Clues. What To Look For In A Hardwood Installer

Along with other things to ask a potential hardwood installer could be; do you do commercial work? If the response is yes, be careful. Next time you’re at the shopping mall look at some of the flooring. I did a photo tour recently at two new malls in my area of Southwest Florida. Folks if you want to check out new flooring ideas with large room settings new malls are the place to go.

What's In His Truck?

A number of years ago I had a discussion with the guy who actually taught me the trade. He wasn't much of a teacher really, because he rarely said anything unless something was very wrong. At times it was uncomfortable because I didn't know right from wrong at times. Anyway he said he always looked in the back of a guys work truck, which can say a lot about an installer or finisher. Looking is not entirely accurate but it is helpful. I've known some guys that were a mess but did wonderful work.

While I realize the average homeowner may not know what to look for. I always looked for specialty tools. After all, if the guy invests in top dollar power tools it does indicate something about them. One item I learned was listen to what the installer says during an interview. Ask them what they plan on doing with the mess they will create.

Are They Messy? Cleanup

Daily cleanup may not be as important with new construction or if you are going through an extensive remodel. However, if you're living in the home and the job goes into a few days or weeks, you sure don't want to be tripping over piles of scrap pieces or walking through sawdust. Find out ahead of time what they plan on doing. Having an area accessible for jobsite waste is preferred.

Floor Preparation

If you've been on other pages of our site, you'll notice we urge floor preparation heavily. This is an ideal question to ask a potential installer. Although you may have carpeting covering the subfloor, ask what they plan on doing if the subfloor needs work. If you get responses like "we just sweep and get it started..." You may want to look elsewhere.