Posted at 06:38h
in
Home & Real Estate
Bargain hunting for flooring installation can cost more in the long run
Q. I thought I was getting a great deal on the prefinished, FSC-certified hardwood floor I want to put in my family room and kitchen, until the salesperson figured in installation. This added about $3 per square foot to the total, and the space is about 700 square feet.
In today’s economy, combined with the fact that I waited for the slow winter months, I thought I could do better, but I have now checked with three different contractors with very little difference. With the number of people out there who are in need of work, would it make sense for me to keep shopping?
A. What you should be asking is what the experience level of the installer is, and what type of warranty you will get on the work. You are correct that in this economy, fewer installations are being done, and installers need the work. But what this also means is that the most experienced installers should be available to do the work.
Q. I wanted to install Marmoleum Click flooring in my daughter’s room because it is supposed to be very good for healthy indoor air quality, and my daughter has allergies. But when the installer from the flooring company started taking the flooring out of the boxes, the color did not look like what we chose. Instead, it looked like the material had yellowed, like something does when it gets old.
The installer said this was normal and that it would go away. But with the price of this product already being higher than many other options, I did not want to take the chance. I sent the flooring back and cancelled the job.
I really wanted this floor. Is it possible that I just got a batch that was defective?
A. The problem you are describing is not a defect. It is called “ambering,” which is a yellowish cast that appears on Marmoleum – and the competing brands of linoleum. As the installer said, it is normal. It goes away entirely after the flooring comes out of the box and is exposed to light for a few days.
“Distressed or old?” A designer that I work with was going back and forth about reclaimed hardwood and hardwood flooring that is purposefully distressed to make it appear old.
“I like the idea of reducing wastefulness and landfill mass by making floors from old barns,” she said. “But could this floor be less durable because it is old and had a past life? Or what if it was salvaged after a forest fire or taken from a tree that was killed by beetles? Could it be infested?”
She was thinking it is safer to stick with flooring products that have been made to look old, but are not. This is an example of confusion that has resulted from having too much information. 
