Flooring tips help you keep your feet during repairs
As many homeowners work to rebuild following Hurricane Harvey, one important component of the remodeling process will involve installing new flooring.
Whether your home sustained partial or extensive flooring damage due to flood waters, hiring a flooring contractor is one of the most important steps for your project. Hire the right one, and you can relax knowing that your project is being handled. Hire the wrong one, and you could be facing a wide range of problems including unfinished or shoddy work.
The Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas offers the following tips for hiring a flooring contractor:
• Research carefully. Check a business’ report at BBBHouston.org before you hire a company to read their customer reviews and complaint history. Also, verify you are dealing with reputable companies for both the purchase and installation.
• Prepare a budget. Before you go shopping, know how much you can afford and set a budget. Creating a budget will help you avoid spending beyond your means. Also, realize there are many flooring options to consider. Whether you choose carpet, hardwood, tile, laminate or vinyl flooring, examine options carefully in order to find the best flooring type(s) for your home.
• Obtain three bids. Prior to making a purchasing decision, consider a few companies first. Compare the quality and pricing of the products included in the bids, including carpet, padding, etc. Also, review if different businesses have additional costs associated with the bid (e.g. labor, material disposal, etc.). Be cautious about the measurements used in advertisements and/or bids, and how this affects pricing.
• Be wary of extraordinarily low prices. Flooring is a very competitive item, and there are legitimate deals to be had; however, you also want to be aware of deals that sound too good to be true. It may mean that the product or quality is diminished.
Ask questions about the quality of the construction, padding, and installation before you buy.
• Beware of ‘free claims.’ Review all aspects of your purchase to ensure that all pricing of materials and labor is reasonable.
• Arrange a payment schedule. Get everything in writing, including a plan for payments. Never pay in full up front. Stagger your payments so your final payment is not due until the work is complete and you have fully inspected it.
Do not pay cash; make sure your check is written to a company, not an individual, or that you use a credit card.
• Request information on what warranties are available. Ask for clarification as to what warranties actually cover, for how long products/labor is guaranteed, if maintenance is a requirement to utilize warranties, etc. Also, ask if the warranty is transferrable should you choose to sell your home.
The Better Business Bureau is an unbiased nonprofit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews and BBB Wise Giving Reports to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. For information or to check the reliability of a company and find trustworthy businesses, visit www.bbbhouston.org, which includes our BBB Accredited Business Directory, or call 713-868-9500. Leah Napoliello is senior director of Investigative Services with the Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas. Send questions regarding homeowner issues to Leah Napoliello, Better Business Bureau, 1333 West Loop South, Suite 1200, Houston, TX 77027, or e-mail her at lnapoliello@bbbhou.org. Include mailing address and phone number on letters and emails.