Seven Screening Questions For A Wood Flooring Installer
Congratulations and good luck on your decision to have a new hardwood floor installed in your home! The next step is to find a hardwood flooring contractor to do the job for you, and maybe that’s exactly the step you’re worrying about. Maybe your friend or relative had a bad experience with an incompetent or dishonest contractor. Here are some questions to help screen out the bad ones and find a fair and reliable professional.
Photo: Scott Lewis/Flickr
Is this candidate licensed and insured?
Licensing is the bare minimum necessary to ensure a contractor knows how to do the job. There are probably no good reasons why a contractor would be unlicensed: he either never qualified, or his qualification was revoked for some serious reason. Stay away.
Don’t accept excuses for being uninsured, either. Maybe everything will go right; maybe no electrical lines will be hit and no water pipes damaged. But if an accident does happen you might not get enough in damages to fix it. Insurance gives you the peace of mind that any accidents will be covered. And remember, if a contractor is uninsured, maybe he has caused so many accidents that no one will insure him.
Does this installer measure and account for moisture content in the boards, and allow time for acclimation?
To avoid gaps, cupping, and buckling, the boars have to be measured for moisture content relative to the ambient humidity. The ratio of moisture content to indoor humidity determines how to lay the planks, and how much time to allow for acclimation (when the wood’s moisture content and the air humidity reach equilibrium). Failure to get this information and keep records of it might void any warranty you have.
What warranty do they offer?
You’ll be laying down a lot of money for your new floor.. Read the warranty and be sure you understand its terms.
What about their references and reviews?
Get references and check them out. Look at online reviews, especially on sites the contractor doesn’t control, like Yelp and Google. Don’t be turned off by a couple of bad reviews if most of them are positive – everyone has an unhappy customer or two. But if the negative reviews make up 40-50% of the total, maybe that contractor isn’t a good choice.
How will they control and clean up mess?
Good contractors will prep a room properly to make as little mess as possible, and then take their trash with them when they go. It’s professional, and depending on the job, some debris may actually be dangerous to homeowners, like metal dust and shavings. Don’t assume that it goes without saying. Make sure they will prep and clean up properly, including protecting all furnishings and fixtures that can’t be moved.
How long will work take?
You need an estimate of the time required because you have to plan around the job. How long will you not be able to use your kitchen, for example? The estimate should include how many days for work, how many for things to dry or set, and any days when contractors won’t work, like weekends or holidays.
How do they accept payment?
Most professional contractors will ask for a down payment to start with and the rest when the job is done. They may also ask for more up front if they have to spend a lot on materials. But don’t give anyone full payment before work begins, and you should probably steer clear of anyone who even asks you to.
Hopefully these questions have given you an easy roadmap to finding a competent, honest contractor. If you’re in the Northern Virginia or Prince William County area and are looking for a reliable flooring professional with 20 years’ experience in the industry, call Unique Carpet and Floor in Manassas at (703) 369-1600 or email us on our website.