trying to move from VA and just wanted to know some install price in differant states?

Im new to this site so please help...

Flooring Retailers are only willing to pay $1 to $1.45 for gluedown or nail down, with $65or so, thrown in for floor prep. They wonder why it gets slapped on the floor and then they play damage control.


I charge 3x's what the retailers are willing to pay, and all the extras.

Ken has posted a national average on this site for labor prices.

Personally I never give an estimate or even sq.ft. quote site unseen. I need to look at the subfloor, the layout, get a feel for customer expectation, etc.

Please use your instincts when getting bids, ask for refrences, go LOOK at those refrenced floors just in case your tastes are different from his prior client.

No matter what your buying or selling in this life, it's all a 'people' business. (Wow, deep stuff, huh?) Anyway, the point, it ain't the $ per foot ... its what YOU want for what you can afford fairly.

So to answer your question, budget about $4 - $10 per foot on labor and I'm sure you can pretty much get what ever you want WHERE-ever you are.

If you're new to an area, don't expect to get top dollar. You don't have local references or credentials yet. IMO, the areas gettiing the most money per ft. are the areas with the highest cost of living. So it is a wash, so to speak. You make more, but you pay more in housing, food, gas, taxes. Pick a place that has a need or is an expanding economy. Avoid old single industry little towns; they're dying in America. The south generally has the lowest wages but I also here that the competition around Boston for refinishing is brutal with some shops doing it for a buck a ft. Can you imagine? Nevada is doing very well right now around the big gambling towns. Seems like the south would need lots of help in the reconstruction after the hurricanes. NY and SF are high cost/high pay cities with unions and high end clientle. If you like the big city life, consider hooking up with a reputable company in one of those areas. The southwest is hammered with low pay immigrant labor, as Perry is well aware of. Tough to get started there on your own. Pick a climate or locale you like and work for some one else till you get a feel for the economy and locals. Like Hawaii? Good pay there. But a little racial tensions occasionally. How about Hollywood? You got to go where the money is. Taos, New Mexico? Denver, Colorado? Stay away from economically depressed areas. No money. I here Florida is nice and lots of moola in Miami and upscale suburbs. Yea, Florida sounds good plus close to Ole Virginny. Good luck and happy hunting.

It's only a "ballpark guesstimate" and hasn't been updated for two years.

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... rcosts.htm

As long as you're still searching for a place to live, we here in Coeur d' Alene, ID are going through a great growth spurt. Still a tremendously beautiful part of the world. Definitely on the grow. Real estate is just now beginning to get out of rediculously cheap (2000ft. home in good area starting around 180K), service oriented businesses like ours are finally beginning to realize that slap and splash doesn't git-er-done anymore, you need to be GOOD at the trade you do. And the economy is entirely robust in the Coeur d' Alene, ID / Spokane, WA area. AND last but not least ... you can hire us to do your floors

Good Luck!!

My father drove all over the states for about ten years, visting all the places he always wanted to see. He said Coeur d' Alene was one of the nicest areas/cities he visited. The only time I've been to Idaho/Boise was in the middle of winter. There was a major snow storm and I froze my butt off. I'm sure it's beautiful in the summer but for this Cailfornia dude, it's just too cold in the winter.