About 10 years ago or so, we had hardwood floors put in our kitchen. I love the look and low maintenance of hardwoods. I also like that there are fewer problems for our allergenic/asthmatic daughter. We started thinking about hardwoods for the living room and dining room quite a few years ago. We also thought it would be nice to have hardwood floors in the bedrooms. The carpet should have been replaced 5 years ago, and since we were embarking on new windows, let’s get it all done at once.
I started by doing some research on manufacturers and suppliers. Lumber Liquidators came up with high marks as a manufacturer (for their Bellawood product line) and as a supplier of other brands. I also considered prefinished vs. unfinished. First, I like the look and how you can control where the unique boards go, and I want some cool unique boards installed. Second, I don’t want the mess of the sanding. That said, we next checked out some suppliers (Nebraska Furniture Mart and Joe’s) and didn’t see anything that jumped out as a great deal. Our last stop at Lumber Liquidators is where we hit pay dirt.
It’s an unimpressive store front, located in a warehouse building off the interstate. The showroom is rather small, but things are marked very well and the guys working there are very helpful. We stumbled on a great sale where we found oak hardwoods (20 yr warranty) for less than $3/sq ft. I also found a teak solid wood (40 yr warranty) for less than $5/sq ft. We wound up buying 800 square feet of Spice Oak from Casa de Colour and 220 square feet of Bellawood Golden Teak. Had I not hit this deal, I would have waited to see the material prices if purchased from the installer. Turns out, what I bought is about the same, maybe a little better, than buying through the installer. Next time I’d start with a quote on all the materials from the installer first.
That out of the way, I now had to find an installer. I tried finding the guy that put in our kitchen floors, and he seemingly disappeared. I also called my friend Randall (he’s done tile work for us, and used to do hardwoods). He’s out of the flooring installation business. I called Brad, who’s also done some tile work for us, and got the name of a guy he’s used in his house flipping business. Lastly, and by pure luck I got a referral from a former co-worker. With the installer that Lumber Liquidators recommends, I had three bidders.
I first called the referral from the former co-worker, Travis from Quality Flooring. He came out to provide the estimate and immediately conveyed a sense of trust. He could handle it all (picking up the flooring, moving the furniture, tinting and installing the quarter-round) and he provided a few extras (felt pads, cleaning kit, etc.) He walked through the entire process as he would do it, and pulled out a calendar to provide a timeline of his availability. When he left, I had a written estimate.
Next to stop by was CW Flooring, the company that Lumber Liquidators recommended. Shannon came by, but was running late. If you read my post on windows, you know how I feel about this. In her defense, it was raining and she came in from Belton; and at least she called to tell me she would be late. She was very thorough and precise in her approach. She measured everything to the linear and square foot, so little estimating was done. She even consulted with her husband, who actually does the installs, on transition pieces. About halfway through her visit, I learned that her daughter (around 12 years old I think) was waiting in the car. While I wasn’t worried for her safety in our neighborhood, I still encouraged Shannon to have her come in. It turns that this was a good idea as the poor girl need a rest room break. I also gave her a soda and some cookies since she was waiting for this appointment before they had lunch. Shannon provided me a written estimate which also including everything, except that her dad would pick up the flooring and I’d pay him in cash, and they would most likely stage some of the furniture as they worked than moving it all at once. They one thing in their favor was the 10% discount from Lumber Liquidators. With that, the two bids were very close.
Lastly, I had Dave from Dave’s flooring come out. His price was 20% less than the other two, but he wouldn’t pick up the flooring and I’d have to have someone else move the furniture. He pretty much sealed his fate when asked how the Bellawood Teak is installed.
It worked out that Quality Flooring could do the install the day after the window installers finished. Perfect timing. Aaron and Daniel showed up right on time, and before I could finish the introduction they were hard at work. Within 3 hours, six rooms of carpet and pad were gone, and the floors were scrapped. Over a three day period I watched the transition occur, and was impressed by their thoroughness and efficiency. Today the floors look awesome. I am indebted to my former co-worker for a very solid referral. Nice to have friends you can trust. And with the results, I really wish we had done it sooner!
Again, because I value referrals far more than any advertisement or promotional piece, I’m happy to recommend Quality Flooring. Great value and outstanding results. If you need some info or a quote, call Travis at 816.803.7511.
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