The biggest change in the flooring industry in recent years is the availability of pre-finished flooring, says Steve Woerner, co-owner of Clayton Valley Hardwood Floor Company. A sand-in-place installation by a skilled craftsman is almost always superior in quality and often less expensive, he says. “You’d think pre-finished products would be cheaper, but they’re usually $3 more expensive per square foot and can run $9 or $10 more.
“On the other hand,” he continues, “sanding and finishing in place only costs about $3 or $4 per square foot over the cost of materials. A complete sanding and finishing job with oak flooring costs about $10 per square foot, including both materials and labor. You can pay that just for certain pre-finished materials, not counting installation.”
From a responsiveness and customer service perspective, Mr. Woerner also recommends hiring a local contractor rather than dealing with company representatives from pre-finished flooring companies. With these national companies, he says, returning wood can be difficult if you change your mind, and it’ll certainly be time consuming and add to the total cost.
“Flooring isn’t like electricity or plumbing,” says Mr. Woerner. “If you flip a switch and a light goes on, customers are happy. But flooring is something they look at every day. Homeowners inspect floors like no other service. A local contractor has to be on top of things and responsive to customer needs, or they won’t stay in business.”
