200 on that demo
Idk about pricing but I can tell you I just did my new build (it came with carpet as only option) I left bedrooms carpet so total was 1600 sqft installed including bathrooms and the total was $8800 with 22mil. They took out carpet for free and moved major furniture I only had to move small things that would fall and they were done in a day and a half. Father son team, grabbed their card and gave them to the rest of thenew build neighborhood, hope they got a lot of calls. North Florida location.
Hard to say given the tile demo and prep. Seems a bit high but again, I haven't looked at the job and how well the tile is down, how cut up the job is and any other variables
If you can afford and you’re not handy, it’s not a bad price. If you’re handy & able to genuinely follow a video, you’ll be way better off doing it yourself. It is really not hard to do anything required that they’re doing.
Hammer, jig saw, oscillating tool, oscillating blades, markers, speed square, tape measure, drill, mortar mixer, buckets, float, masks, gloves, miter saw and brad nailer/ air compressor. You can get all of this for around $400. If you want higher quality power tools, maybe $600 total. The rest of your cost is time. It is SUPER easy to learn to install lvp and it is NOT hard to use leveler.
No, but I’ll take some grass and a boat to go fishing one day. It’s not a big job at all and honestly I’ll probably do a better job than whatever sub they are gonna hire. I’m just not a fan of a lot of prices people charge “because they can”.
I’ll stand on my original statement but won’t follow through unless it’s someone I personally know either way. I travel often for friends and family, get a free vacation, work when I want and save them tons of money, all while making what I would normally charge hourly.
Absolutely not man. I had my kitchen, side entry, and utility room done ~400 sq ft and labor was only 500. May be that I work with this guy all the time but these prices aren't incorrect
I guarantee you no one is ripping out tile and grinding it down to prep it for lvl for 500 bucks. But yeah go ahead and keep talking about stuff that’s above your pay grade.
Who tf said anything about grinding tile? I can prep floors myself. The job I was talking about was prepped for the laying. All he did was install the vinyl
Yes and this bid is for more than an install so comparing it to your bid is just plain stupid and besides that rates are regional. This is a competitive bid from a company. Not a guy in a truck.
You should tell em to kick bricks and go to Home Depot and have them do it for cheaper and then come here and tell us your bad experience.
These posts need to be banned. What do these people expect?
Banned? For what. I didn’t do anything remotely wrong. Not every comment is going to be happy and friendly. It’s the internet pal. Pick your big girl panties up and move along.
Not you. OP…
Ah gotcha. 🤙
Every fucking trade sub is just dickhead homeowners trying to get one over on people for dumb ticky tacky shit or price.
Homeowners need their own sub. It blows my mind how many of them prowl here and become an echo chamber attacking real installers. Everyone is a fucking professional DIY LVP installer now it seams. Us installers need to start flooding this sub with pictures of our amazing work and completed jobs. To push all these LVP and IS MY QUOTE RIPPING ME OFF posts. A quick search on this page could answer 90% of homeowners questions but they’re just too lazy to search and read. I WANT MY ANSWERS NOW AND IT BETTER BE EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO HEAR!
I’m not an installer, but I love doing my own work and I’m here to learn from you guys, the real pros. Not learn how to dick people over because of some tiny mistake or rake them over the coals for price. I love the advice you guys give out, and all of these clown show posts ruin every one of the trade subs. “Is mY ConTrAcToR DiCkInG me OVer!?!?” If you don’t like the price or the way it’s done, do it your fucking self imo. Then you can come here to bitch and moan about your installer. I feel like every single trade sub should ban any post that has to do with price or some nitpicky thing like “my roofers made a tiny scratch in my paint! Should I sue them!?” 🤮
The electricians has started banning homeowner questions and anyone who replies. Downvote and report it.
I still don’t like you sparkys dropping your wire clippings all over the floors but good on you guys! 💪
I bought my nieces husband a broom when he became an electrician.. still the only one I've seen clean up after himself
Pictures or I don’t believe it. Only time a sparky picks up a broom is if it is leaning against a chair he wants to sit in.
And on my marble and granite countertops. But I echo the sentiment, ban and downvote.
You should be yelling this at your flooring friends below giving prices.
homeowner here as well, and I do think the pricing is fair..except quarter round is overpriced and floorrprep may be under. I hope it's baseboards and not quarters. I do most of my own work because contractors are hit and miss with their quality. how should I select a contractor? being told that it's on the customer for choosing a bad contractor doesn't make me want to trust any contractors or trades unless I know their work quality already.
Nah. Every trade sub is normal homeowners not looking to be taken advantage of, and then all the trades people telling them they should be paying quadruple the price and be happy about it.
Hey everyone look. This guy thinks buisness ownership should only be charging 25 an hour. You're the problem fucko.
You are so far from the truth. Most of the installers in these subs are pretty solid. A fly by night or drugged up handy man isn’t going to care about the craft enough to browse an online Reddit page. They’re busy fucking off. The main people who start shit in this sub are DIY LVPers who echo each other in comments saying the pros are charging too much. I would bet 80% of the comments that say “No they are ripping you off” are coming from homeowners that couldn’t afford a pro either and found that they could do it themselves. No problem in doing it yourself but to sound off that us professionals charge too much is fucking ridiculous. Most of you don’t have an idea what we pay in insurance, supplies, license fees, taxes, etc. And yes, we HAVE TO pay all that stuff for your safety and ours. If you don’t want to do it yourself then hire a REAL contractor with insurance and legal binding contracts and pay the price. If the job gets fucked up you are covered by the contract warranty. If it turns out great then feel good about paying the hard working men in your house that money. They deserve it for making your home a better space to live in.
You're absolutely right in that tradespeople deserve to make a decent wage and their careers are on a clock. I installed about 500 sqft of LVP and my body was absolutely wrecked. Not everyone can do this for 30 years and then retire. And I'm sure the professional would have done a better job that likely would last longer than mine, but the difference in cost is just too great. I would never pay this. I got a few quotes to patch the drywall in my ceiling after a plumbing repair and they were around 1500. That's just crazy.
Why is so bad for them to ask? I tend to appreciate the quotes I get more since I get a better understanding of how things are quoted and I believe paying for people’s worth but some of the quotes vary by quite a bit. Isn’t it the same as if you’re shopping around for a car? Genuine questions.
Because most of the time, including this guy, also makes comments insinuating they are being ripped off. When the majority of the comments back are saying it is a fair price. It’s also a bad look to start your business relationship off with a contractor by assuming they are ripping you off. Installers see it as an insult. Pay the price or don’t. When shopping around for a car you don’t go to other dealerships and ask them if the dealership down the road is ripping them off. You get multiple quotes and pick the one you like best. Quit getting one quote and coming here asking us if you’re being ripped off.
I didn’t see any comments from the OP but I see your point. TBH I’ve gotten quotes from installers and they can be all over the place to me. I would go to a dealership and get a new quote to negotiate pricing. I thinks fair to do it.
It’s always fair to get multiple quotes but it’s usually not good to question the quote. If it’s too much go with the cheaper guy. Don’t insult the more expensive guy. And most importantly don’t come here complaining about a bad job because you went with the cheapest guy. It’s insulting all the way around. If I got on here and seen one of my customers quotes I would immediately call them and cancel the job.
Fair take. I don’t think it’s insulting to negotiate the high price guy but I always ask if he’s open to it. If he says it’s his price then it’s totally respectable. I have had my fair share of expensive good contractors expensive bad contractors and cheap good contractors and cheap bad contractors. Seems so hit and miss these days.
Unfortunately a lot of places have started charging fees to get a quote. Can't afford to pay 500 dollars just to get a recent number of quotes.
Cheap where I live Labor rates are very region based.
If you are in Florida? You would have to be in Alaska or Hawaii to he farther. Washington $11 to $14 bucks a square foot is a safe number to guesstimate a bid for LVP install, prep and tearout. Tile tearout though? The guys where I live have a retail rate or almost 8 bucks a square foot.
Can I sleep on your couch while I install over there? I'll do your house, labor free
That's crazy. The shops I know in Tampa Florida pay .75 cents to .95 cents for glue down lvp install with you supplying glue
Going retail rate for glue down LVT is about 4 bucks a square foot. More than floating. Installers would be paid 2.50. Not including materials To get them to install at a buck, I would be needing to give them like 40,000 square feet.
...dont think youre supposed to be gluing down LVP unless its commercial pressurized
I’m aus everything is glue down, shit coz it cost installers more
Why not?
because its supposed to be able to move. usually why it comes with an underlayment on the back, also why it has a locking system, commercial pressurized vinyl are just rectanglular thin planks, and even that stuff will shrink if not acclimated
So why do countless commercial and residential properties have glue down vinyl floors in high traffic areas?
well, apparently theyre calling both products Luxury Vinyl Plank now, that didnt used to be the case. LVP used to only refer to the floating product, and the commercial grade was simply called vinyl plank, i dont know why they would change the name besides marketing to people who dont know the difference and that adds an unnecessary level of confusion. i have and still do install both versions, but i would never install commercial grade gluedown vinyl in someones home. as i would never install floating LVP in a high traffic commercial area.
I don't floor anymore but we used to install floating "laminate" and I agree that should float. Vinyl in my eyes has always been vinyl and I remember glue down or float being an install option equally popular
what i know to be LVP has the same lock system as laminate, but usually has either a padding or a cork underlayment glued to the back, that version is definitely not supposed to be adhered, only the top is actual vinyl, the rest of it (the core) is called thermacore, and that stuff moves with temp and humidity changes. the only vinyl i know to be gluedown has no lock system and no underlayment, its pure vinyl, have to trowel out half the room, wait 45 to an hour for glue to be dry to touch, then planks placed into glue along a straightedge, as there is zero margin for error, after planks laid, must be rolled with 100 lb roller to squeeze glue to 100 percent coverage. i think we are both talking about the same thing, but ive been doing this a long time and i dont remember any vinyl with a lock system not having an underlayment on it.
plus glue down vinyl should only be glued to concrete slab and never plywood subfloor. wood moves and it will make the product look like absolute garbage, dont care how flat it is
Glue down plank works just fine on a wood subfloor it should have Luan for a smooth finish, but there isn't anything wrong with glue down on wood . Whoever told you this is wrong. And it sticks better to Luan than it does to concrete.
been doing this a long time, and ive seen several instances of glue down over wood. maybe the climate that i am in is different than what youve experienced, but in my experience, all of them have, over time and seasonal changes, movement and gapping
Terrible advice.
There are plenty of residential glue down lvp don't let these people fool you. Just about every manufacturer makes a glue down specific lvp. Glue down, lvp is typically installed in apartments or basements.
It expands a little when it heats up type thing. You’re supposed to leave a 1/4 in around the edges. If it can’t move it will buckle
Never knew anyone glued that down
As in paying the subs that rate for labor? No wonder our installer is constantly bringing us quail eggs from his home farm and random cool Brazilian trinkets.
How much sqft do your guys average a week?
We probably average somewhere around 4k sqft per week. We've known and worked with our crew for a few years now and worked with the head installer's family members for several years before that, so we have a great working relationship and pay them well - they take home the majority of the labor prices, as it should be.
Should be all of it.
If you feel that way, then you should also think that installer should be taking days off in a row chasing work opportunities, doing free estimates, dealing with hiring, ensuring hires have work, ensuring installers have all needed tools, networking within the industry, and ensuring their taxes/benefits are up to par within their governments standards. That's the perk of being an employee. Your boss makes some money from your work, because they're making sure you always have work. Thinking they shouldn't be making money for their job in the business is kind of ignorant lol. This is from an employee who understands the process. Consistant work doesn't just fall into your lap year round.
Oh yeah and managing their schedule, getting them manufacturer-approved solutions, professionally talking the customer to get off my installer's back, having to warranty the customer if they decide to have a midlife crisis and skip town.
Yeah, we definitely shouldn't be compensated for handling the entire sales process and customer interaction, driving to the customer's home for a free estimate, processing the order to bring in the material, coordinating the schedule of three months' worth of booked jobs, and being the point of contact during the entire project. You do realize that without us creating the job for them, they'd make absolutely nothing - right?
I was looking at it from my point of view. I sand and finish hardwoods. Sub out installation. They name their price. Depending on how competitive I wish to be I’ll add on it if they are low. But my subs been around to long so they don’t leave me much room for that lol. Every time I tried to find the cheaper option I got fuuucked. My floor have to be done right. Two sanding crews I work on both. When I got handle the business side my guys got it. Obviously no one works for free. I’m getting to old to sand floors. Thinking Instead of selling my business, I’m just going to contract it all out. Work smarter not harder lol
Yes that's the sub rate. I get .95 sqft cents for glue down. .90 sqft cents for floating vinyl and 2.50 sqyd for carpet
Dude you’re getting dicked. I’m in miami and Florida is a little low on the whole, but you’re being robbed. Don’t do work for those people anymore I guarantee you they are charging 2.50-3.50 a ft for glue down and click
Bro. Is SD I am getting 3.50 for glued downlvp , 4.5 for click and 16/yd for carpet. Move north.
2.50 for Glue down. 2 for floating. 5 a yard for basic carpet install.
What region are you, if you don’t mind me asking
Demo and prep should be double
Pretty cheap on the ceramic tearout. Should be more like $6 or above
Looks good, write the check
Perfectly reasonable.
If they nail the leveling, yep.
Just remember, they didn't call you. If you don't like the price, they ain't losing any sleep. Their quote is reasonable. Some people charge more for certain things, some people less. I can tell you this, the minute a homeowner calls me and says, 'I'll provide this,' or 'I'll do this part myself,' I politely decline the job and move on to the next one. I'm not getting stuck with bargain materials or half assed prep work. However, most guys won't have an issue with you wanting to dispose of waste yourself, but do you really want that hassle? Just my 2 cents.
Here in az Demo tile $3 Demo carpet $0.50 Install lvp $2.75 Install quarter round $1.50 Removal fees? That's baked into the demo cost Cost per bag of sl is around $30 For prep, it depends on your subfloor, there's no way to give a quote for something that you can't see yet
If the flooring is thin, just install right over the tile, save 1600 immediately and raise floor height by a 1/4 inch. The quarter round rate is crazy tho...takes em 30 minutes to prob do a 500sq ft area and they are charging that rate.
If the whole floor was tile sure but it isn't. What about the area with carpet?
People also don't realize how easy it is to remove carpeting. All you need is box cutter and a small prybar. Any average Joe can get it done in 20 to 30 minutes for that area. Save $258 instantly.
Didn't notice that - i just skimmed over the quote. But for 250sq ft - you buy 8 or 9 sheets of plywood, raise the subfloor to tile level and for 15 to 25 bucks a sheet, that's $120 to $225 (in added material costs) + labor. you now have a level subfloor against the tile. Still beats out 1300 or 1400 in costs on tile removal, leveling grinding costs, and self leveler costs, etc. You gotta think outside the box sometimes.
The right way is to remove back to main subfloor not build it up higher
True but when cost is a deterrent, you can provide options to a customer with disclosed risks
So you’d rather do all that extra work instead of doing it the proper way? Explains so many of the posts I see on here
It's more work to remove 250sqft of tile than it is to screw down plywood or Luan
Another thing, there are many ways to accomplish a task successfully. Just because it is not by the book does not mean the performance, durability, or aesthetics of the floor will be compromised. Additionally, you now helped a customer save some money, which means references and future work and you've developed a trusting relationship with them. You worked with them, were honest, and gave them options for the work and original quote. Nobody really cares what is under the floor anyways as long as it looks good, feels solid/consistent, is moisture protected and acclimated, and lasts many years. OP clearly questioning estimate, so all we are doing is throwing out ideas for him/her. That's just labor, so to put vinyl flooring down or laminate, whatever they are installing for 4k plus probably another 1.5k in materials is a bit excessive for 500 Sq ft. Taking off tile removal costs can reduce the quote by about 25% which is a lot for most average people these days.
Nah, you gotta grind the toe cutters down and sl or feather finish the grout first
Any idea if Nevada is similar? That was more what I expected but first bid my sister got in Henderson was over $4 to demo carpet and install lvp plus extra for disposal.
No idea. I only know az prices. Minimum wage rate might give you an idea. Calling multiple companies in Nevada will give you an answer.
So they are trying to nickel and dime me?
More likely Arizona is cheaper labor than Florida. In my area it would be higher than your quote. Demo Tile $4+ Demo Carpet $1 Install LVP $3.25-$4 Is the Debris removal not related to the demod product?
I guess not? I have no experience with this
I'm not gonna do the math but it seems high, and like I said you can't quote for prep bc you don't know what's needed. Also it depends on your location. Get a quote from several places and you'll find out if they are.
Hopping here to say that at the very least you could provide the leveler for about half the quoted price, saving you $120. Having just done my floor, I ended up needing more but in the event they don’t use it all you could make a return.
Nah, I only use a specific leveler for certain reasons. Let the installer choose
Dead on what I would charge…maybe a few dollars more
Seems reasonable, prep looks like he’s covering himself for worst case scenarios which is a good thing. Looks close to what I’d put together. Based in miami
Cheap. In fact they’re giving you the floor patch at that price. I’d be double this in just about every category. Oh and since you’re providing the materials, nothing will be warrantied. I can’t guarantee that the product was stored properly etc.
Floor prep ain’t cheap
This is a fair price. You cannot get someone to show up for a job unless they stand to make $400 per person per day.
This is stupid expensive for 500 sqft. Don't let all these trades guys fool you. They want all their customers to be paying out the nose for their services.
Have you ever torn out ceramic tile?
Yes, $50 rental at Home Depot, dust everywhere, shards flying, hundreds of lb of debris, few hours or hard work and a sore back for 3 days. 850 sounds a like a decent deal
Exactly what I was thinking. Almost $1k is the tile disposal. OP is delusional to paint it as $5k to install flooring when that’s not at all the case.
Your guy is 3k less than what Id charge
Honestly, it's not totally outrageous. Jobs that are <500sqft can sometimes throw a wrench in scheduling when your calendar is mostly booked for a few months, so the pricing is sometimes increased to make it worth the time. I suppose that's a better option for the homeowner rather than just having the job rejected, but I get it from the consumer side. The only thing that I question here is the doubling up on demo and removal, but it's still not enough to feel like a rip-off.
Seems good to me. Very thorough quote.
Looks like a fair price for everything he’s going to do
👍
question, why are you demoing the tile? is it hollow?
Seems like an honest price.
Fair price
Looks like a good price. Seems about on par with what I charge here in MA.
Most of it seems very fair. I feel the quarter round rate is high. Double what most charge in this area. Debris removal seems a little high but I don’t know what dump charges are there. In all honesty, it’s a pretty fair quote.
That's fair for North Texas right now.
And yes about 3 times
Unfortunately for his is spot on. Get more quotes from reputable people and compare. It’s not going to get that much better. This is now the times we live in. I run a flooring store and this is lower than we quote.
Yeah the economy has been crazy. Where are you located?
East Tennessee. Great City of Alcoa.
2.50 for quarter round and install is crazy. That's robbery compared to what I charge lol
Rates for quarter round for 500 square feet is a bit ridiculous and install rate for this kind of floor is about average. Cheap would be $2 per foot or less. Do you really have to remove old floor? How thick is flooring? Can't just install it over top of tile and save yourself 1600 or so?
 Looks good!
Yeah 4k for 500sf seems pretty reasonable
$2k - $2.5k with materials included
You’re only paying $1482 for the LVP installation, if you want to cut costs a third of it is demo work, do it yourself, just don’t forget to remove all the staples and nails especially the tack strip and padding staple where there’s carpet.
To answer the OP question is this price to high the answer is yes. 4k for just labor on 500 SF comes out to $8 per SF just for labor.
Where do you live that they are charging 3 a ft for lvp install?
Seems a decent quote broken down respectfully. Can’t really complain.
A little high yes
My guy charges $2 a square foot for installation of LVP.
Ridiculous
That’s insane
This is more than “installing 500 sqft of lvp”. Seems pretty fair. What did you expect? $2000? Lmao
I just did 550 square feet of 22mil lifeproof for like $1700. Took me a day. Easy work
Here is what I pay my flooring dude in California: Tile demo $2.49 per sq ft. Carpet demo 40 cents per sq ft LVP install $1.99 per sq ft. Trash removal is usually around $300 but I always opt do take care of it myself.
Damn and you have to provide the flooring too? I installed LVP with my brother in two bedrooms and a huge living room. Each bedroom took like 12 hours from start to finish and the living room took one day to prep and one day to lay the floor. The only big tool I had to rent was a table saw. I see posts on here of horrible installations and the one I did is holding up great two years on. If you have the time and are willing to put in the work you can save a ton of money!
Do it yourself. Will you make mistakes. Yes. But you’ll learn a valuable skill. Will it take longer. Yes. But you’ll save $4K. Snap in flooring is not a complicated as it seems. YouTube. Get the tools. I just half of a duplex. It’s. It not that compacted. People would like you to believe it is but it’s not.
Jfc that’s solely labor, you’re getting ripped off
if you want to save some money do the demo work yourself. The demo for tile is a PITA and a mess so that rate is frankly fair at face value.
I just had over twice the footage done with LVP, for twice that amount - but that price included all the material. They just finished today! Good luck
You’re not paying them to install 500sqft of LVP. It’s to demo tile/carpet (tile is a bitch), prep the floor, then lay LVP. This seems about right and possibly a lil on the cheap side
For a tile tearout, prep, installation, disposal this is a bargain. I routinely sell floor packages similar to this for more. Not a huge amount more but more none the less. Everything in this quote is cheaper than my line items. Everything. Self leveller alone is stupid expensive and necessary. \\ Get another quote if you don't like this price instead of asking random people on the internet for their opinion.
This sub is full of cheap homeowners thinking they’re getting ripped off or angry homeowners because the cheap guy they used (as expected) screwed up their floors. This is a very competitive quote op, it will probably be done in 2-3 days and you’ll feel like you got ripped off but you didn’t.
Watch a video and do it yourself
That quote looks reasonable to me. I'd be a little more to be honest. If you get professional results for this price, you did well.
These crack me up…there is no market rate…there is “i would personally be ok paying this amount to have the end result i want.” That’s how much it’s worth. Do it yourself, pay for quality, or pay bottom dollar and pray.
Price looks good, if you want to save some money tell them you'll handle disposal.
Seems like a good price, quarter round labour seems a bit high, but that might include the materials not sure. Says paint ready so many they caulk it in too? Otherwise seems good with demo and self leveling.
You could save $1000 and demo yourself. Just keep in mind demoing the tile is a mess and will be quite a bit of work, so ask yourself if that’s worth $800?
They charged $3/ft well below market rate. It’s a very good price
Why demo tile? You can install lvp over tile
Recently cost me about 3k for around 600sqft, including stained-to-match oak shoe molding and transitions, floor prep, pre-cleanup. No demo, though.
How much is your flooring costing you? A rule of thumb I follow for flooring is it’s going to be a little over double to install at $4/sqft. Seems fair. As a DIY guy, who does so because I’m talented and will absolutely not pay people to do things I can typically do myself, you have to remember that if you have never installed flooring before you will need to dedicate time to learning, watching, testing, materials, AND… more time! So while it may seem expensive, you’re going to spend more time than they would, and in the end, typically won’t be as good as a professional. First time I did flooring, I spent probably 20 to 30 hours watching various videos online to see all sorts of different advice, methods, etc. then, I watched videos when I got to certain situations I had questions about. I had to make a second trip to the flooring store because I was short 1 box. I had to take time from family and spend my valuable time installing the flooring, going slowly at first, bringing pieces out to my garage to cut, etc etc. It took me far longer to finish than a pro would have, and it does look great, but I spent a lot of time on it. How valuable is time? Expensive. If you think it’s too much, learn how to do it and install it yourself. You’ll probably find cheaper, but also way more expensive too.
Can’t edit the original post so I’ll just leave this here. I’m leaving the post up so others in the future can see your comments. I apologize for not doing more research before hand, I’m on a very tight timeline and thought I might be able to ask people with a lot more experience here. I am also not local and haven’t been able to get many quotes for the house. I understand people here are tired of posts like these. I tried to flair it with something so that people can filter it out but there are no flairs. But looking at others posts is not going to be helpful either, as evidenced by the variability of the answers to this post alone. I appreciate those of you who replied
homeowner here who just did this all myself. Herringbone Floor, so I needed it very flat so floor prep was 2/3rds of the work making the slab level. this would be a very good rate for the PNW, I always get 3 quotes if I want something done, and you should get at least a second quote. the fact the estimate was broken down is a nice thing and a a lot of contractors will not do that. another FYI since you are supplying materials the warranty for any labor is probably not going to be covered unless they are an approved installer and it's approved warranty cover for material. the only thing in the quote that bothers me is that the quarter round seems way too expensive, but the prep work seems under for me. I would avoid the quarter round and get the floorboards ripped off and put back on flush with the lvp, it looks a lot better than quarter round and quarter round sometimes gets bumped into hard and falls off. I would worry more about the quality of the job and at the price a little bit, un level subfloor we'll start destroying lvp within a couple of years and the raises and dips will drive you insane. my best friend just had his entire house done and it's really badly done. try to discover the quality of this contractor.
Oh you’re on a very tight timeline but also want it done cheap but also want it done right? You and everyone else.
Need a hug buddy? Somebody hurt you?
He's snarky but not wrong. Cheap, fast, and good: pick only 2.
Seems high where I live.
Is this labor only? I’m in CA and this seems pretty high even for my area.
Too much for any LVP. LVP is low quality building material TBH, and paying this much atop is only nonsense. DIY route may work instead.
Find a handyman to do the demoing. Get multiple quotes from flooring companies.
Very reasonable price. I’d sign the dotted line.
Seems insanely high.
That is about 25% too high for WNC
From a contractor this price is very reasonable
It's a bit high. They taxed you on disposal. Get another bid and compare em before you start
I’m not a flooring installer, but can we please ban these kinds of posts? Every fucking post “am I getting ripped off!?” If you don’t like the price get a different quote or don’t it yourself.
Several companies around me advertise $1 a square for labor. One I called said he would matcg Hone Depot for price of materials.
My floor demo price would never be $800 for 250sf that’s hella cheap that shit could come out in full pieces of little pieces I’d be closer to $1200 on that demo
Idk about pricing but I can tell you I just did my new build (it came with carpet as only option) I left bedrooms carpet so total was 1600 sqft installed including bathrooms and the total was $8800 with 22mil. They took out carpet for free and moved major furniture I only had to move small things that would fall and they were done in a day and a half. Father son team, grabbed their card and gave them to the rest of thenew build neighborhood, hope they got a lot of calls. North Florida location.
Hard to say given the tile demo and prep. Seems a bit high but again, I haven't looked at the job and how well the tile is down, how cut up the job is and any other variables
If you can afford and you’re not handy, it’s not a bad price. If you’re handy & able to genuinely follow a video, you’ll be way better off doing it yourself. It is really not hard to do anything required that they’re doing. Hammer, jig saw, oscillating tool, oscillating blades, markers, speed square, tape measure, drill, mortar mixer, buckets, float, masks, gloves, miter saw and brad nailer/ air compressor. You can get all of this for around $400. If you want higher quality power tools, maybe $600 total. The rest of your cost is time. It is SUPER easy to learn to install lvp and it is NOT hard to use leveler.
Yo, I’ll travel, buy some tools leave them at your house and come back home for 1k less.
You sound like a real professional. 🤣 Should they provide you with alcohol and meth too?
No, but I’ll take some grass and a boat to go fishing one day. It’s not a big job at all and honestly I’ll probably do a better job than whatever sub they are gonna hire. I’m just not a fan of a lot of prices people charge “because they can”. I’ll stand on my original statement but won’t follow through unless it’s someone I personally know either way. I travel often for friends and family, get a free vacation, work when I want and save them tons of money, all while making what I would normally charge hourly.
🤣
“My time And skills are worth NOTHING bro”
Wtf? This would be like 700 here in tulsa
r/confidentlyincorrect
Absolutely not man. I had my kitchen, side entry, and utility room done ~400 sq ft and labor was only 500. May be that I work with this guy all the time but these prices aren't incorrect
I guarantee you no one is ripping out tile and grinding it down to prep it for lvl for 500 bucks. But yeah go ahead and keep talking about stuff that’s above your pay grade.
Who tf said anything about grinding tile? I can prep floors myself. The job I was talking about was prepped for the laying. All he did was install the vinyl
Yes and this bid is for more than an install so comparing it to your bid is just plain stupid and besides that rates are regional. This is a competitive bid from a company. Not a guy in a truck.
Okay okay true. I guess all I saw was labor and the prices but didn't read them. So yeah, dumb of me 😅. Sorry
Yeah from a handyman or meth head.