allan allan at his dot com wrote in
:

My wife would like to put wood floors in the dining room and family
room, I would like recommendations. Should I use the real wood or
Pergo like products. I am leaning towards real wood. This is over a
finished basement. Currently there is wall to wall carpet. I am a
clutz so I would not be doing the work. Can patterns be done in real
wood? Thanks for the head start.
What would be the approx range of pricing in the Md area ?


Hey there, you're looking at alot of options there. I would suggest solid
hardwood, either prefinished or sanded and finished after installation.
Material prices vary widely depending on species of wood and whether you
choose prefinished or unfinished.

Labor prices will likely be in the $1.25 per square foot range for nail
down installation of unfinished wood and closer to $2.00 per sq. ft. for
prefinished. Sanding & finishing will probably be in the neighborhood of
$1.50 to $2.25 depending on type of finish, stained vs. natural etc.

These estimated prices are not etched in stone by any means, get two or
three bids from a reliable company.

If it's not too far away Cherokee Wholesalers in Alexandria has a nice
showroom you could take a look in to get an idea about materials (they
won't give you any prices though),

Good luck & sorry for the longwinded reply,
Adam