Top 3 Money Saving Tips
Here are three ways to save significantly on your flooring purchase. (It is very unlikely that you will find these on any other flooring website):
1. Consider “Unbranded” Products
When you visit a home improvement store or specialty flooring retailer, you will often be directed to their most profitable lines. These may be presented with glossy signage or slick lifestyle photos on the displays and something that really commands attention: popular names. “Martha Stewart”, “Kathy Ireland” and “HGTV” are a few of the brands that have been used to sell flooring. “Stainmaster” and “Smartstrand” are industry premium brands that can drive up the price as well. And you can bet the commissioned salesperson will be able to talk a blue streak about these products. However, just like designer apparel or other consumer goods, product quality may or may not merit the premium price tag. The fact is, Tish Flooring carries some of these lines as well and many have excellent features and technology. However, we also provide our clients ‘unbranded’ alternatives – products that may offer slightly different warrantees and with no designer label but that are constructed on the same machinery by the same manufacturers and offer comparable performance qualities as the premium-label styles. Whether it is hardwood, tile, carpet or any other flooring, consider nonpremium products.
2. Feeling Ambitious?
Flooring companies pay their installation crews to do things that do not require highly skilled labor and that many people can do for themselves. Labor such as removal, haul-away, and disposal of the existing flooring; moving and replacing furniture if needed; and moving and re-setting appliances or plumbing fixtures are a few the areas where customers can realize real savings if they aren’t afraid of doing some of the basic labor.
3. Combine Projects
When a flooring project requires at least 1500-2000 square feet of material, often the mills and distributors offer discounts to the flooring companies. If a flooring company can purchase an entire pallet of wood or tile for your project, they may save $300, $400 or more on the material cost. Also, installation and labor can be less expensive if a crew is doing one large project versus two smaller projects at two different times. If you are planning on replacing your flooring in phases, you may want to consider doing everything at once since doing so may offer the benefit of a lower overall price. Have your flooring company calculate the difference between doing the work in one phase versus two.
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