Condo Reno (4th in a series)

Having placed our order for our kitchen cabinetry before our vacation, we are now starting to focus on sourcing our hardwood flooring.

We are partial to a wide plank (4.5") natural maple, premium (select and better), satin finish engineered floor manufactured by Mercier. The Mercier product comes with a 35 year warranty and contains non-yellowing and antimicrobial agents. We first saw the sample in The Floor Shop (on Wickstead) showroom. Alan from The Floor Shop came out to measure and complete an estimate for us this morning.

We are laying the hardwood in the entrance foyer, living-dining room, two bedrooms and the hallway. He measured 593 SF of surface area to be covered. They add a 5% "waste factor", which brought the measurement for estimate purposes up to 623 SF.

To complete the estimate he extended out the per SF wood material and installation (labour/materials) prices and applied them to the square footage. There were also some add-on charges (an $85 hand-cutting surcharge for laying in the hallway and a $100 delivery charge). Installation charges were $5.25 per SF ($1 of which is extra for the glue-down process).

Installation includes the cost of a Sika AcouBound underlay sub-flooring. (Condos require that subfloors meet certain minimum sound reduction and transfer standard ratings to avoid creating noise for neighbours in units below). They also collect 5% GST on the materials and installation service cost, but you only pay PST on the material charge.

Mercier offers a 5 year installation warranty.

We have identified another supplier that also carries the Mercier product-- The Yorkdale Hardwood Flooring Centre (on Bridegeland) -- and have their estimator Mark coming out to provide a competitive quote on Saturday morning.