The Floor Geek

Private labeled carpet is when a retailer or dealer changes the name of a carpet style to a unique name used only by that dealer. So, the carpet has the dealer’s private label name instead of the manufacturers’.

This is a very common practice among retailers. Big box stores like Lowes and The Home Depot are notorious for private labels. These companies use “private labels” to prevent customers from comparing prices with other retailers. In other words, these retailers don’t want you to see a style you like in their store, and then shop around for better prices elsewhere.

Here is an example of a private labeling. Shaw Industries may have a style that they call “Cadiz.” The Home Depot may sell this style under the name “Forever.” Lowes may call it “Time Out.” When Shaw makes it for Carpet One Stores it may be called “Free Port,” and when it’s made for someone else, they may call it “Hard Rock.” The style that Shaw Industries calls “Cadiz” is literally sold under thousands of different private labels. Private labeling makes it very difficult for customers to compare prices when shopping for carpet. It is very confusing when the same carpet has so many different names.

But keep in mind, most companies have cross over lists and will be happy to match a style for you. Don’t let private labels stand between you and big savings.

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• Austin Roofing Contractor Ja-Mar Roofing has served the residential and commercial roofing needs of Austin for more than 38 years.

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Mohawk Industries has announced a carpet price increase on all commercial and residential products, effective on shipments and orders January 4th, 2010 according to Tom Lape, president, Residential, Mohawk Industries. Lape cited increased raw materials costs as the reason for the increase…..

Read more at Floor Covering Weekly

Be wary of Flooring Affiliates...

One of the great things about the internet is the ability to find nearly anything for sale, without even having to leave your house. However, shopping online also comes with risks. Just like you wouldn’t buy a Rolex off the street in New York City, you should be careful not to buy your flooring from an unauthorized dealer.

Nowadays, there are affiliate programs for nearly every product imaginable. Someone can simply setup a website, then put links to someone else’s site, and get paid for any visitor they send over, or they simply sell someone else’s products.

The problem there is the lack of communication between the person selling you the flooring and the manufacturer of it. If something goes wrong with your flooring, say there’s streaks all throughout the middle section of the roll of carpet you buy, how do you know that the manufacturer’s warranty will be enforced? Most of the time, flooring manufacturers will not honor a warranty if the product is not purchased through an authorized dealer.

So, how do you know if you are buying at an authorized dealer? The easiest way to check would be to visit the manufacturers website. There will be a find-a-dealer, or a dealer-locator section of their site, where you can punch in the zip code of the store you’re buying at, and find out whether or not they are listed. This is an easy way to make sure your salesperson (or the website you’re on) is not simply a scam artist.

We blogged the other day about our new floorcovering directory, mentioning that you could add as many links as you wish for both retailers and installers. But did we mention that it was free?!

Finding ways of getting new customers and new business can be overwhelming. Well we’d like to offer you the chance to reach out to our site’s visitors, with this free directory listing.

If you’re interested, just navigate to the proper section (installer or retailer) and then select your home state. Once you’re there, you’ll see the green “submitting your site” link appear. Just fill out the form, and voila! You just gained a link to your site, and more visibility to consumers looking to purchase and install new flooring.

If you have any questions, or would like to speak to us about other forms of advertising, feel free to contact us at webmaster@thefloorgeek.com. We’d love to hear from you!

When purchasing a new floor, many times a retail salesperson will neglect to mention the warranty information on the floor you are interested in buying. More often than not, it is something that has to be asked before the information is given.

Always be sure that you ask for this crucial information before buying. You may be unaware that the floor you’re buying doesn’t even carry a warranty at all. This is common with mill trials, promotional goods, and some cabin and tavern grade wood floors. These floors are known to have few manufacturer defects, and therefore will not be replaced when they fail.

This can leave you, the homeowner, in a state of distress. You’ve just paid $3000 for a brand new wood floor, and come to find out the tongues are almost all broken off. Installing it is an utter nightmare, and you can’t return it!

Avoid this scenario at all costs. If you don’t, it can cost you much, much more money in the long run. A $1000 installation job could turn into $3500. A brand new carpet could delaminate and fall apart right under your feet, and the mill won’t do anything about it – all because the retailer you went to failed to tell you the product didn’t carry a warranty.

Now take all this with a pinch of salt, as lack of a warranty does not always imply a lack of quality. Sometimes, a product is dropped at the mill, so that they no longer carry it. In some cases, they will drop the warranty from a first quality product and sell it at a cheaper price just to clear space in their warehouse. Many second quality, or cabin and tavern grade woods are sold without warranty, or with limited warranties. These products can still look great and perform to your expectations the same as first quality.

But knowing when you have options is a great feeling. Don’t get caught in the dark. Ask about the warranty, and enjoy your new floors!

Shaw's Fall Flooring Event

Just wanted to drop a note and let all of you know that Shaw Industries is in the middle of its Fall Flooring Event. Drop by their website and enter for a chance to win $5,000 in flooring, plus get a $200 coupon just for playing.

It’s a very simple game, you just pick three leaves, and if they match, you win. You can return to the site every day for another chance to win. Remember, even if you don’t win, you can still print off the coupon worth $200 off your purchase at participating retailers.

You’ll notice the new page link at the top of the page, “Floorcovering Directory”. It’s just starting out, and we need some help adding companies and installers to our database. If you or someone you know runs a floorcovering business, you can easily add a listing to the directory by browsing into the right category, and then the state where the business is located.

Add as many businesses as you like!