I am traveling for the next 10 days roughly so I am adding some pictures from Portugal just to keep things interesting.
While I was over reading the Flooring Expert Blog I read this story about a Mannington laminate floor issue.
I have seen this problem a number of times and I think the guidance provided by the crack staff over there was on the money. Bentley, Tad and Gene make a terrific combination.
The obvious part of the story about feeling let down because the flooring is not unsatisfactory is the main topic, but I think the situation is absolutely exacerbated by one of the things the customer said: $14.00 per foot to upgrade to this from carpet!!!!!
An average consumer 2.5 years ago could have purchased the exact same mannington laminate flooring including installation and all accessories for a price closer $7.00 per foot.
So why is the cost double that? Simple:
Builders in general hate to handle upgrades. They slow things down, they complicate the situation and they increase the likelihood of an error because it is outside the norm.
"Stick with the Spec" is the traditional mentality at most large builders and even commercial builders.
The part I don't like is the solution to the problem. Customers demand the upgrades so builders are forced to work through the problem; but they solved it by making sure they get paid for it. By the way I totally get that and I understand the added complications and the need to be properly compensated, I just think it is excessive.
It has been very normal for a tract builder to basically double the price from the supplier they are using on the tract. That is a high price to pay for custom upgrades.
On top of the high price for the new flooring the credit allowance for the carpet, which was likely the original spec, is typically less than 50% of the original cost. Therefore they are making money on both sides. I am not positive that is a good deal for the homeowner. The flooring supplier doesn't get a dime of the original allowance typically.
The other part of the equation is that the flooring supplier is almost always doing the spec part of the project at a low margin and they WANT the upgrades because that is the only place they make a margin. So the price they are charging the builder for that upgrade is already a "full retail" price which means when the builder doubles it the punitive nature of the process is really running at full steam.
And of course the homeowner can not shop it around - the only person that can do the work as part of the construction process is the builders supplier for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is the builder is reasonsible for the jobsite and can't have just anyone show up there to work. Furthermore the builder is typically in a position to "roll in" the upgrade fees to the mortgage so the $14.00 per foot only feets like $30.00 per month x 30 years. (In other words in addition to getting a bad deal on the floors to begin with and getting virtually no credit for the original spec, you get to pay interest for 30 years on it too.)
btw - the price from iFLOOR on the same stuff that was a $14.00 upgrade with installation would have been closer to $5-$6 about 2 years ago. (so on a 1000 foot job the homeowner paid more than $14,000 - rather than $5000-$6000.)
One of these days I will make a worksheet that illustrates the total economics here, but let me say that it is not alot of value add for alot of extra money.
I would point out that remodeling contractors and custom builders have much more of a normal profit add-on because their building process is custom to begin with.
In closing it is important to understand that some homeowners actually go through the entire building process having the carpet or original flooring put in and take possession of the home AND THEN put in new floors. There is alot of material that goes to waste in that situation, but it is significantly less expensive if the builder won't be flexible.
I have seen in the past 12 months that builders like Pulte, Centex, Shea, Orleans and others have started allowing customers to use companies like iFLOOR for materials and sometimes installation too. Given the state of the housing market I think it is good for everyone to think about delivering the highest value to the consumer.
The compounding effect of dissatisfaction in the performance of the floor due to the incredibly high upgrade cost is something that is tough to reconcile. Ok enough of my rant.
Recently Pergo was sold to a new company here in North America after a few years of difficult times. The Swedish based company had a series of challenges most of all massive competition after they created the category in North America back in 1996 starting with launching the line at Color Tile. (The old color tile was a nationwide group of stores that later went bankrupt - the new color tile is a buying group that licenses the name to dealers. We have been a color tile dealer in the past, but dropped it when they failed to pay us our rebates.)
Pergo's high end products have always remained very strong and I think still represent great values even today. This strength is in contrast to some of the other challenges Pergo faced both internally and externally.
Pergo Select and Pergo World Traveler are both examples of very fashionable floors that are still very tough for demanding households. Flooring is meant to be lived on so toughness counts.
Kudos to Pergo for creating a market so prolific that their dominance remains viable to this day in laminate.
Last I checked the really nice special from Woodstock which is a 5" wide Brazilian cherry only had around 6,000 square feet left.
This clear grade Brazilian Cherry is comparable to MANY items sold in the $12-$14 range. The good news is that we are down to the very last bits of this product which means we have a short term price that is basically a blowout price. Samples are available for immediate delivery. All orders ship out within 24 hours.
This floor was finished in the USA using a PPG brand finish coat. It is a 3/4" solid hardwood with really excellent quality both in terms of milling as well as the selection of the wood, average lengths and of course the PPG finish is awesome! I can't say enough about this floor.
Only 6,000 feet left. No back orders accepted. Good luck to those who are ready to spend less money and get more flooring!
Recently I have received alot of mail asking me about hardwood. Sometime folks ask me why I like hardwood instead of carpet. Well the truth is I like carpet too, in certain areas of the home.
However, in my humble opinion hardwood has depth, natural beauty and unparalleled ambiance that you can't get from synthetic materials including carpet, vinyl, laminate etc... Do I have laminate in my home? Yes in certain places. I also have tile, hardwood, cork, carpet and even vinyl and I am scouting an area to put in some hand scraped bamboo or something else cool.
Hardwood in America as well as Canada has always been a favorite since these lands were settled. Wooden floors (aka paquet) have also been popular in Europe for decades with Germany leading the way. There are still castles in France, Portugal, Austria, England and I am sure other parts of old Europe with the original wooden flooring still in them!
Japan has also been a steady user of premium grade hardwood for a number of years. Recently even China which is the largest exporter of hardwood has begun importing more of the premium hardwood floors from the US and Canada. (we see this trend growing.) We have also seen the Middle Eastern areas like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other emerging nations seeking to import the finest hardwood and other floors from around the world.
Hardwood can be a timeless product if it is maintained well. Anyway - that is my 2 cents on why hardwood is so popular.
Buying flooring is not fun. It is in fact frustrating.
So many customers (about 40%) enter the process and then just give up before getting over the finish line. They basically decide it is easier to live with what I have then to decipher all of the "information" being thrown at me.
I know it is not easy, but the main purpose of iFLOOR.com has been from the start to educate and help make the process easier on the buyers rather than prolong the pain.
Ironically low prices can add to frustration. What? Low prices? How would that make things harder?
Well it is simple as this. Because we are a direct seller of products to end users (often contractors and retailers) our prices are so low it makes people wonder where the catch is.
They find themselves thinking, "My dad said if it sounds to good to be true it probably is." or they think, "You get what you pay for." And of course old line retailers that can't compete fan these flames. "Be careful, there must be a reason that exotic flooring is $4.00 a foot less expensive at iFLOOR."
Well the retailers are right. There is a reason. We buy direct and they buy through a large and complex set of middle men that mark up the product without adding value. Their mark ups are the reason why the price is higher.
Take for example the Exotic Wide Plank Loft Collection. The floors are 100% floatable(which makes for a very flexible installation), they are made in the USA and have beautiful exotic floors on the surface with a very thick top layer and super tough coating including a lifetime warranty.
Imagine species like, Andiroba, Paduak, African Mahogany, Peruvian Walnut and even the classic Santos Mahogany.
All of these superlative species are only $4.99 per foot (at the moment - I expect that they will be closer to 5.99 or 6.49 as a normal price) - which is about $4-$5 per foot lower than the competition. Our philosophy is that if we save the end customer the money rather than paying for TV ads with an annoying jingle then our customers will spread the word about our great values. As we all know customer referrals are the best source of advertising! (there's an old saying that is true!)
The loft collection is a wide plank precision milled tongue and groove floor made in the USA! What's the catch? There is no catch. It ships typically within 24 hours and arrives within 3-7 business days to most places in the US.
This is a super value that proves that at iFLOOR you can get more VALUE for LESS money. That's why we say iFLOOR - Flooring that Fits - life, home, budget.
My Personal Favorite:
Other Available Colors:
Back in January iFLOOR presented some of our cool and unique products and perspectives to the world's largest trade show in Orlando, Florida called the IBS (International Builder Show).
My understanding is that more than 90,000 attendees hit the streets.
It is a great event, but can be a bit overwhelming too.
Over the past several years TV networks and news programs stop by to learn about our offerings and often shot some footage.
This past year Rick Wells was on hand to handle the questions and show off some of the cool stuff we offer on camera.
An advertising agency executive just informed me that he believes that HGTV is going to run that spot during the 5th segment of Sunday night's 8:00pm program. (That is all I know - sorry.) So you can tune in Sunday night to see Mr. Wells make his national TV debut on HGTV! Kudos Rick.
If more details unfold I'll be thrilled to share them.
I am in between meetings, but I wanted to make a quick comment about how wood flooring (or other wood products like cabinets) can change color over time and exposure to light.
Oak, Maple and most common domestic species are actually relatively stable in terms of color change over time and exposure. They do change, but it is more subtle and in part due to the finish of the flooring changing not just the wood itself.
However, exotic species like Brazilian Cherry (aka Jatoba), Kempas, Tigerwood, Merbau, Brazilian Walnut (aka IPE), Angelim, Cumaru, Bloodwood and most other exotics will change SUBSTANTIALLY.
This change is primarily light driven. So the most exposure to light the darker your wood will go. This is the same for cabinets, floors, trim, doors or ANY kind of wood work.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a domestic species American Cherry is also a BIG color changer over time. It will be like night and day differences over just a couple months.
So when you move your furniture or your rugs or you have something on your cabinets for a long period of time and then it is moved, don't be surprised to see the shape of the object still on the floor. With time and exposure to light the color typically normalizes.
This is something to know, but not a reason to fear an exotic wood. Just understand that your exotic hardwood will have a deeper and richer color over time.
Here is a quick example. This is about a typical 1-3 month aging cycle. Left side is lighter and that is what the sample started as and the right side is darker after exposure to light. Bear this in mind that occasionally as you see a sample that has been exposed to light for a long time and you receive your new flooring that appears lighter - there is a reason. :)
I was thinking the other day about the Avis slogan "We try harder." as I waited in a very long Avis line in the Atlanta airport after a late flight in. There were no less than 30 people deep in line and only 3 clerks. The slogan just kept ringing in my ears. "We try harder."
As I neared the front of the line after no less than 40 minutes standing in line I was getting excited. It sometimes feels like winning the lottery when you are close to the front and all those suckers are behind you. Haha I thought, I am in the front and you are in the back - I win. Is it odd that my pain is eased by the pain of others?
However the sweet taste of victory was soon swept away as one of the clerks decided that her shift was over and left with no more than a uninterested glance. I have no doubt she worked her full shift, but I just didn't understand how she could look up with no expression and said I am done and left. There were still 25+ people in line.
iFLOOR and products sold by iFLOOR have been on TV a number of times, including Monster House, Debbie Travis, Christopher Lowell and mentions on countless other programs over the years.
The cable channels HGTV and DIY Networks have been dominate for the last several years in the space, but there are some others gaining traction in the space including Fine Living, TLC, Bravo and others.
Anyway Rip and Renew is a newer show from Nancy Glass productions that is going to feature a Woodstock handscraped floor on the program.
My understanding is they visited the Wilmington, DE store as part of their process. I thought it would be fun to upload a couple photos of Wilmington store for those around the world to have a look:
I had the pleasure of seeing some great customer photos of a red maple flooring in the 5/16" series the other day.
A tough install - but with really stunning results. I thought I would share with you. Kudos to Edward and company on a VERY nice installation. This was a tough job - but they really did nice work!
To see the product you can go here:
Did you know that sweeping your wood floors is the most effective cleaning you can do? Without sweeping you can not get the sand and debris off the floor. This sand and debris under your feet acts like sand paper. So the easy Tip O' The Day: Sweep or Vacuum often!
I wanted to share some photos of cork and the process a bit with some basic details, but I want to reinforce that the difference I see in the cork made in the EU vs. the cork made in China is HUGE.
Every aspect from raw material, components, glues, core boards, technique, oversight, waste handling, chemical handling during and after production, quality control, ISO utilization and much more are not even close.
There are alot of great factories in China that I have inspected in many flooring categories, but I can say at this moment that there are none that produce cork at an acceptable formaldehyde level of E1 or E0. Any cork from China is E2 or higher. We therefore have ceased buying any cork flooring from China.
I will delve into great detail in the future as I have time, but Ryan and I have really noted some of the superior planning, vision and execution standards in the EU and we believe the customers that seek a true ECO advantage should focus on products that deliver it.
Here are some photos just to give you a sense of the scope of these types of factories:
This is a giant pile of raw material. The bark of the cork tree once removed from the tree (without damaging the tree of course) is then taken to a plant for cork stoppers to be punched from the thick bark. Once the stoppers are punched out the "waste" material is sent to an agglomeration facility to be ground up to make all kinds of cork products.
This gives you an idea of the scale of just one stock pile. There are dozens of piles of material this size!
Here are some examples of pallets of material that will later be made into floors. The raw material has been processed, but not yet cut and made into cork flooring.
This is a photo of some slabs of cork oak bark that have been harvested from the tree. You can see varying thicknesses and even and old style tool they used to harvest. (this was in a cork museum.)
Here you can see some of the "virgin" cork which is the first harvest of a cork oak tree at about 25 years of age. So the tree reaches that point and the first bark is removed. This virgin bark is 100% NOT SUITABLE for cork stoppers therefore all of it would otherwise be waste, except for the fact that it can be ground up and used in flooring, bulletin boards and other cork related products. That is true recycling.
This is a picture of the "smoke stack" where clean air is returned to the sky. This plant is in full production and the lack of emissions is truly remarkable. This is the plant that produces Westhollow Provincial cork flooring.
Recently the California Capital Air Show was in Sacramento, California.
The Sacramento iFLOOR store was showing off their spirit by inviting folks in with their own Greg C. playing on the street utilizing one of his greatest assets......His Saxophone. We will play for floors!
A passion for floors. I love it! Kudos to Sacramento for living the dream.
While I was away I received a photo of the new Stanton California iFLOOR location.
It is very close to Disneyland in the Aneheim, LongBeach area of California.
Now when your family is going to Disneyland in California or Disneyworld in Orlando you can pop into one of our locations to see some of the great products and meet some of the nice people. (disneyland Hong Kong next?)
Here is the quick photo:
Ok - I am now at the airport which is nice. I thought I would share a couple more pictures just to prepare for my flight.
We stayed at a quaint hotel on the beach in Espana, Portugal and they were preparing a volleyball tournament. It was a great walking area after a hot day at the factory!
In Europe it is harder to gain net access with any degree of consistency without paying huge fees.
Anyway I will be heading back to the states soon and will begin posting more including some of the information from my trip as well as some past trips.
Here are a couple quick photos:
Off in a couple hours to fly to see some of our key suppliers in Europe. I will try to keep the blog rolling if I can from the road. Laminate flooring from areas like Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Cork made in Portugal and Spain are on the agenda for the next week or so.
One of our guys noticed a photo in my office the other day with a very fast car on it as well as an iFLOOR logo.
I thought it would be interesting to share for all to see. This was a sticker applied by a good friend of the company Larry Oberto. He is a gifted driver of all types of vehicles. As I last recall he was driving the O Boy Oberto Hydroplanes as well as other various sporting vehicles.
Anyway there you go.
p.s. - Tom I betting the iFLOOR car is faster than your Nascar LL truck! :) Heck it is probably faster than the Lowes and Home Depot Nascar cars too. Yes, I reluctantly admit they are in different classes.
I am excited about the sale next week for 3 days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). It is a great reincarnation based on the overwhelming success of a prior promotion I am showing this post again. For a limited time we teamed up with a few key suppliers to help launch 3 great offers:
1) We already have rock bottom prices, but for 3 days we're sharpening a couple extra degrees. There are products we are literally selling below cost to blow them out.
+
2) 0% 24 months financing ends next Thursday on select items. (Equal payments are required, but what a way to make buying a floor easy!) No rainchecks.
+
3) And how about a complimentary 2 night Bahama cruise certificate for 2 people on the Regal Empress? This is a $600.00 retail value! Check out the cruise line website and prices.
Click to see a VIDEO from the cruise!
So I checked out the Regal Empress which is in the Imperial Majesty line and here is what I found:
A 3.5 Star rating on Epinions with most folks very pleased.
A REALLY IN DEPTH CRUISE REVIEW FROM AN EXPERT!
A wonderful set of photos from a past cruiser on this ship available in the slide show below:
What's the catch? There is No Catch. We paid for these gift certificates so it is real money backing up this offer and we purchased a ton of them so our volume helps. But I can assure you the cruise line is hoping you will gamble and drink an adult beverage or two while on board. I just returned from a cruise and I got a kick out of $2.00 soda pop cans - but I did keep drinking diet pepsi! To me it's kind of like a movie theater that sells popcorn and soda for more than the movie ticket so it is not hard to understand that we can reward our top customers with this special bonus. This bonus however, is limited to 3 days only on qualified orders of $1000.00 or more. And sorry South Florida customers - the cruise is not available to you although we have a nice alternative for you on the link below.*
*Some offers can't be combined. For all complete restrictions and details check out: http://www.ifloor.com/3daysale.html
I am impressed with our team internally that are working on the Flooring Expert Blog.
Bentley (cool name) is doing some great work "porting" over some of the most Frequently asked flooring related topics and questions into a easy to understand, readable and searchable format.
I salute their efforts for investing in the education of our customers!
http://www.ifloor.com/flooringexpert/
