Anyone Have any Cheap Home Improvement Contacts?

[DiscGo]

I am in the process of buying my parents house. If all goes well, I will be buying it in the next month. I need to get either new carpet, or hardwood floors in a lot of the house. Does anyone have any amazing contacts for this? I went to Lowes and it looked pretty expensive.

[Ih8grvty]

I have often seen new and used carpet for pretty decent deals, but no install, on ksl and craigslist. same goes for hardwood flooring.
I have done alot of hardwood, and tile.
The tile takes some special tools and a bit of knowledge, but anyone capable of using a hammer, measuring tape, tri square, pencil, and saw can lay a hardwood.
Hardwood is really a pain, to be done right you need a air nailer that uses staples, but there are pergo look alikes that 'float' on top and cut to fit tight against corners, the molding and base boards go over that and it looks good, has more choices, and is easier to lay.
I did one of those floors in my moms house for her. Laid a kitchen and hall and coat closet thats about 28 feet long and 16 feet wide for the kitchen, hall 3 feet by 14 and the closet about 3 feet by 5. Did it all in one saturday about 4 years ago when she bought the house.
She has a party for every holiday, and several grand kids birthday parties there. That floor is still holding up, had the padding built in to it, and looks just like new after a lot of wear and tear.
need all the same tools, minus the air gun to do it. a chop saw is fantastic for it as well, keeps every end cut straight. Has tongue and groove on all four sides, tilt, fit, tap with hammer and a special tool and its in when you lay it down flat. The special tool? You could buy one where you buy the flooring, but its just a edge that fits exactly on to the tongue so you do not smash it when you tap it with a hammer. I cut the first piece of flooring in half so I could stagger the seams and used the cut off piece as the tool. Just slide it the length of the piece so you secure the entire thing and not just one edge or the center of each piece.
That flooring came on a big discount. Manufactured in st george, the guy lives in salt lake (sandy) and I paid him 100 bucks to deliver it here, then I picked it up and drove it to my moms to install it. She found him through craigslist.

[DiscGo]

I have done tons of tiling and I know how to tile and I believe anyone can tile. I have never done hardwood and am apprehensive about doing it myself. Good tips though. Thank you.

[Ih8grvty]

If you can lay even, level tile, and keep the grout level with no swirl marks, you can do hardwood. I could teach a chimp to do hardwood.
THe pergo stuff? Easy as anything Iv ever done.
If youv done tile and did a good job, I woudl not be the least bit concerned about doing the pergo type of stuff and having it come out looking like a pro did it.