Sorry--I am new at this.

They would be sanding to bare wood but I don't know our current finish and they did not mention that in conversation or in the quote.

The work involved would be weaving in the new floor (which we would provide) to the old one and putting in new flooring (not insulation) for the new area, then sand, stain, and finish. I don't have much in the way of details from them yet. Threshold and transition pieces are not included in that price.

They would be applying 1 coat of stain and then water-based finishes, specifically: 2 coats of Emulsion PRO (single component) + 1 coat of StreetShoe NXT (Commercial 2 component). They also offer a less expensive oil-based poly finish, which would be about $400 less.

We are meeting to discuss more details, but this is all I have for now.

OK...the Elephant in the room is the 'porch into an extension'. That's a bigger deal than what you would imagine. It requires permits and a WHOLE bunch of stuff that is a BIG expense. Please tell us that you have already pulled permits and have had an architect/Build-Design firm create a proper work up of the situation. A porch is not build to handle the weight of electrical, windows, insulation, etc. So please assure us this has already been done and will not be in violation of any local building codes.

Secondly, the 'new' part of the wood flooring is always a bit tricky to figure out. Your LOCATION dictates local labour costs. Where are you?

Then the 'build' requirements for the wood flooring pro is also part of the equation. There are SOOO many things going on here. A basic concept of the VALUE of your home is also a good place to start. If you have a $3M home...go with the best option available. If you have a $150K home then perhaps the more economical choice is the best option.

First things first. Please load some photos of what you have already. And some ideas of how much flooring you will need in the kitchen. Your photos can be added by clicking on the 'photo' icon at the bottom of the screen. Your photos must be in jpg and you need to wait for each photo to load (can be 3-5 MINUTES...so be patient) before you can close the screen.

Now for your quotes. Kick the guy to the curb who thinks 'going over the old' is a good idea. He's lazy and he's looking to make a buck and then disappear. Don't be fooled by this guy. He's not in it for the professionalism and the beauty of a job well done, he's in it for the money....'cause anyone with a hammer and a truck/van can call themselves a flooring installer. It doesn't take any training (legally...sorry to all the pros who have put in HOURS on training floors) and it doesn't require a certificate (like plumbers or electricians).

A FULL SAND and refinish averages $5/sf...for an OIL based system. For a HIGH-END water based system (the quote you've been given for the Emulsion Pro+Street Shoe is a middle of the road option) is $7/sf. By HIGH END we mean 3 coats of the StreetShoe (excellent product BTW....but NOT Emulsion Pro). Or 2-3 Coats of Bona Traffic HD (snick higher quality than Streetshoe...but not by much) or 2-3 Coats of Loba 2K Supra AT.

So...you have 660sf of existing pine. Pine HATES taking a stain....you know that right??? Pine is soft wood and it does NOT like staining...it SUPER DUPER hates to take a stain. Like CRYING YOURSELF TO SLEEP because it is SOOOO ugly! Just be aware. And the Emulsion Pro turns your floors a strong YELLOWISH ORANGE!!! It is what is called an OIL MODIFIED polyurethane. Any time you see 'oil' you need to expect ORANGE.

If you want to stay away from orange, you will need to stick with StreetShoe all by itself. Which will increase the cost of the quote..

Anyway, let's look at the quotes:

• 315sf (they ALWAYS QUOTE for the measured sf+5% waste...always) for installation with a MULTIWIDTH wood floor (more complicated) = $5/sf = $1,575.
• Now let's assume you NEED some SERIOUS subfloor prep x$3-$4/sf (includes plywood)
• 315sf x $3 - $4/sf = $945 - $1,260
• 660sf + 300sf = 960sf of floors that would NEED to be finished.
• 960sf x $6/sf = $5,760

Now add it together:

A) $1575 + $5760 + $945 = $8,280

OR,

B) $1575 + $5760 + $1,260 = $8,595

Yep...bang on your quote of $8,500

I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary here.

SJ McCarthy,

Thanks for your detailed response. Just to clarify, the 660sf includes the 300 sq (300 sq of new wood to be installed, but 660 total to be stained and refinished). So that would be $1800 less, but not extremely out of this range.

I hear you re the pine, but unfortunately, that's what is there already. The alternative would be to tear it up and start fresh, which we are also weighing.

And heck yeah, we're getting permits and working with an architect and contractors on the addition! Actually, it's historical commission, then permits, then, well, it's a process. By the book. Fortunately, there is an existing crawl space foundation under it connected to our basement, which will hopefully help--architect thinks we can use the existing structure (although we need a new roof for it and insulation, etc obviously). Plumbing, electric, HVAC--all need to be professionally put in, and we get that. Maybe it helps that we AREN'T DYI people (certainly never with this stuff).

The 300 square feet of new flooring is split nearly evenly between the addition and the gaps that will be there when the cabinets come up. Addition is 13 x 13. A lot of the new flooring will go lengthwise with the existing planks (about 50 sf) on the sides of the room, so that should be (relatively) easier to weave in. A bigger challenge is the island, which essentially cuts off a bunch of planks width-wise, so that will need more extra wood and effort to weave in. So adding pretty generously to that would be 63 sf (that would allow us to start at the back wall and replace wood up to and through where the island is).

The quote did not include any subfloor work or materials.

Anyway, I appreciate your time and response and hope this additional information helps.

ETA: The quote for the install is about 4K without subfloor work/materials included (I will double check of course), which makes me wonder now whether that is a bit high. If it includes serious subfloor work like your quote, then of course it makes more sense. Thanks for confirming what I thought about the other flooring guy.

The subfloor *might be dealt with by the contractor...or the contractor *might believe the flooring pro will do it. It's worth asking some questions of the GC....so that someone is on the hook for the preparation.

Just a thought about who does what when. I know it's frustrating (and dizzying) with this type of stuff. It sounds like you are well on your way to a great addition. I'm glad to hear you have pros on board.

Staining pine isn't necessary. It can be left without stain = natural colour. That's my suggestion...If you need to pull out the pine, then I would work with a natural stone floor that is sourced from local quarries...it would help keep the historic feel to the home. And yes, you can sell the pine to off-set some of these expenses.

Thanks! I think unfortunately that if we keep the pine we have to stain, as my husband really dislikes the color and wants to do a darker color. If that is not in the cards, we likely have to pull it all out. Thanks for the advice on reselling. This was on my mind (or donating it to a deconstruction/salvage service). You've already given me a lot of great advice, but can I ask you one more thing: if we try to resell, is there a certain way you recommend doing this? E.g., cragislist, facebook, or a special forum you're aware of for this? I have been doing lots of research, but often 2 sentences from an expert is worth more than 4 hours on google.

I would find your nearest reclaimation expert. They are the one's who salvage materials from historic (or just old) homes and businesses. They salvage doors, windows, floors, trim, etc. Flooring is something that they always want. It's one of their best 'movers'.

You can negotiate a price to purchase OR you can get them to take it out for 'free' and hauling it away. You will save $2/sf just for the removal. If it is very long and very wide, you can negotiate another $1-$2/sf in value on top of the 'free' removal.

Thanks! They are very wide (a lot of 8-11 inch planks) and fairly long. Had another flooring place come by today. He thinks our plywood subfloor is likely in good shape and that the floor in our current porch is mahogany (tongue and groove) and would make a good subfloor without too much work. So there is that potentially good news!

Thanks again for your help and guidance.