Flooring services

The quote you get is almost never for the whole job. Most flooring companies price the material and the labor to lay it, then treat everything underneath and around it as an extra. Old floor removal runs about $1–$6 per square foot, and subfloor repair or replacement runs roughly $2–$2.50 per square foot on top of that. If nobody mentioned those numbers to you, they are not in your price.

Refinishing is a separate service from installing. If your existing hardwood is structurally sound, sanding and refinishing costs about $3–$8 per square foot — averaging near $5 — against $6–$12 per square foot to install new hardwood. A lot of homeowners replace floors they could have refinished for a third of the money.

Ask who is actually doing the work. Big-box flooring programs and many showroom retailers subcontract installation. That is not automatically bad, but it changes who you call when a plank cups six months later. Get the installing company's name in writing before you sign.

Debris disposal, furniture moving, and appliance disconnection are the three services most often assumed by the homeowner and never discussed. Ask about all three at the quote stage, not on the morning the crew arrives.

How to choose

Make the quote itemize tear-out separately

Removal is $1–$6 per square foot of real work. If it appears nowhere on the estimate, either it's being absorbed or it's coming back later as a change order.

Insist the subfloor is inspected before pricing

A contractor who quotes without lifting a corner of the existing floor is guessing. Subfloor repair on a 150-square-foot area runs about $250–$750, and full replacement runs $3.50–$12 per square foot.

Ask whether refinishing is an option first

For sound solid hardwood, refinishing at $3–$8 per square foot beats replacing at $6–$12. A retailer who sells flooring has no incentive to raise this.

Get the installing crew named

Retailer, contractor, and installer are often three different businesses. Warranty claims fail in the gaps between them.

Confirm who moves the furniture and hauls the waste

These are real hours. Priced up front they're cheap; discovered on install day they're leverage.