Flooring Installation Cost in Boise

A 2,100-square-foot west Boise home built in 1998 with original builder carpet throughout the main living areas and bedrooms, builder tile in the bathrooms, and a slab-on-grade foundation. The homeowners want to replace the carpet with LVP throughout the main living area, hallways, and bedrooms, while refreshing the bathroom tile. The slab is tested for moisture vapor transmission using a plastic sheet test; if vapor levels are acceptable, a thin foam underlayment is installed and a mid-grade LVP (7mm wear layer, 6-inch wide planks) is installed floating over the entire main level. The 2-week acclimation period typically required for hardwood is not required for LVP, allowing the project to proceed quickly. Subfloor leveling compound is applied to any areas of the slab with dips or high spots greater than 3/16 inch over 10 feet — a standard tolerance requirement for floating LVP installations.

A 1927 North End home where original fir hardwood floors are hidden under 1970s-era carpet in the living room and dining room. The carpet is removed to reveal floors in fair-to-good condition — solid, sound, with some surface scratches and old finish buildup, but not damaged. The existing floors are sanded with a drum sander (three grits: 36, 60, 80) to remove all old finish and bring the boards to bare wood, then stained to a warm honey-walnut tone and finished with three coats of water-based polyurethane for durability. In the added-on back bedroom where the original floor was removed, a new solid red oak floor is installed to match the existing floor character and stained to the same color. This scenario is one of the most rewarding flooring projects in Boise — original fir floors under North End homes are a genuine treasure, and their restoration transforms the character of the rooms they are in. What it does to the home's value is a question for an appraiser, not for us.

A homeowner renovating the master bathroom of a 1965 Bench home wants large-format 24x24 inch porcelain tile on the floor and 12x24 inch tile on the shower walls. The existing subfloor in this upstairs bathroom is plywood over joists — standard for the era — but it needs reinforcement before large-format tile can be installed: the TCNA Handbook calls for a maximum deflection of L/360 for ceramic and porcelain tile (L/720 applies to natural stone), and many floors of this era do not meet it. We stiffen the floor by adding blocking between joists and installing a layer of Ditra uncoupling membrane or HardieBacker cement board over the existing subfloor. Large-format tiles in particular expose any subfloor flex, which can cause grout cracking within a few years of installation if not properly addressed. The shower walls require a waterproof membrane (RedGard or Schluter Kerdi) before tile installation to protect the substrate from the steam and water exposure of daily shower use.

A Bench homeowner purchasing a 1,450-square-foot 1955 bungalow with original carpet throughout (installed over original oak floors in the main areas, direct to slab in the added-on garage-conversion family room) wants to immediately replace all carpet before moving in. The main rooms reveal original oak floors in salvageable condition — these are evaluated for refinishing viability (enough sound wood remaining above the tongue — a 3/4-inch strip floor starts with roughly 1/4 inch there — and no significant structural damage) and are refinished in place rather than covered with LVP, saving the homeowner significant cost while preserving the original floors. The slab-on-grade family room addition receives LVP over a moisture barrier, matched as closely as possible to the oak floor color for visual continuity between the two areas. This hybrid approach — refinishing original hardwood where it exists and installing LVP on slab additions — is the most cost-effective and aesthetically sophisticated solution for Bench-era homes.

A Harris Ranch homeowner who purchased a new build with builder LVP throughout and wants to upgrade the entry foyer, kitchen, and mudroom to premium large-format porcelain tile for durability and aesthetic reasons. The slab-on-grade foundation is inspected for moisture and surface flatness — new construction slabs in Harris Ranch are typically in excellent condition but may have isolated high spots from concrete pour variations. A 24x48 inch rectified porcelain tile in a warm matte finish is installed in a staggered brick pattern throughout the three areas. The grout color is carefully coordinated with both the tile and the planned flooring transition to the adjacent LVP areas to create a cohesive floor plane throughout the main level. This upgrade is extremely popular in Harris Ranch, where the builder-supplied LVP is functional but aesthetically underwhelming in the entry areas that make first impressions on guests.