Although we live in an age of do-it-yourself home repair, when it comes to carpet or hardwood floor installation, it really is best to hire an expert. How do you decide who to trust with your floors? From carpet to hardwood floor installation, it's important to ask questions up front to make sure you purchase the right product, avoid a warranty issue down the road and more. Here are the top 10 questions to ask:

Hardwood Floor Installer Questions

As a hardwood floor installer, one of the biggest differences we see at San Jose Hardwood Floors between us and other installers is the education we provide. We want each and every homeowner to make the decision that will benefit them now and in the future too. This is why our experts are honest and up front, making sure they're fully informed before moving forward with their project. You would be surprised how much bad information is out there about gluing floors, concrete floor preparation, floating floors, engineered flooring and more.

Here are a few specific questions to ask a potential hardwood floor installer:

1. How thick is the wear layer? If you're interested in engineered flooring, ask them how thick the wear layer is. It's possible to purchase engineered floors that are the same quality as solid hardwood, but you get what you pay for. If you see a product that is 2-3 dollars per square foot, the wear layer is only 1 to 1.5 millimeters - thin enough you won't be able to sand it in the future. Instead, look for a wear layer that is at least 3 to 4 millimeters so you have the option to sand and re-stain your floors in the years to come.
2. What can you tell me about moisture values in the area I live in, and how will that affect my hardwood flooring? This is a vital area to discuss as the amount of moisture your floors are exposed to will directly affect how much they warp, cup and more.
3. What certifications do you have? Make sure your installer is certified by the specific flooring manufacturer; floors installed by uncertified parties can actually cause a warranty issue or even void it completely.
4. How long will the hardwood floor installation take and what measures will you take to ensure the hardwood floor installation leaves my house in good condition? It's always good to make sure expectations are clear up-front.

Carpet Installation Questions

At San Jose Hardwood Floors, we specialize in more than just hardwood flooring. If you'd rather have something soft beneath your feet, we can help with carpet installation, too! Just like with a potential hardwood floor installer, there are important questions to ask before you hire someone to install your carpet:

1. How long will it take to get the carpeting? Most carpet mills are based out of Georgia, which means delivery may take much longer than you expect. If you're looking for a closer manufacturer, you may want to consider Royalty or Camelot; both are based out of Irvine, CA and take about a week for the carpet to come in.
2. Do you deal in first quality materials? In the carpeting industry, there are three grades of carpets, all of which are new. First grade (which is what we always recommend), second grade (which means there may be a dot of the wrong color every once in a while) and third grade (which means the wrong color appears even more often). Discount carpeting is often likely to be second and third grade, and some companies even pass off second and third as first quality. At San Jose Hardwood Floors, we only work with first grade material because we strongly believe your carpet should be the highest quality possible.
3. What is the wear warranty and texture retention? You want the carpeting to have a minimum of a seven year wear warranty and a seven year stain warranty. Surprisingly some warranties are quite a bit less than that, although at San Jose Hardwood Floors, all of the carpeting warranties are set between seven and ten years.
4. Are you certified for the brand being installed? Just like with hardwood floors, if your carpets are installed by someone who isn't certified it will cause a warranty issue. In fact, many manufacturers won't honor the warranty at all if the installer isn't certified with their specific brand.
5. Will you be using a power stretcher? Sometimes in smaller rooms, installers will use a "bump and slide" method to make carpet look flat, but no matter how well they do it, there will be uneven wavy spots. To be installed correctly, a power stretcher needs to be used, no matter how small the space is.
6. Are you planning on gluing or installing the carpeting with the tac and pat method? If the space is large enough, sometimes gluing carpet down is a better way to do it. If your installer plans to use the tac and pat method, make sure they bring an industrial stretcher so it's done cleanly.

Regardless of whether you're looking into carpet or hardwood floor installation, it's important to make an informed decision; the quality of your flooring for years to come depends on it! If you ever want to know more, feel free to stop by our showroom to talk to our experts. Don't forget to contact us for a free in-home estimate, too.