Nobody can tell what you should be paying. Costs vary wildly, even within metropolitan areas. And we may live 10,000 miles from where you are, who knows?

Do what everybody does--get 3 quotes.

Brilliant.

I never broke out labor and materials. We weren’t selling the material without installation, so it wasn’t relevant. One company might have higher labor costs because of the quality of their installers, one company might have better materials costs because of the quantity they buy, while a third company has higher rent and other fixed overhead. At least two of my competitors charged what they thought the customer would pay.

Understood. Thanks for the info!

Get three estimates from people who do the quality of work you want. You pay for craftsmanship. White oak does cost more than red oak. If you want first rate work, and you'll be looking at the floors every day for years, then accept the cost. If you decide your priorities have changed, then the budget-friendly option of prefinished hardwood (with a first rate installer) could work better for you.

Good advice and good reminders, Apple_pie.

It's really frustrating in my area since every tradesman and especially the top craftsmen are swamped with business and have been for at least 5 years at least. My GC/builder has worked with most of his subs for over 20 years and the homes they do can be rather nice. So, trying to get someone to even show-up can be a real trick and every sub I've met has been strong (to the extent I am equipped to judge that).

I really just don't want the flooring guy to think I fall into the same category as many of my neighbors where $15K one way or the other is nothing so I'm trying to be a good consumer but suppose I should also trust my GC to some extent.

Thanks!

I'm gonna say that price seems high for 4" Select White Oak installed and finished. Our extra long length 4" is $6. There is no reason for installation and finishing to be another $9 :-O

What white oak did you discuss? Most of my clients who mention white oak are looking for rift cut, etc.

If you're west coast states the prices sound in range. States vary in both license requirements and add on costs such as workers comp. Materials add 8%+ in sales tax and a fuel surcharge likely in CA. Labor can double in the bay area.

Talk specifics with the person who proposed the white oak. It will vary by cut/grade, etc. I'm guessing they get their material from a specialized supplier.

If you get additional bids, make sure they are specified identically.

Thanks Jeffrey, that's very helpful. Initially, I was thinking rift & quarter sawn ($16/sq ft) but have asked to get a quote for flat/plain cut to compare with his quote of $12/sq ft for character red long length 4". It's all making me consider pre-finished solid.

Rift and quarter sawn. Over rated in my opinion. Too busy for me especially if one gets a lot of in the face quartered 'flecks' However we're all different. Cool for a high end Hamptons home and down right yucky elsewhere. It's the way it's sold. Sounds high end for some.

Floor & Decor? Don't use them as a comparison. Unlikely to find 'long length in prefinished solid.

Steve , Rift & Quartered can be a very pretty option too. Here is a west coast project that we sent out prefinished. They even used it as ceiling material. The longer lengths are very important if you have bigger rooms. I would really suggest looking at White Oak if you can. The Red Oak is not really going into new homes or remodels most of the time.

Mixed Width White Oak Flooring and Ceiling in Washington · More Info

Mixed Width White Oak Flooring and Ceiling in Washington · More Info

I have no problem with the difference. White oak is considered and up grade for many reasons. The main reason = fashion. Right now the COOL tones are desirable. And red oak can't give those tones without having a stain applied with green tones (green cancels red). So White Oak is HIGHLY desirable. Now add in the lower AMOUNT of White Oak on the market (it takes a bit more effort to get the product than it does to get red oak which is EVERYWHERE). And now add in a more desirable width = 4". Now we get mark-ups on top of mark-ups on top of mark-ups.

All of these 'market pressures' create pinch points in the 'Supply and Demand' chain. A free market economy means you will pay more for something desirable (price of a Mercedes S-Class v. Hyundai Genesis). The more effort it takes to get HOLD of that desirable product adds more money to the product (purchasing one of the 12 of the USA's allotment of a Limited Edition Mercedes SLK Gullwing = SUPER expensive on top of super expensive).

Whew! Market pressure has EVERYTHING to do with how much your floor costs. And if you are in an area where White Oak is hard to come by (because the REST of the USA/Canada is eating up the entire supply), then you will be adding even MORE to the product price.

I would look at a 3" (3.25" is common) to see if you can save a SNICK on the White Oak without sacrificing the 'look' of the home you want. It is the easiest way to drop the price for the product you want.

Thanks, SJ! Yes, gotta love market dynamics. Of course, a scarcity strategy is never a bad thing if you're on the supplier side. ;^)

I am waiting for him to send me a quote on #1 Common grade (as long as some 60" lengths are there) but speaking of supply and demand, I also won't be at all surprised if I get crickets.

I shudder to think what #1 common White Oak would look like in a house with 2100' of flooring. There's bound to be some decent sized rooms. The preponderance of short pieces would be a turn off for me but some may find it acceptable.

White Oak is quite popular now and pricing reflects it, but I think a $3 delta sounds a bit high. Euro grade Red Oak probably isn't select but I like the sound of long lengths. Is the select White Oak priced also long length? If so, the difference probably isn't too far off. Of course what's not known is the price just for the initial Red Oak. It might be something accumulated that a mill wants to get rid of and sells for less than expected.

Thats exactly what I was saying. This home needs 2'-10' or 3'-10' lengths. Hoping for 60" long pieces isn't a good plan.

Ah, great to know that calling for 60" as-if that's long enough is not long enough.

How to get to something we love for ~ $10 is obviously the trick and simply may not happen. Prefinished solid maybe. I've already had enough budget-busters on this project but I refuse to put flooring that is not the "right" stuff...within reason (therein lies the circular argument).

We have made to order floors that will fit that budget AND have the longer lengths. joel@oakandbroad.com lets chat.