Home services can be cheap or expansive. Some services that come to mind are plumbing, heating, painting, kitchen remodeling and of course wood floors. We all know the saying you get what you pay for. In most cases it is true and I have seen too many floors that failed because of a price point decision made by the consumer. The most common mistake consumers make is hiring flooring contractors based on price or letting the price be the first deciding factor on their list.
As we all are consumers at one point or another we should look out for a few things when hiring a hardwood specialist:
- Reputation
- Experience
- Technical education
- Equipment
- Intuition
As you can see money is not on this list. The bottom line is that if you look out for these five factors you’ll end up with very compatible quotes as far as price goes. In other words, most chances are that if you interview three flooring contractors that have the same level of 1-4 elements, they would all be within the same price range. So, going back to “you get what you pay for”. Done right, the interview process is very critical to making a wise and educated decision. I speak for myself when I say that when I interview contractors to work in my home it all comes down to intuition. I can very easily find two or three contractors that hold the same experience, education and reputation. In the end I will hire the one I feel most comfortable with.
So how in the world a small decision like hiring the wrong flooring contractor can flip your life upside down, cost you a lot more money than you planned and ruin your schedule? Let’s start with the decision making of one John Doe. John hired contractor X to refinish his floors. X was not the most educated or experienced but the price was right, which made his quote very attractive. He did offer three coats of oil base urethane like the other guys, though he could also move furniture and work on the weekend.
Here is what happened next: contractor x was late every day, used no dust control, his guys were not insured, he used cheap finish from the local box store and in the end the floors looked horrible. The owner paid 50% cash up front for a job that didn’t deserve even that amount.
The owners came back after a weekend out of town to discover the following:
- Their entire house including the walls was covered with dust.
- The floors looked dirty, blotchy and felt rough to the touch.
- There was garbage everywhere they looked; outside, on the window cells and in their bathrooms.
- The sinks were filthy.
- The walls and their cabinets were all scratched up.
- The baseboards were gauged and had black marks all over them.
John Doe much like any of us was unhappy to say the least. He called the contractor asking for the floors to get fixed up and pointed out all the damages in the house. The contractor said the floors were fine and wanted his money. Since John refused to pay the contractor decided to sue John. Two months later:
- They were in court
- The floors were not fixed
- John had to hire a pro to fix the floors for more money, a lot more
- The family and the pets had to have arrangements made for them for all this time
- John spent endless hours talking to experts, researching his problem online and dealing with the issue.
In the end, all this could have been avoided had John decided to pay a little more to a more qualified professional. I see this stuff happen every month. We get called out to fix jobs like that. By the time I show up to look at the floors, it is usually a couple of months after the problems started. In not so many words: we quote the job, schedule it, show up on time, complete it to customer’s satisfaction on schedule and move on. This is how it should be for everyone. Remember that saving money on your wood floors can cost a lot more very shortly after.
As the old saying: cheap labor is expansive.
Can I Refinish My Engineered Wood Floors?
in Avis Floors, Custom Floors, Design Styles, Hardwood Floor Finishes, How To, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, New Harwood Floors, Pre Finished Floors, Refinishing Floors, Tips/by Avi HadadHome owners who choose pre finished wood flooring products are usually not aware of the consequences of their decisions. Meaning, some don’t realize that their floors could not be refinished in the future, or even worse could not be recoated. That meant in some cases that the floors would have to be replaced within five to ten years of install.
When we installed this hand scraped engineered floors in Danville we took the time to educate our customer of the future options for the floor. We told them that these floors could not be re scraped or refinished. The only thing that could possibly be done is a buff and recoat.
I recently visited a home in San Anselmo, CA that had the same product installed by another company. The only issue the home owners had with the floor was the color. They were never told at the point of sale that their floors could be recoated because of a unique additive to the finish which was applied in the factory. In that case, they were stuck with a floor that would definitely need to be replaced in a few years.
When investing your money in a new hardwood floor make sure your product is versatile. Talk to the person selling you the hardwood floor about what can be done in the future in regards to refinishing your floors. Engineered floors don’t come cheap and hand scraped engineered floors are even more expensive, so when you invest a good amount of money in a new hardwood floors make sure you can service that product in years to come and not have to completely replace it after the finish started wearing off.
Refinishing Brazilian Cherry Floors
in Design Styles, Fixing Hardwood Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, Installation, Refinishing Floors, Wood Floors/by Avi HadadThis time we were called to fix a wood floor someone else refinished badly. The owners got my name from researching online and finding my information on the National Wood Flooring Association website. It has been more than a month since the floor was refinished. The contractor had dust all over the home, the finished floor was streaky, had sanding marks everywhere and did not look good. The contractor told the owner to move the rugs and furniture back onto the floor only a couple of days after he was done. Obviously, it did sound strange to the owners but they figured they should listen to the professional. Long story short, the finish under the rugs was completely ruined from being covered so quickly without having time to cure. The sheen of the floor was uneven and the contractor who came back to fix the final coat just made it worse.
When I met with both the husband and wife I reassured them very quickly that I could fix this to their satisfaction. I explained to them who Avi’s Hardwood Floors was. We discussed my experience, education, training, tools and the high level of craftsmanship both my employees and myself constantly try to improve. To their request I pointed out everything I saw in the floor that I could fix. They were impressed by the number of details my trained eye could see. I also recommended a different finish on this exotic wood – Brazilian Cherry, a conversion varnish. They admitted that they could not see a lot of the things I noticed as I was walking them through the floor.
I sent them the quote the same day. They approved it immediately and we started the work. I assume between meeting me and reading information online about my company they knew we are the best.
With the project approved we scheduled the job. On the agreed upon date we showed up on time, sanded the floor to perfection and finished on schedule. We finished the work in about a week and this is how we did it:
There are a lot of guys out there who kind of know what they are doing when it comes to hardwood floor refinishing. I don’t blame them for not knowing what they don’t know. This is exactly the scenario we see at Avi’s Hardwood Floors every week. Make sure your contractor is qualified and capable of providing a quality service. Just because someone has a license and some tools doesn’t make them a professional. In this case the time wasted was two months from the time the first contractor did the floors and the time we completed the refinish/repair work.
The expensive cost of refinishing wood floors for less
in Avis Floors, Custom Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, Installation, New Harwood Floors, Wood Floors/by Avi HadadAs we all are consumers at one point or another we should look out for a few things when hiring a hardwood specialist:
As you can see money is not on this list. The bottom line is that if you look out for these five factors you’ll end up with very compatible quotes as far as price goes. In other words, most chances are that if you interview three flooring contractors that have the same level of 1-4 elements, they would all be within the same price range. So, going back to “you get what you pay for”. Done right, the interview process is very critical to making a wise and educated decision. I speak for myself when I say that when I interview contractors to work in my home it all comes down to intuition. I can very easily find two or three contractors that hold the same experience, education and reputation. In the end I will hire the one I feel most comfortable with.
So how in the world a small decision like hiring the wrong flooring contractor can flip your life upside down, cost you a lot more money than you planned and ruin your schedule? Let’s start with the decision making of one John Doe. John hired contractor X to refinish his floors. X was not the most educated or experienced but the price was right, which made his quote very attractive. He did offer three coats of oil base urethane like the other guys, though he could also move furniture and work on the weekend.
Here is what happened next: contractor x was late every day, used no dust control, his guys were not insured, he used cheap finish from the local box store and in the end the floors looked horrible. The owner paid 50% cash up front for a job that didn’t deserve even that amount.
The owners came back after a weekend out of town to discover the following:
John Doe much like any of us was unhappy to say the least. He called the contractor asking for the floors to get fixed up and pointed out all the damages in the house. The contractor said the floors were fine and wanted his money. Since John refused to pay the contractor decided to sue John. Two months later:
In the end, all this could have been avoided had John decided to pay a little more to a more qualified professional. I see this stuff happen every month. We get called out to fix jobs like that. By the time I show up to look at the floors, it is usually a couple of months after the problems started. In not so many words: we quote the job, schedule it, show up on time, complete it to customer’s satisfaction on schedule and move on. This is how it should be for everyone. Remember that saving money on your wood floors can cost a lot more very shortly after.
As the old saying: cheap labor is expansive.
Wood Medallions and Custom Hardwood Floors
in Avis Floors, Custom Floors, Design Styles, Hardwood Floor Finishes, Installation, New Harwood Floors, Wood Floors/by Avi HadadWood medallions come in many shapes and colors. From a simple rose compass circular medallion with geometric design to a free form ellipse with curved inlays and marquetry. Much like going to any store, exploring the wood options by yourself can be overwhelming. At Avi’s Hardwood Floors we take the time to inspect and analyze the layout and design of your home before we come up with a few complimenting upgrade options.
In some cases where the wood floors already have a border around the perimeter we offer a darker inlayed feature strip to highlight the design. We can add on decorative wood corner blocks or inlay a pattern into the field of the floor. In other cases we recommend leaving the floor as is and add only one element, like a medallion. Wood medallions are installed at focal points in the home like in front of you fire place or at the entry. In places where you can see them, they will not be covered in furniture and not in high traffic areas.
Our clients usually say this after we do the work: “why in the world didn’t I upgrade my floors before?” it is amazing to see what a single piece of wood marquetry does to the feel of a floor. It becomes a story, a part of your family home, a unique element that reveals different aspects of itself every time you look at it. There is nothing like the warmth of wood especially when it is something that was created just for you.
How Moisture Affects Wood Floors Part 2
in Avis Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, How To, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, Tips, Wood Floors/by Avi HadadProper installation of wood floors requires a certain time for acclimation of the product prior to installation. It means that the wood needs to be stored inside the home under living conditions until it is in equilibrium with its surroundings. What does it mean? It means that the wood no longer gains or loses moisture. It is in balance with the home conditions, if you will. Let’s say that Avi’s Hardwood Floors is delivering solid white oak floors to Berkeley, CA. The white oak floor usually comes at around 7% moisture content. We know this from years of testing wood floors with our moisture meters. We also know that the average sub floors in the Bay Area range at 9%-12% in most places. That means that a wood floors needs to gain moisture before they are installed. An average oak floor in our area gains about one percentage point a week, so the white oak floors would need to be acclimated for about two to three weeks in total. What happens if you don’t acclimate your wood floor? The floor will gain that moisture after the installation and at that time, it has nowhere to go but up. That is when you see hardwood floors cup and buckle. How in the world do you add so many weeks to your remodeling project just for the floor and without delaying other trades at work? Avi’s Hardwood Floors has the answer.
By the time we get to finish the floors, they already reached the moisture content required. Acclimation is subjective to each home, each wood specie and each installation application. A home without air conditioning up in the Berkeley Hills has different conditions than a home in Lafayette. A red oak floor 3/4” thick will require different acclimation time than a solid Brazilian Cherry floor. A glue down of engineered wood floor will require different acclimation than a wood floor to be nailed down onto the second floor of the home.
In the end it is up to the wood flooring expert to determine the schedule of acclimation. Ensuring a successful installation is a must. If things go wrong and they do, the consequences are dire and expensive. In a failed floor installation like buckling, the floor needs to be replaced. That means additional costs:
This is nothing compared to the trouble in time and mental energy wasted with having to deal with what happened, who would take responsibility for it and doing it all over again. When hiring a wood floor professional care to weigh your options carefully. Paying a qualified professional more money now is better than paying them a LOT more money later to fix a problem.
Why Hire Avi’s Hardwood Floors for All Your Hardwood Flooring Needs
in Avis Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, Installation, New Harwood Floors, Pre Finished Floors, Wood Floors/by Avi HadadIt is not that complicated. We all have busy lives with no time to spare. The last thing we need in our home where we care for our families is a remodel project gone wrong. A hardwood flooring project is probably the most intruding to some people because they have to vacate the house form furniture, themselves and their loved ones. Sometimes for a few days and sometimes for a week. Here, at Avi’s Hardwood Floors we take the time to plan out your project and help you cover all bases so you can get back to your life with minimum interruption. Where are the pitfalls along the way? What should we look for when hiring a contractor? If we need to hire a floor contractor we want to make sure that he or she meet the following criteria:
By covering all points mentioned above you can insure the success of your project. At Avi’s Hardwood Floor we serve the counties of Contra Costa and Alameda. We also serve other areas based on distance from our location. We will show up on time, meet the deadline, provide you with a quality service and product and have no hidden costs once started the work.
How moisture affects your hardwood floors Part 1
in Avis Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, How To, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, Tips, Wood Floors/by Avi HadadWe have all seen our wood floors exhibit movement between summer and winter. Lately with the drought in California; floors, sub floors and wood material in homes have shrunk more than the usual. As a wood flooring contractor I’ve been called many times to fix buckled and cupped floors. As a wood flooring inspector I have seen too many installation related failures as a result of excess moisture. The moisture from below like the soil in your crawl space and the concrete slab is there at all times. During the rainy season that moisture level is elevated. You don’t need to see water to determine a moisture problem. Wood flooring professionals measure moisture and relative humidity in different ways. Most tests are being done with moisture meters and relative humidity test kits. When hardwood floors are installed they must be acclimated first. Acclimation has nothing to do with time. It can last as long as weeks or as little as days. Wood floors are kiln dried to an average of 6%-9% moisture content. Our conditions in the Bay Area average between 9%-12%. Usually wood floors will need to gain moisture and expand before they are installed. When the floors are in nested bundles acclimating inside the house, it is easy for each board to move. If the floors are installed and then have to gain moisture and expand the result is cupping. Cupping will usually occur when there is a moisture imbalance in each board. When a floor board has no place to expand sideways, it is pushed upwards. That is why the edges are higher in each board and it looks like cupping. So, it is crucial that the wood floors are acclimated before installation. Every home is different. Some home owners have heat only, some have heat and air conditioning, some like it cold, some hot, some open the windows all day and some don’t. That is why professionals use moisture meters to determine the time needed for the wood to acclimate. Once acclimated the floors can be installed.
It is important to understand that the acclimation process is different for each wood specie and for each different product. For example, a 3/4” x 7” wide solid white oak floor would need different acclimation than a 1/2” x 3” engineered floor. It is up to the flooring professional to determine the appropriate acclimation time.
In most homes with crawl space the soil is damp year round. Some homes even get standing water during the winter months. A common solution to this problem is covering the soil with a moisture barrier. In other cases a sump pump is installed to remove the water from underneath the house, or I should say from underneath the wood floors. All that dampness and vapor go up into the sub floor and then into the wood floors. That is when the floors start to cup. I’ve heard many stories from home owners who had their wood floors installed during the summer, but it only until winter came that their wood floors started cupping (not floors that we installed, just to be clear).
Ensuring moisture barriers are in place is part of the job. It costs more money upfront but the alternative, which is a floor replacement costs a lot more. Nobody likes spending the holiday season dealing with a construction problem in their home like a failing wood floor.
Common Questions About Hardwood Floors
in Avis Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, How To, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, New Harwood Floors, Tips, Wood Floors/by Avi HadadTen Tips for Choosing New Hardwood Floors
in Avis Floors, Design Styles, How To, Installation, New Harwood Floors, Tips, Wood Floors/by Avi HadadTips for getting the best out of your hardwood flooring contractor
in Custom Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, Installation/by Avi HadadThey say it’s the little things in life. Well, it is. Especially when hiring a flooring professional to redo your hardwood floors. Now that you’ve gone through interviewing and finally hiring your flooring contractor, it’s time to let them do the work. Let’s face it, it is pretty awkward when strangers like contractors work inside your home. No matter how qualified and professional they are, it still feels a little like someone is in your private space. We are located in the Bay Area, California so what I write here is from working in my immediate area for more than a decade and a half. We refinish, install and repair hardwood floors mainly in the East Bay but what I write probably applies to many other trades.
I am sure there are many more dos and don’ts on this list which could go on forever. Remember that making life easier on the people you hire makes life easier on you.