replacing carpet?

[Info]

We need to replace our carpet with wood, tile or something other than carpet. I'm emailing the building management company and condo association to get the rules and guidelines on doing this. We live in Seattle.

The condo is 950 square feet. We're on the third floor right next to the stairs. There is a working elevator at the other end of the hall. The kitchen floor is hardwood, the bathroom is linoleum & the mud room has a slate-like floor. I don't know what else to call it. Those rooms are fine and don't need any work in and of themselves. They might need some work because of the carpet replacement. Other than that, those floors are fine. The carpet is on the remaining acreage, one living-dining room, one hall, a bedroom and a smaller room. The last two rooms have carpeted closets, as well.

Utility, not appearance, is the requirement.

All I'm asking for are guesses, just a few wild-assed guesses so I can ask the contractor some informed questions.

1) can you suggest any product to use or avoid? The flooring must have some sort of sound-proof rating (or whatever it's called.) I'm getting the specs for that from building management & the condo board.

2) what is Pergo?

3) What do you think the minimum time from start to finish would be?

4) Any guess, just a guess, on what this might cost? Minimum cost.

5) Are there any red flag questions or answers that I should be wary of or look for?

6) do you know of other forums?

We will probably use the company that remodeled one of our bathrooms a few years ago. It's a locally-owned business. Franchises and local firms were and are not acceptable. We had them convert the bathroom into a walk-in shower because I'm in a wheelchair. The wood flooring was replaced with linoleum. The work was excellent, no problems at all & they did it for $18k. The other bidders came in at $25k, "There's no money in bathrooms. I can only get one guy in there at a time", said the first one. The one we picked had two guys in there and they cut tile for the shower walls and flooring on site. The next guy refused to give me a non-binding guesstimate, saying "I don't know what's under that floor." Our guy replaced the wood floor with a brownish patterned linoleum. It looks like linoleum; I can't imagine what else it could be. The third guy proposed $45k and his sketch of the finished product was much different than what I told him we wanted just a few minutes before. My guess is that he didn't want the job.

I'm thoroughly searching the Washington State licensing website and the entire Internet for ideas and info.

Any and all replies are welcome.

Thanks

[Info]

And what is Kerdi? Sorry for the omission.

[bilb2765]

What do your neighbors have? Like anything they have, ask them who did it. Most people wont mind telling you how it went, or the cost either.

I put down several of the newer 'Laminated' floors. As long as the correct glue is used, and the moisture is at a good level, they make a great floor for a wheel chair. Look pretty good too. Not to mention the wearing of the surface.

A ceramic tile is hard on dropped objects, and can be bumpy in the chair. Colder too. Good luck with your project.

[PeterD]

If it is a condo that you own, it is your property inside the door. You can generally make any changes you want inside, as long as they don't negatively impact other owners.

The condo board (and management) are of little importance once inside your condo. It is yours. You are not renting their property, you own it. They may have valuable suggestions, but few (if any) requirements.

A composite flooring product that looks like high quality wood. It wears well, has a foam underlayment for both deading sounds passed through the floor (both ways) and for 'feel'. Pergo is not hard, so to speak, but has a slight give to it, making walking on it pleasant. For residential use, it has a lifetime warranty. There are many similar products, some of very low quality, some of higher quality. I've installed Pergo, and was satisfied with the installation results.

How big? There are some steps to the installation (not all steps listed!):

1. Remove old carpet. Discard as appropriate.
2. Remove old pad. Discard as appropriate. (wear breathing protection for these two steps, there will be a lot of dust and dirt stirred up.)
3. Inspect the sub-floor. Remove all nails, tacks, etc. Make sure it is smooth, and of good condition. If condition is poor, either add a new layer of sub-floor or replace.
4. Walk the floor carefully, locate and fix all squeaks and such. Use screws, do not nail, to fix squeaks. Squeaks caused by improper placement of sub floor (no or insufficient gaps between sheets) can be fixed by widening the gap with a circular saw carefully set to the correct depth so it cuts only the sub-floor layer that is causing the problem.
5. Re-inspect the floor for any imperfections again. Use a long straight edge to find any bumps or other flaws. It needs to be as perfect as you can get it.
6. Design and lay your new flooring!

Done right, there is a lot of work needed. Trimming door frames, baseboards, cabinets etc., all of which are needed to have a workmanship quality job.

Time? Typical 500 sq ft job would be (IMHO) about a week. Do not forget you will have to move *ALL* furniture and such out of the rooms! If you have pets, I'd recommend boarding them if possible to avoid any problems.

No idea, only the contractor can tell you what it will cost. Too many variables.

Ask to see a job they have done already, and talk to some customers who they have done work for in the last 12 months.

No. But there are many.

They may not be experienced in floors. Ask them and make sure they are comfortable. Floors are usually done by people who do only floors...

(smart man, so often there is massive rot in bathroom floors!)

Good luck!

[Info]

All things being equal, would replacing just the carpet with a new indoor-outdoor carpet take less time and be cheaper? What grades of carpet are there? This is a small place and no one needs to be impressed. Thanks