Flooring Installation in Boise

Subfloor prep means making the base flat, dry and sound: self-levelling compound over uneven concrete, replacing damaged boards or plywood, and adding a moisture barrier over slabs. Skipping it causes clicking joints, gaps and premature wear, and it voids most manufacturer warranties. It is normally priced separately per area, so ask every installer to inspect and price it before you compare quotes.

Yes. Solid and engineered wood (and to a lesser degree laminate) should sit in the room where it will be installed for 48-72 hours so it adjusts to local temperature and humidity. Skipping this step is a common cause of gapping and buckling months later. A good installer will schedule delivery a few days before fitting.

Floating floors click together and rest on underlay — fastest and cheapest, standard for laminate and vinyl plank. Glue-down bonds each board or tile to the subfloor — more stable and quieter, common for vinyl tile and engineered wood. Nail-down fixes solid hardwood to a wooden subfloor — the most labour-intensive and most expensive. The method affects both price and which subfloors are suitable.

Some do for a per-room fee, some expect empty rooms. Clarify before booking: who moves beds, wardrobes and appliances, and who disconnects things like washing machines. Emptying rooms yourself is one of the easiest ways to cut the labour bill.

Order 8-10% more than the measured area to cover cutting waste, and 12-15% for diagonal or herringbone patterns. Keep a spare box after the job for future repairs — matching a discontinued product years later is difficult.

Not always — check. Underlay affects comfort, sound and moisture protection, and apartments often have minimum acoustic requirements for hard flooring. Ask what underlay is specified, whether it includes a vapour barrier for concrete subfloors, and whether it meets any building or strata sound rules.

Installed laminate and vinyl plank typically run $3-$12 per square foot including materials, with $5-$8 the common middle. Engineered hardwood runs about $7-$14 installed and solid hardwood $10-$25. Labor alone is usually $1-$5 per square foot depending on material and prep.

Sometimes on headline price, but big-box quotes route through subcontractors and add measure fees, prep charges and material markups. Independent installers are often competitive once everything is itemized — compare total job cost, not the advertised per-foot rate.