Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - What is a reasonable sq.ft. price........

I've done some sweat equity to my home, ie; ceramic tile, lock & seal laminate to say the least. I've had guest to come over and admire what I do. Of course they want the same but what is a reasonable price to charge per sq.ft.? The job includes stripping the vinyl tile, remove adheasive from concrete slab and install tile... As for the lock & seal; remove carpet, tack stripts, and five doors to undercut... 75' of quarter round & 40' of transition molding?

A word of caution, make sure you know what kind of vinyl tile you're dealing with. If it's the old asbestos kind, removing it from your own home may be one thing, but doing it for hire from another person's home may be an issue. Check it out and be certain of your liability and legal footing. As to pricing for the work, it depends on the area you live in. Labor rates vary greatly from area to area in the country and you don't want to overcharge. Try calling one of the local stores and see if they'll tell you what your area's going rates are. Sometimes they're helpful that way and some times they're not.

Keep in mind, too, that if your 'guest' is a friend, that should anything go wrong, you may lose a friend. Too, you likely do not have liability insurance should you damage any property. The homeowner's insurance will not cover the damage and will not cover you if injured on the job.

Stop by some flooring stores and be a mystery shopper to find comparative installation rates for such a job. Most installers tend to be competitively priced in an area, but some do charge more than others. Some refuse to remove vinyl tiles because of asbestos issue. Should they choose to do so, there will be a charge for so much for square foot of removal of tile and adhesive. Not an easy job. Also, a charge for carpet removal and moving of furniture. Then, they charge so much per square foot for ceramic tile and other floor coverings. They charge so much a stick for transitional pieces an quarter round. And, so much per door to be cut off.

Too, labor costs vary from area to area. Also consider if you will be doing the job alone, will have to pay a helper, how much time will it involve, etc. How much commute time? Will you be picking up and delivering materials?

Thanks for the reply... never thought about asbestos...wow. lots to think about when giving an estimate. might have to charge a little to think

Flooring is not just a "slap it on the floor" type of job!!

If you don't know the standards for installing flooring, you could end up in bankruptcy, because of one failure, and you have to come in and remove all the failed flooring you installed, do what you didn't do before(the corners you cut) and buy new flooring to install. All on your dime. Or run & hide and get a lawsuit against you. Imagine 1000 ft. of wood flooring, that cost $9 a sq.ft. for just the wood, and you didn't follow protocol, and you have to buy them new flooring. Can you afford that?

doing business with friends is never a good idea. it puts you BOTH in bad positions.

and let's face it - they want you to do it cuz they don't want to pay more for a real professional. so right from the get-go, they're using you, but they won't be happy with sub-professional results.

it's just not a nice situation, imo.

Good point. After all, this is a do it YOURSELF forum, not one to train installers.

doing business with friends is never a good idea. it puts you BOTH in bad positions.

and let's face it - they want you to do it cuz they don't want to pay more for a real professional. so right from the get-go, they're using you, but they won't be happy with sub-professional results.

it's just not a nice situation, IMO. I understant that this is a diy website. and diy has helped me truly. I was just stumped as how to charge for this job. I realize that I live in a different area so I don't want to under bid myself; replys are very useful cause what I learned from this post will help me alot. This reply is sorta kinda a low blow , but forgiveness is given. I've been in the carpentry business for quite awhile. So all of my work is professional... I'm just not in business for myself and have no clue as what to charge for my professionalism. Maybe it's a trust issue my friends have with jackleg professionals. anyway thank you for taking the time to reply.

This reply is sorta kinda a low blow , but forgiveness is given. I've been in the carpentry business for quite awhile. So all of my work is professional...

yikes! sorry! :o i thought you were just a regular diy'er whose friends wanted him to diy for them, too. you didn't originally mention you were a professional carpenter. sorry if i offended. but i still think it's risky to work for friends, pro or not.

hope things work out for you though. good luck.

If you get a 1099 at the end of the year, your in business for yourself. If you get a W-2, your employeed.