How Much Has It Changed?

How Much Does It Cost?One of the very first steps in shopping for new flooring is deciding what TYPE of product you should be considering. Not the style or the color. Not the texture or finish. Not even what price range. The very basic starting point----do you want soft carpet for your family room? Or pet friends LVP? Or elegant hardwood floors?

Sometimes knowing the price of different flooring options makes the choice easier. And there is certainly a wide range of prices based on the type of floor you select. Maybe you got some estimates a few years ago and are now ready to get the work done. If so, we have some bad news for you. Prices have gone up this year. Some products have gone up a lot.
We first ran these numbers in 2018. We will compare today's pricing with what it cost three years ago. These prices are based on a 400 square feet family room that is currently carpeted that is on a wooden subfloor (i.e., over a basement or crawl space.) If you were to choose a medium-priced product, the average professionally installed cost for each type of flooring is approximately:

2018 TODAY
Carpet $2000 $2000
Laminate $2800 $3000
Luxury Vinyl Plank $3000 $3400
Hardwoods 3/4" $4000 $4500
Tile $5200 $7500

Carpet hasn't gone up much at all, and the increase on laminate floors is minimal. LVP and hardwoods have gone up over 10%. Most LVP is imported, and there are some tariffs still in place. Quite a bit of hardwood flooring is also imported, and you know what it is costing to get a container into the USA. Tile has gone up the most. Some of it is product cost, and some of it is labor. A great tile installer is hard to find (luckily we have one!) And great tile installers are busy. Everybody seems to be redoing a bathroom or two. It's basic supply and demand --high demand, low supply, higher prices.
Do we foresee prices coming down over the coming months? Probably not. Even once the supply chain stabilizes, it seems like once people are used to paying a certain amount, or an employee is being paid a higher wage, the prices don't go back down. The type of flooring makes a difference on your budget, doesn't it? Of course, there are many other things to consider, for instance, the average person replaces their carpet every nine years. So, if you are in your home for twenty years, you will replace your carpet at least once, maybe twice. But you will almost certainly have the same wood floor for twenty years. Over time, the higher priced options tend to pay for themselves because of the longevity of the product. However, this doesn't necessarily make you feel better when you write the initial check to pay for it!

How Thick Is It?

Engineered hardwood floors have a wearlayer: a thin layer of real, solid hardwood glued to the top of a core board. Veneers can vary in thickness from 0.6mm to 4.0mm. Veneer thickness dictates how many times an engineered wood floor can be sanded and refinished. If the veneer thickness is less than 2mm the floor cannot be sanded or refinished at all. MOST of the engineered hardwoods we have in the Design Center are 2mm. That means that most can be lightly drum sanded once. Most handscraped floors start at 2mm, but are thinner in the low spots. For that reason, most handscraped floors CANNOT be refinished. As a comparison, ¾” solid products (site finished and prefinished) have approx. 4mm available to sand. This will vary based on placement of the fastener and how deep the initial sanding was if site finished.

Here's a list with to specific engineered hardwoods that you can consider that are OVER 2mm:
2.5mm:LW Flooring Renaissance
3mm:Fabrica French Oak / French Oak PatternHartco Prime Harvest EliteKarastan (all)LM Big SkyMohawk Beachside DunesMohawk Seaside LuxurySomerset Solid Plus
3.2mmMohawk Medallia CollectionMohawk Viridia Collection
3.5mm:Fabrica CitadelFabrica ProvincialLW Flooring Vintage Elegance
4mm:Fabrica ChateauFabrica HandscrapedFabrica Maple SelectMohawk Seaside ShoresPalmetto Road Charleston
FOR THE CURIOUS: 1 millimeter (mm) thickness equals: 0.039 inches. 4mm = 5/32 inch (a bit over 1/8 inch)


Design Tip

Blue -- the color of bright summer skies and sandy beaches, if summer had a color, we're willing to bet it would be a beautiful blue. It's no wonder the who's who of interior designers voted this color as one of the top summer interior design trends for 2021. 
Look for a blue area rug, blue pillows and throws, pale blue gauzy curtains, and blue accessories. Pair with a white backdrop to give your space that coastal vibe. If you're a minimalist at heart, pops of bright cobalt blues can bring in a bit of vibrancy to your room. Incorporate this sunny hue into your decor as a constant reminder of clear skies and the sun on your skin!

From Ron in Smyrna:“Great experience with Enhance. Purchased 1100 square ft of Bruce hardwood, and the install crew was very professional and did a great job. Highly recommend Enhance.”
Thank you, Ron. We appreciate your business and the great review!