7 Tips to Hire the Best Floor Installer in Your Area

The hardest thing about a flooring project can be finding the right installer because a good flooring installer is hard to find. Finding one for your home that is a true professional who delivers quality work, shows up on time and stays within the budget is also another rare commodity. The task is not impossible, it all depends on how well you do your homework before the job starts.

Not doing the homework is where a lot of homeowners fall short and open doors for a potential flooring nightmare. A serious screening and reference check should be done in order to prevent poor installation, timely completion, unnecessary accidents, and getting ripped off. There are a lot of fly-by-night flooring installers who love to get a substantial down payment and never show up, so how do you protect yourself, and avoid this type of scenario?

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Fortunately, there are some true professionals in the flooring business like My Floor Solutions Polished Concrete that takes the time to provide accurate and resourceful information for anyone who is looking for a flooring installer in their area.

Below are seven tips that you can use to find a quality and trustworthy flooring installer:

Tip 1: Take Your Time

Don’t be in a hurry and take your time. You’re not ordering a supreme pizza, this is a major home alteration, and one that you’ll live with every day. Before you hire a flooring installer, you should educate yourself on the materials and project itself. YouTube is a great source of information for seeing the actual installation and materials required. The more you educate yourself, the more savvy questions you can ask and make educated decisions concerning the project. Once you’re educated on the project, you can start your interviewing process and gather estimates.

Tip 2: Check Community Referrals

Referrals are the best source for finding a professional flooring installer. It’s a smart decision to make sure the installer you’re considering has a good community track record. For example, if you go to a coffee shop, and just strike up a random conversation with the owner or manager. Ask them if they know of a good flooring installer in your area? If you do this again in other locations, and the same name comes up more than once, that’s a great community referral. Additionally, check the personal referrals they give you, this coupled with the community’s opinion is a sure hire.

Tip 3: Area of Expertise

Believe it or not, there are a lot of general contractors who believe they’re equally qualified to work on different types of flooring projects; however, their area of expertise is framing complex designs to perfection. There’s no doubt that some of them can install a laminate floor, but it’s not their area of expertise. A professional flooring installer can go behind a general contractor’s work and find flaws in the installation. Ask yourself this question, would you hire a painter to build a deck? Always hire a flooring installer who is true to their profession for the best results.

Tip 4: Check Multiple References

Any professional flooring installer should be able to provide you with a list of at least 10 references from previous customers without a problem. Is it a waste of time to call all of them? Absolutely not, you will gain valuable information about the flooring installer by asking questions. Did they start the project on time and end on time? Did they clean up every day and respect your house? Did they stay on the budget or come up with an unexpected situation that required more money?

The only time you should have additional expenses is when a situation with the house isn’t the installer fault like rotted sub-flooring that wasn’t discovered until the old floor was removed. If you check multiple references, and the overall majority of answers are positive, it’s a good sign.

Tip 5: Payment Milestones

If your flooring installer is any good? They’ll be busy and won’t be able to start for a week or two, so don’t write a check for a large amount upfront. As a general rule, 10 percent of the project is enough to retain their services. Payment milestones can be made as the project progresses. In the contract, make sure these payment milestones are clearly defined, and it’s always a good idea to withhold a certain amount until the project is completed to your satisfaction.

Tip 6: Check Their BBB Rating

A quick visit to the Better Business Bureau’s website will unearth a mountain of information. You can see if their rating is positive and read consumer reviews. If a previous customer has taken the time to write a positive review, it’s quite clear the flooring installer is worth hiring.

Tip 7: Check Their Website

A professional flooring installer will have a functioning website with contact information. You should be able to see the products and services they provide as well as a working phone number and photographs of their work. They should also have a good social media following on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin. If a flooring installer doesn’t have an online presence, it’s best to move on.

Additional Information

It’s often been said that the first impression is everything? Although that may be true, there are some real chameleons who are quite slick. Your first impression of a flooring installer should hold some weight, but don’t base your decision on that alone. It is very important to find someone who you can trust in your home with your personal effects and family members; however, you should use the seven tips above to come to a concrete decision.

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