CFE guide · Estimating
Estimate Sheet Vinyl With Flash Cove, and Rubber Flooring
Sheet vinyl is one line in square yards with its parts as ↳ sub-lines in linear feet and each. Under the sheet goes Flash cove (with its height), then Cove stick and Metal / Plastic Cap one step further in, then Seam Welding, then Integral Inside and Outside Corners. Each part has its own labor and material price. Callidus takeoffs bring them in from your Import Rules; corners are not on the takeoff, so CFE asks you to enter the count. Rubber flooring is priced like any other line, in square feet.
Why sheet vinyl is the line that loses money
A sheet vinyl area with integral flash cove is five or six jobs in one: the sheet, the cove up the wall, the cove stick behind it, the cap on top, the welded seams and every inside and outside corner. Price it as square yards times one number and the cove, the welding and the corners are paid out of your margin.
CFE - Advanced Estimating Worksheet prices each part on its own ↳ sub-line, nested under the sheet, so the GC sees one product and you see every cost. When the sheet line is copied, moved or deleted, its parts go with it.
The four steps
- Bring in the partsCallidus and your Import Rules add the sub-lines.
- Check the nestingCove stick and cap sit under the flash cove.
- Price each partLabor and material per lf or each.
- Rubber and crew daysRubber in sf; check the man day rates.
1Bring in the sheet and its parts
Import the Callidus Summary Report and the Sheet vinyl type picks up words such as sheet vinyl, acoustic vinyl, flash cove, heat weld or with integral cove, and codes SV and SHV. Your Import Rules then add the sub-lines: on the Maplewood Assisted Living takeoff, RF-3 Tarkett sheet vinyl with 4" flash cove came in with Seam Welding (45 lf), Flash cove 4" high (136 lf), Cove stick and Metal / Plastic Cap (136 lf each) and Integral Inside and Outside Corners. The corners are not on the takeoff, so they come in empty and flagged Count not on takeoff · enter it, as labor only · fee per each. See import a Callidus takeoff.
2Check the nesting on the estimate
On the Estimate Quote the parts are indented under their product. The flash cove sits one step in, and the cove stick and cap sit one step further, because they belong to the cove, not the floor. To build this by hand, right-click the sheet › Insert ↳ sub-line below for the flash cove, then right-click the flash cove › Insert ↳ sub-line below for the cove stick and cap.
Put the cove height in the flash cove description: “Flash cove · 6" high”. Architects change it between 4" and 6", and the height changes the material and the labor.
3Price each part
Give each part its own prices. On the Eastgate sample: the sheet at $18.00 labor and $0.20 prep per sy; flash cove at $4.50 labor and $3.00 material per lf; cove stick at $0.35 and cap at $0.50 labor per lf, with $0.45 and $0.85 material; seam welding at $1.50 per lf; integral inside corners at $15.00 and outside corners at $20.00 each, labor only. The sheet itself carries 2 units of prep at $500.00 and 7 units of adhesive at $150.00.
4Rubber flooring, and the crew days
Rubber sheet or tile and tactile warning tile are priced like any line, in square feet; the Rubber / tactile type picks up tactile, rubber tile or rubber flooring, and codes RT and TW. On Eastgate, SF-1 Mondo Sport Impact (4’ rolls x 10mm) is 2,006 sf at $2.25 labor and $0.50 prep, $3.50 material and $1.75 freight. For crew days, the sample company’s Standard Rates use 180 sy per man day for integral flash coved sheet vinyl, 250 lf for 6" flash coving, 700 lf for hot seam welding and 400 sf for rubber sheets. See man days.
Worked example: sheet vinyl with flash cove, part by part
SV-1 Parterre T-703 Dark Classic Maple, 6’ wide, on the Maplewood Assisted Living estimate, on Margin.
| Line | Qty | Labor | Material | Line Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SV-1 sheet vinyl | 1,757 sy | 1,757 × $18.20 = $31,977.40 at 17% | 1,757 × $27.50 + $1,000 prep + $1,050 adhesive = $50,367.50 at 19% | $100,709.09 |
| ↳ Flash cove · 6" high | 811 lf | 811 × $4.50 = $3,649.50 at 20% | 811 × $3.00 = $2,433.00 at 23% | $7,721.62 |
| ↳↳ Cove stick @ flash coving | 811 lf | 811 × $0.35 = $283.85 at 24% | 811 × $0.45 = $364.95 | $835.45 |
| ↳↳ Metal / Plastic Cap | 811 lf | 811 × $0.50 = $405.50 at 24% | 811 × $0.85 = $689.35 | $1,406.15 |
The cove alone, with its stick and cap, adds $9,963.22 to a $100,709.09 sheet line, about 10%. Left as a note instead of three priced lines, that is the first number to go missing.
What to do next
Next, estimate the base and transitions where the sheet meets other floors, and set your crew days. For the other products, see carpet and LVT and VCT.
Price sheet vinyl part by part
Sub-lines, Import Rules and man days are in the 30-day free trial. No credit card.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I price flash cove in CFE?
As a ↳ sub-line under the sheet vinyl, in linear feet, with its own labor and material. Cove stick and metal or plastic cap go one step further in, under the flash cove.
Does a Callidus takeoff include integral corners?
No. CFE adds Integral Inside and Outside Corners as sub-lines from your Import Rules and flags them Count not on takeoff, enter it, priced as labor only per each.
How is seam welding priced?
As a ↳ sub-line under the sheet, per linear foot of seam. The samples use $1.50 per lf for labor.
How much sheet vinyl with flash cove can a crew install per day?
The sample company’s rates use 180 sy per man day for integral flash coved sheet vinyl, 250 lf for 6" flash coving and 700 lf for hot seam welding. Use your own crews’ numbers.
Written by
Cristian Valcu – Founder & CEO, Commercial Flooring Estimating LLC
Cristian has estimated commercial flooring for over 20 years and built CFE - Advanced Estimating Worksheet around the way flooring contractors actually price, propose and track their bids.
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