Fine, I'll do it myself

[mousme]

Having been told that it would cost me a minimum of $700 to replace the little section of floor in my dining room (that the cats ruined: thank you, Feline Forces of Entropy), I am seriously considering doing it myself, given that the cost of materials would be about 1/3 that price.

Has anyone on my flist replaced hardwood flooring before? It's the stuff made out of little squares... *rummages online to find a picture*

Okay, this:




I figure it can't possibly be that hard to do, given time, application, and the right tools. So I appeal to you, dear flist: what the hell kind of tools would I need for this? I'd need to pull up the existing floor, and then put down the new one. I know I need the wood itself (it comes in convenient packages) as well as the glue-stuff to stick it in place, but what else? Is there a specific tool to pull up the floor, or can I use the back end of a hammer?

Eventually I will know how to do all this myself, but right now I'm still at the bottom of the learning curve.

Comments

[mousme.livejournal.com]

I have a week off at the beginning of May. I figured that replacing the flooring and doing some gardening would be a good way to spend the week.

I was very much WTF about the quote, myself. Granted, the $700 included materials, but still! Supposedly they charge $3 per s.f., which means a minimum of $300, plus whatever other fees/expenses are tacked on. Ick.

The boxes I checked did not appear to contain any kind of instructions, but I am going to visit Home Depot (I was at Réno Dépot today) and see if their customer service is any better. I would like to be treated as though I'm not an idiot and as though my time is as valuable as theirs, for one. If they offer flooring classes, that might be an option, or at the very least if they can give me detailed instructions, that could work as well.

If nothing else, this will be a learning experience.

[owldaughter.livejournal.com]

Did you go to the Réno Dépot on Newman? They're awful; I hate that branch. I have never been treated politely there, and have in fact been sent in circles as the staff tries to pawn me off on staff in other departments. I try to use the one up on St Jacques.

How big is the area you need to fix?

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Yes I did, and I am glad to see that I was not hallucinating the poor customer service. I shall investigate the one on St-Jacques. There was one woman who was great, but she worked the cash register and thus couldn't really help me.

I need to fix most of the dining room, so about 100 s.f.