The Floor Geek

If you’ve just recently purchased a new floor, or are in the market for one, and need to have someone install it for you, you may be wondering where to look.

Flooring Installation

One way to find a decent installer is to check www.cfi-installers.org. This is the official website for Certified Floorcovering Installers, a national certification program for installation professionals. You simply enter your zip code, and a radius in which you want to search. A list of installers and their certifications will come up.

Alternately, you can always check with your salesperson. Usually, floorcovering stores have a list of installers they recommend. This is also a wise choice when you’ve bought your flooring locally. This really works to your advantage if the store is willing to back this installer with an installation warranty of some sort.

A third option would be to check with friends or relatives. See who they had install their floor. This is a good way to know what to expect of your installer, as you can see first-hand what kind of work they are capable of doing.

Probably your last resort, you can always check in your local yellow pages or phone directory. Most areas will have a section specifically for “Flooring Installers.”

In any case, be sure you check references. Make sure the person you have coming out to your house has a good reputation for quality workmanship. The last thing you want is someone you’ve never heard of, someone you know nothing about, coming out to your house and doing a poor job installing your new floor.

As the year winds down, it’s time for retailers to get aggressive with their cash. A lot of hardwood flooring deals are showing up from the nation’s top suppliers. It’s time for them to clean out their inventory and it’s time for us to buy. Armstrong/Bruce hardwood flooring, Mohawk’s Columbia, Mannington and others now have tremendously low prices on several running lines, as well as promotional flooring. These are inventory purchases, where cash is king.

What does this mean for consumers? Shop hard, and find the best deals. Cabin Grade prices for prefinished, 3/4″ solid oak should run $1.95 to $2.75 per square foot, while engineered hard wood should run $1.50 to $1.95 per square foot. The best deals will be showing up in mid-December and running thru February.

Additionally, remember that color plays a factor in the cost of hardwood. Your “A” colors are gunstock, butterscotch, and natural (Red Oak natural, in particular). Other colors may be sold at a discount. Also remember importers love the name gunstock, and use that color name very loosely. Armstrong’s Bruce Hardwood Flooring, our country’s leading producer of prefinished hardwood flooring, is a great guide to what standard colors should look like.

Your best advice is to shop hard, but only from reputable dealers, and remember you can never go wrong with Bruce Hardwood Flooring.