Problems, Problems, Problems
“All vinyl plank, wood, laminate, carpet and tile flooring problems are related to installations,” says the manufacturers. In my fifteen years of ownership of a flooring store, I’ve had less than 5 claims which the manufacturers have accepted responsibility. All other claims have been placed on the installation. Do yourself a favor prior to buying flooring products, read the manufacturer warranty. Next, make sure your installer is backed by the store from whom you purchased the luxury vinyl, carpet, wood, laminate, or tile.
There are many stores who sell luxury vinyl, wood, laminate, carpet, and tile without offering installation. “BUYER BE WARE” They will offer you a list of installers, The question you should ask is whether the store will back their work. I can assure you they will answer, “We can’t back the installation. Any problems will be between you and the installer”. Good luck with getting them to respond to any issues. Also, these installers will not report their earnings to the IRS. Shouldn’t they pay their taxes just as you and I? Also, many of these installers are illegals. We vet our installers and stand behind their work. Installation of luxury vinyl, wood, laminate, carpet, and tile is hard work and takes years of experience to do it correctly. Please be careful when accepting the installation of a person that isn’t backed by a store. Stores carry insurance whereas most independent installers are not insured.
Weekly we receive calls from individuals who have purchased vinyl plank, carpet, wood, laminate, or tile from stores or off the internet and ask us for an installer. You need to talk with the people who it was purchased from. There is a local store which brags that they have the products in stock and you can leave with it in your pickup. If you’re in a rush, you should think about how quickly you can get an installer. Typically, we can order the product and have it installed within 2 to 3 weeks. Also, how long has their product been setting in a warehouse going from 120 degrees to 20 degrees, over and over. We’ve had installers who have told us of brittle vinyl plank which breaks when installing. A good test for vinyl planks is to try and break the locking system. If you can break it, look for another store. On tile look out for 2nds. Normally there will be a marker across the back. These tile can be thinner and out of gage.
There are so many issues which can affect a good installation. Pay the extra and make sure you have an installer who has the backing of the dealer. We hear so many horror stories about installations gone bad. You’re paying a lot of money for new floors and you deserve a great installation. We tell our customers we want them to love their floors so that they will tell their neighbors and friends about Floors & Interiors. Our goal is to make our customers HAPPY.
