Is this too expensive for hardwood floor?

[Aussiephil]

Friend was just quoted nearly $6000 for 27 SqM of select grade spotted gum - secret nailed and glued over existing floor.
this price includes Sand and finish with 3 coats of oil based lacquer

Can anyone tell me of this is about right or is it too expensive.

All my reading of the forums would indicate that it is a bit to much

thanks anyone

Phil

[Ben (TM)]

Yep - works out to be about $222 / m2

I think you should be looking around the $130 - $160 mark.

[namtrak]

75 sqm of Northern Beech just cost me roughly:

$3350 cost of timber delivered
$1000 installation, including hire of secret nailer, gluing and labour cost
$2000 sanding and finish - professionally done.

Total $6350 or $85 per sqm - all inclusive.

If I had of done the lot myself I would have saved about $1500 and it would have come in around $65 per sqm.

I purchased the FEATURE GRADE Northern Beech through Studley on these forums. The difference between the select grade and the feature grade was about 30% for the timber . In other words, if I had run with select grade it would have come in at around $100 per sqm.

The Caveat: There are quite a few professional floor people who post on these threads, I think they may have even more succinct advice regarding floor costs. Mine may be lower, because I have shopped around and generally know the people doing the work that I am not.

[namtrak]

Thinking about this further. Maybe break it down into three different jobs.

1. The purchase of the timber.

Now if your friend is getting a floor secret nailed then that would mean it is 80mm wide (not 140mm) which for 27 sqm would be about 350 lineal metres. I reckon the most you should pay for select grade spotted gum would be about $6 per lm (max. again) or about $2100 in for the timber.

2. The finishing of the floor.

The professional floor sander we just got in, charges $27 per sqm all inclusive for sanding of new floors (like your friends) or $35 per sqm for old floors.

Assuming $35 per sqm the the finishing of the floor should cost about $900 in total (max.)


3. The installation of the timber

Which would then suggest that after $900 for the finishing and $2,100 for the timber, then your friend is being charged $3,000 for the installation of a floor over 27 sqm. Say $60 per hour, that would be 50 hours to install the floor? I don't think so somehow. I would have thought, that at most, to install the floor would take 2 days.

Remember, these figures are all conservative. But I reckon you could get a better deal elsewhere.

Cheers

[Gumby]

It's a rip off. :((

Mine was $7000 for over 50 sqm. of solid timber Spotted Gum glued to existing chip board floor. It's the 12mm thick boards from Boral sanded and finished.

[glock40sw]

G'day Phil.
I called one of our merchants in Sydney today.

Spotted Gum Select Grade 80x19 Secret nailed Endmatched.
Supply, install, sand and seal would be $150 M2.
Price is Sydney.
He said that Canberra is full of theives when it comes to timber flooring.

[Aussiephil]

G'day Phil.
I called one of our merchants in Sydney today.

Spotted Gum Select Grade 80x19 Secret nailed Endmatched.
Supply, install, sand and seal would be $150 M2.
Price is Sydney.
He said that Canberra is full of theives when it comes to timber flooring.

Ben, Namtrak, Gumby and Glock40

Thank you for your replies, confirming what I thought. The theives comment has caused great laughter due to it's accurate nature for some businesses....

Can anyone recommend a timber flooring guy in Canberra who is not trying to buy a mansion or ferrari?

It's funny that Sydney with it's supposedly higher cost of living from the wonderful ACT can be so much cheaper for a lot of building materials and tradesmen.. no doubt due to scale and volume, me and SWMBO was looking a display homes in sydney a few weeks back and could not get over the cheap prices compared to Canberra, tens of thousands difference.

[Trav]

Ben, Namtrak, Gumby and Glock40

Thank you for your replies, confirming what I thought. The theives comment has caused great laughter due to it's accurate nature for some businesses....

Can anyone recommend a timber flooring guy in Canberra who is not trying to buy a mansion or ferrari?

It's funny that Sydney with it's supposedly higher cost of living from the wonderful ACT can be so much cheaper for a lot of building materials and tradesmen.. no doubt due to scale and volume, me and SWMBO was looking a display homes in sydney a few weeks back and could not get over the cheap prices compared to Canberra, tens of thousands difference.

We used a guy called Jamie Schuhlin - he runs his own business and works by himself. He did a great job for us in matching an existing floor. He was good to work with, but prices seemed consistent most of the others that we talked to. Happy to recommend him.

Trav