Flooring Installation in Garden City, ID: Costs, Ideas & Options

Refinish whenever possible. Original hardwood floors in Garden City's Greenbelt cottages — typically fir or oak strip from the 1950s and 1960s — are made from old-growth wood with grain quality and natural character that modern flooring cannot replicate. Refinishing costs $2.75 to $4.75 per square foot compared to $5.50 to $8.50 per square foot for LVP installation, and the result is more beautiful, more authentic, and more valuable to a sophisticated buyer. The question to ask first is whether the floor is in refinishable condition: does the wood have adequate thickness remaining for a full sand (typically 3/4-inch minimum remaining), are there gaps or structural issues that require repair, and are there areas of damage that would need patching? Iron Crest assesses original floor conditions before making any flooring recommendation.

For Greenbelt Corridor cottages and Garden City Core ranches, specify 6mm to 8mm total thickness SPC (rigid core) LVP with a 20-mil wear layer for high-traffic areas and 12-mil for lower-traffic bedrooms. The rigid core is specifically important for Garden City's river-adjacent properties because it handles humidity variation without the expansion and contraction response of flexible LVP. Width matters for aesthetics: 7-inch planks are the current standard for a contemporary mid-century ranch application; 9-inch planks read as more premium and scale better in larger open spaces. Avoid 3-to-4-inch planks, which read as dated. For pet households or heavy-use applications, the 20-mil wear layer throughout is worth the incremental cost.

Engineered hardwood can be installed in kitchens with careful specification and installation practice — it handles the occasional moisture exposure of a kitchen better than solid hardwood. We specify engineered hardwood with a minimum 3-ply or multi-ply plywood core (not HDF core, which is moisture-sensitive) and a finish that seals the wood surface against moisture penetration. Proper caulking at all perimeters and around fixtures is essential. We don't recommend solid or engineered hardwood in bathroom applications where daily water exposure is direct and significant — porcelain tile or quality LVP is the appropriate specification for bathroom floors in Garden City's practical use conditions. Hardwood in the bathroom of a design publication looks beautiful; hardwood in the bathroom of a home used daily by a family produces problems within a few years.

Wide-plank solid or engineered hardwood (5 to 8 inches wide) in white oak or walnut is the most impactful flooring choice for a Live-Work loft where warmth, authenticity, and visual scale matter. The wood floor in a 2,000-square-foot loft space provides acoustic absorption that reduces echo and reverberation, creates warmth that balances the industrial character of exposed structure and concrete ceilings, and shows a visual richness that large-format tile cannot match. For lofts where the work practice involves water or materials that contact the floor, large-format concrete-look porcelain is the more practical alternative. The specific material choice should be made in the context of how the space is used — creative work that involves water, chemicals, or heavy equipment favors tile; studio work, technology, and office use favors hardwood.

The most reliable indicator is the home's construction date: Garden City properties built between the 1930s and 1978 have a meaningful probability of containing asbestos-containing floor tiles in kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms, and entryways. Visual identification is unreliable — asbestos-containing tile looks identical to non-asbestos vinyl tile and the presence of asbestos binders cannot be confirmed visually. The only reliable method is laboratory testing of a small sample. Iron Crest conducts asbestos assessments on all flooring projects in pre-1978 Garden City properties before any demolition proceeds, and the assessment report is included in the project documentation. Testing typically adds $150 to $300 to project cost and adds 3 to 5 business days to the project start for laboratory turnaround.

Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) is the most popular choice for whole-home installations in the Boise area. It is waterproof, scratch-resistant, comfortable underfoot, and available in realistic wood-look patterns. It can be used in every room including kitchens and bathrooms.

A typical whole-home flooring installation (1,500-2,000 sq ft) takes 5-10 days including removal of existing flooring, subfloor prep, and installation. Single-room projects may take 1-3 days. Tile installations take longer due to setting and grouting time.

LVP is more practical — it is waterproof, scratch-resistant, more affordable, and easier to maintain. Hardwood offers a warmer, more premium feel and can be refinished multiple times. Many homeowners use LVP in high-traffic and wet areas and hardwood in formal living spaces.

We handle furniture moving as part of the installation process. We move items out of the work area, install the flooring, and return furniture to position. Homeowners should plan to clear small items, electronics, and fragile objects from the rooms.

In some cases, yes. LVP and laminate can often be installed over smooth, level existing floors. However, removing old flooring typically produces a better result because it allows for proper subfloor inspection, repair, and preparation.

We use manufacturer-matched transition strips — T-moldings, reducers, and thresholds — to create clean, level connections between different flooring materials. Proper transitions are both functional (no tripping hazards) and aesthetic (clean visual lines).

LVP with a thick wear layer (20 mil or higher) is the best flooring for homes with pets. It resists scratches, is waterproof for accidents, and is easy to clean. Avoid smooth-finish hardwood and high-gloss laminate, which scratch easily.