Questions to Ask Your Hardwood Flooring Chicago supplier Before Buying

1. Who do you call if you have any questions?
Most flooring stores will buy their flooring from a distributor, who in turn purchases the flooring directly from manufacturers. It is possible that more than one distributor may be involved with product imports from overseas. If you have any problems with your flooring and want to complain, the retailer will contact the distributor and tell them. Most times, the manufacturer will ignore your complaint. In rare cases, they might even send an agent to you personally. Although most retailers would resolve a manufacturing problem to make customers happy, they do not have final say. This is unless they wish to replace the flooring with their own money. The manufacturer is so far away from the actual client that it makes sense for them to deny the claims. As their warranties protect them, they don’t have the responsibility of dealing with the matter. Imagine a person sitting at a desk with hardwood flooring claims and a large stamp saying “denied”.

2. How durable does the finish last?
Prefinished hardwood floors are durable. If you want to enjoy a floor that lasts for many years, the finish should be strong and durable. The finish on many imported prefinished floors is not long-lasting and can be easily removed with just a few swipes using 150 grit. One way to test hardwood is to use 150grit sandpaper on the surface to determine if it has any traces of finish. Another way to test it is to press the edge firmly against the finish. Quality finishes won’t dent but will not come apart. Finishes made by quality companies will contain aluminum oxide or titanium oxide hardeners. Although many offshore products may claim to have aluminum oxide, they actually don’t. To check if a hardwood flooring has aluminum oxide in its finish, simply place the sample in a microwave. If the microwave sparks, then it is indeed aluminum oxide. Although it may sound odd, hardwood flooring is an important investment. It’s worth knowing the durability of the finish.

3. What is the surface and structural warranty?
This is an important step in choosing hardwood flooring. Although anyone can place a 25-30 or 40 year warranty on the product’s finish, the real question is how long they will stand behind it. There are many hardwood flooring manufacturers that offer warranties up to ten page. If the client reads through all the exclusions and warranties, it can make them believe that there is no warranty. Consumers don’t always take the time and read all the exclusions. This is why they often find the problem with their flooring is not covered under the warranty. Many warranties will stipulate that there is a 5% tolerance for manufacturing errors. This means that your floor can be damaged if 5% of it is defective. For a floor measuring 1000 square feet, 100 boards would be permitted with any type of defect.