These days upfront quotes and call out fees are rear for timber flooring installations.
One of the reasons is the unknown amount of the time needed to fit difficult corners.
In most cases the timber floor installation contractor will need to see your place.
The amount of furniture to move, difficulty to clean the floor, removal of rubbish and in some cases removing and re-hanging doors will all contribute to the final flooring prices.
The above assumes that you have your own material.
If you need to buy the boards then understand that the flooring prices for the material can vary widely (between $15-$150 per meter square).
Thus, the 40 square meters lunchroom can cost between $600-$6000 just for the timber.
As it was mentioned in the previous paragraph, the flooring prices for the installation will seldom be quoted upright.
The tradesmen will have a difficulty to estimate the completion time based on the mere floor-plan drawings.
In most cases, the contractors will visit your place and estimate the price at your location.
In some cases they will advice that you remove the furniture yourself (which will substantially reduce the cost).
You can also remove the old flooring by yourself.
There is not much skill involved in ripping off old carpets and cleaning up the nails, which hold them.
Leaving floor in the clean, concrete slab form will certainly save about $200-$300 out of the original price.
What's more, the actual installation will be quoted exactly on the site but the removals and uninstallation works will have time tolerances (which you pay out of your pocket).
Now, the floor is clean. What's next?
The timber floor contractor will estimate flooring prices based on the amount of cuts they need to do.
The good news is that this quote is valid irrespective of the problems.
You can expect to pay $25-$50 per hour.
So, if they quote $800 for the labour then it means they need about 20 man-hours to complete the job (+/- $40 per hour).
Fortunately, the installation of the timber floors includes everything, that is: joist, underlayers and skirtings.
Materials are the easiest to estimate.
You go to the distributors and choose the timber you want.
Remember, that you also need underlayers, joists and other materials for the flooring installation.
Thus, you must also include the cost of buying those other items.
In the case of laminated flooring, the underlayer, stoppers and wooden planks are generally part of the whole package.
The same applies for many timber materials.
The flooring prices are around $35-$40 per meter square for hardwood boards.
Laminated and composite products are cheaper.
The price does not include the floor polishing.
The more expensive timbers (mahogany) can reach $150 per meter square.
The higher end materials usually are pre-engineered and do not need the varnish.
For example, the flooring prices for the bamboo are about $60-$70 per square meter.
However, bamboo floors are pre-engineered and no more work is needed until the time for the next polish.
You do not need to spend a fortune to have great looking floors. For example, the flooring prices for laminates offer a fantastic, affordable product. Most of the laminated panels cost around $14-$19 per meter square. What's more, these materials do not need polishing and are virtually maintenance free. Yet, they do not chip easily and have an excellent thermal resistance.