WHY HIRE A CRAFTSMAN?
I get a fair number of calls from people who decided to do their flooring work themselves or they hired the cheapest alternative and are now regretting their choices. Hiring a remodeling contractor can be risky if you’re not sure about their credentials. You can roll the dice and your gamble might pay off. Sometimes that happens, right? But most of what I do when I gamble is lose and I’m pretty sure the bulk of the population is in the same boat. When I get these types of calls, I wonder why homeowners think they will get the best value if they attempt to do the work themselves or hire the cheapest company as opposed to a certified professional.
When You Don’t Hire A Certified Professional
Improper installation and/or sand/finish techniques can cost homeowners unexpected time and money. In that case, the installed floor needs to be torn out and replaced with all new materials. The following is a real-world example from a couple of years ago of an interior designer who owned a Highlands Ranch home hired the less expensive option. She fired that contractor when they failed to install the 6” wide walnut plank floor properly. She hired Artistic Floors by Design to sand the floor, but because the floor had so many gaps between boards and board deflection (boards moving up and down), Joe knew he wouldn’t be able to sand it flat. He provided the designer with two choices:
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Remove the improperly installed floor and install a new floor or
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Hire someone who was willing to sand the defective floor. Choosing to live with the movement, gaps, and noise.
She chose to hire us and gave us a five-star review upon completion of our properly installed, sanded, and finished floor.
The mistake of hiring the cheapest flooring contractor happens in the construction and remodeling industry, too. We just finished a project in Genesee where a general contractor hired a flooring contractor that installed a new floor but couldn’t sand or finish it properly.
The color was completely different from what the client had desired. We were hired to sand, color, and finish the floor properly, resulting in another happy client.
What Is A Certified Professional Craftsman?
One of the challenges homeowners face is that neither the federal government nor the state of Colorado requires licensing for hardwood flooring installations or finishing work. In fact, it is easier to become a wood flooring contractor in Colorado than it is to become a hairdresser. The difference is a bad haircut only lasts a few weeks and doesn’t cost nearly as much.
A National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) Certified Professional Craftsman is educated and trained by the country’s only trade association dedicated to the hardwood flooring industry. This certification requires hours of classroom education and skills training and several tests that must be passed. Certified Professionals must adhere to technical standards and codes of ethics established by the NWFA or their certifications can be removed.
Sometimes we have a homeowner question our prices compared to other flooring contractors. In most cases, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. We might all be fruit, like they say on My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but we’re not all the same kind!