November 2007 Archives

When you look at a laminate floor it is very tough with your eyes to detect the differences between a awesome laminate and a crappy laminate. (Sorry to use such strong language, but I wanted to drive the point home.) And by the way don't feel bad, even flooring experts have a tough time telling the core differences visually although we can pick up a few more clues than the average consumer.

The average consumer and even flooring experts are unable to compare some of the core attributes of a laminate floor without labs, tests and other methods. That is a fact.

The reason I bring this up is that I have been watching a TON of crappy laminate show up on the shores of the US from China. What is crappy - well it wouldn't base the base E1 formaldehyde and the wear rating wouldn't pass AC1! Now let me be clear: I have also watched a TON of incredibly well laminate show up from China in the same time period. The issue is that YOU don't know the good from the bad.

I see alot of 12mm laminate which is thicker than the average of 8mm - BUT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY mean that it is tougher. It only means that it is thicker. In fact the crappy stuff I have seen has a terrible wear rating due to the very low amount of Aluminum oxide on the surface and generally low manufacturing techniques. Additionally I suspect based on the low water penetration that the core board is LOADED with formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen. But you won't find that in their brochure!

Why isn't this on 60 minutes? After all your Thomas the Tank with lead based paint will be thrown away after a year or two as all toys typically have a short life span, but how long will that formaldehyde floor be played on by your kids and acting as a potential carcinogen in your home? 10 years, 20 years maybe more? The reason is they don't understand the risk.

So a logical question is: Well Steve, where is the laminate that iFLOOR carries made?

Good question. I am glad you asked. ;)

iFLOOR carries laminate flooring made in the United States, Canada, the EU and China. There are probably a couple other countries in there, but certainly these are the top countries.

Next logical question is: Well Steve, if you are saying China makes bad stuff, why are you carrying it?

Superlative question. You are so smart!

iFLOOR carries only the highest quality manufacturers from any country. And as I have said earlier the country is not purely the issue, the factory care is the issue. We deal with factories that have agreed to meet our high standards AND (and this is a big AND) THEY and WE measure them to insure consistency in quality.

As noted in this article BRAND WARS http://www.ifloor.com/articles/lam/lamwars2.html we have random testing performed on dozens of brands of flooring at a great expense. I should note that we didn't start doing this in the wake of bad PR regarding China - we have done this type of comparison dating back to 1998!

Furthermore we really have quality conscious partners that demonstrate their commitment to quality regularly. How? Well for starters we go the factory and make sure they are doing what they say they are doing.

That is itself is unique. I know a number of guys who import containers of floors and have NEVER been to the factory. In fact a number of them buy through agents who switch factories whenever they can get a cheaper price(i wonder how the price goes down - do you think they skimp on quality and safety?), this creates chaos from a product quality perspective.

Anyway that is enough of my rant for today. How can you tell the difference in laminate flooring? The best way to tell if you are buying questionable product is the price that seems to good to be true. This is weird coming from me because so many of our prices DEFY retail logic, but there is a difference. We are wholesales that sell at tiny margins to folks directly. Guys who have a 12mm unbranded (or fake branded) laminate listed at $1.39 or $1.79 or whatever and don't have an infrastructure(we have nearly 40 locations and around 300 staff members) to protect customers are likely the guys who are not tied to long term customer relationships. At the end of the day you can't tell. You'll have to find someone you trust and use them as your resource.

Here are some photos of quality check points on a recent China trip performed by our product team:

If you ever wondered what a truly luxurious American floor looks like let me show you:

This is a WIDE plank Hickory flooring with a hand scraped treatment. It is always going to represent a unique floor. No two floors of this custom flooring will ever be the same.

The 7" WIDE planking is really something special too. It projects a very distinct sense of luxury in any application that this is used.

Does $16 dollars per square foot scare you? It shouldn't - you can compare this type of flooring in the 20's and 30's per foot range elsewhere.

So if you are looking for the perfect American flooring - think about Solid Hickory, WIDE planked, handscraped hardwood flooring from Somerset!

TO SEE MORE CLICK HERE

We are shipping so many orders and samples that the volume is tough to keep up! Recently we have had so many orders for samples the guys have been buried. I saw the guys buried at the next day air cut off time and the stacks were piled high of orders still to be filled.

So I asked some of the other guys in the office to lend a hand an sure enough many hands make light work. Even as the DHL truck was in the building scanning orders the guys probably packed and picked 100 or more sample orders that all got out before the deadline!

It was an incredible sight to see all of the guys pull together to get the customers orders out. I believe the tally for that single day was around 600 samples in a single day. That keeps the guys busy and frankly is running us out of colors so for folks that may have asked for a color that is out of stock we apologize if we can't fill that part of your order. We are replenishing the samples fast and the guys are doing great work at running this vital department.

Here are some pictures of our hard working team that pulled together in the spirit of meeting our promise to ship samples out ASAP!

Well I took a quick trip on the red eye Saturday to New Jersey from Seattle to check out a couple location potentials there. Very promising.

Also popped into the Brooklyn location and had the good fortune to meet some great New York customers. I love that place! It is really coming along nice. Once we get some final touches on the outside done that store will continue it's rocket ship climb. New York is such an incredible place.

Anyway I then drove to Connecticut to see a potential location there as well. That is a interest area for sure.

I had the unique experience of flying our of Westchester New York Sunday evening back to Seattle which was a thrilling journey considering some delays, lots of people at that small airport and a full sprint from gate F14 to C25 in Chicago during the "final call" for my Seattle flight. (technically I walked part of that incredible distance, but I was with someone from New York who knew the way and the pace of the walk was like SPEEDWALKING. When were were about 3/4 there (in the tunnel for those that know Chicago's airport) they made the final call which is when I tried to run for the finish line. Man was I tired when we finally made it just in the nick of time!

All in all it was an action packed 27 hours!

This next month I will be traveling a lot to meet with our great team. Happy Holidays to everyone reading along. Heck I might even blog about flooring at some point. That would really mix things up!

Happy Thanksgiving. I will take a couple days off Blogging to enjoy turkey!

The Ming Dynasty line of bamboo has always been about high end fashion and design. The design inspiration seems like it mirrors the cutting edge in furniture and overall design trends that top designers work in throughout the A&D community.

The first part of the 2008 introductions is out and now showing available and the variety does not disappoint.

Kudos to the R&D Department!

A quick overstock of cork has become your opportunity to invest in top quality cork flooring at great savings for you.

This overstocked cork is just available on a first come first served basis. So if you order, be sure to order a couple extra cartons in case you need future repairs or other needs for some extra flooring.

By the way that is good advice for any flooring buying. Don't get the "exact" quantity, but instead get just a bit extra in case of future need. It always seems silly at first, but when you need it and it is a discontinued item in the future you will be a hero!

Anyway - if you would like to see the Envirochoice go ahead and click here.

5" Angelim Stained - Bourbon
Westhollow® Wood
Exotic Solid Hardwood

If you are looking for a spectacular wide planked floor take a peek at the Angelim Bourbon. Very cool stuff. Unique graining and deep rich colorations. As usual there are a number of variations in color tone expected in exotic flooring. This manufacturer also is very careful to make sure they used sustainable forestry practices when they harvest which is critical for today's consumer!

I have seen a ton of carpet tiles used in the past. Most are commercial in style which can be fine.

The residential styles that are now emerging are really cool too.

I think the seams are almost invisible on the Milliken carpet tile line called Tesserae. It is a very good looking carpet and it has a padding attached with a very subtle self adhesive on the bottom.

For a DIY installation this is a great application. The only downside no way to do stairs with this. I suspect Milliken offers carpet in the same colorways that a professional could install for you, but if you are just doing some rooms, basements or whatever, this can be a great application!

Check it out: MILLIKEN CARPET TILE

Our first time ever (and possibly the last - the costs for this are killing me!) we are offering YOU the choice:

NO SALES TAX
--OR--
18 Months No Payments, No Interest

Some states are not subject to tax so feel free to select the 18 month same as cash offer instead. The only catch is that if you select the TAX FREE option the longest financing we can offer is 90 Days same as cash.

This is our way of saying THANKS, just before thanksgiving. We know that you folks are spreading the word and that is keeping iFLOOR.com growing and growing.

Thanks so much and please enjoy the ONE DAY OFFER - November 15th 2007!

SEE THE SPECIAL PAGE:

Country Cabin
$3.09/SF

Handscraped Oiled Plank : Ash Natural Dark
$4.89/SF

Handscraped Oiled Plank : Tiger Ash Natural
$4.59/SF

Handscraped Vintage Chappel : Harvest Maple
$3.99/SF

Handscraped Vintage Chappel : Stolani
$3.99/SF



Handscraped Vintage Chappel : Vanilla Creme
$3.99/SF

Handscraped Vintage Chappel : Yorkshire
$3.99/SF

These hot deals are something that won't last long. The oiled dark ash is probably my favorite. This series is something that contractor's always use to find the highest value at the lowest price. Each of these products are first come, first served. No back orders accepted. If you want something totally unique and at a very low price this is the page for you:

HOT DEALS

Some photos of a customer success. A great story!

I thought I would share some quick photos of my great experience recently in the mid west touring stores. Great people, great customers and excellent opportunities. We have some newer stores and some old school stores (relatively old school), but both have in common passionate people. I love it!

The recent episode of Rip and Renew featured some flooring from iFLOOR.com and Woodstock MW - hand scraped wide plank hardwood as well as the great installation crew led by Grant did wonderful work. The host and homeowner also visited the iFLOOR Wilmington Delaware store which was wonderful and showed off some bamboo, cork and ultimately the wide plank handscraped hardwood flooring that the homeowner selected.

My understanding is that the homeowner is a big DJ in the Philadelphia area so we're excited to be involved with both HGTV as well as these great homeowners in that region. The floor was valued at more than $10,000 with installation so it is an incredible looking job.

Take a quick condensed peek at the Rip and Renew right here:

You can see the full version by watching Rip and Renew on HGTV!

ss

Wow.

That is about all I can say.

A customer recently submitted photos of their new Westhollow solid Brazilian Cherry flooring in the wide plank version (5") and I have to say not only does the flooring look incredible, but the overall design and styling in the room really is something special.

Whoever put this room together clearly understands Feng Shui and absolutly has a critical eye for design.

Kudos to you! Here are some photos for the rest of us to learn from!

We have alot of talented folks in the building here and they put their heads together to shot a video on how to install a glue down hardwood. In the case of the video they used a 5/16" SOLID hardwood which turned out beautifully. However, I would like to point out that the same techniques apply to ANY glue down floor.

When you have a concrete subfloor in a condo or a basement or in the Sunbelt you really need to know your options.

Personally I like floating the floor vs. gluing it but with some products you don't have the option. One thing is that if you do glue the floor I would ALWAYS recommend using a concrete sealer first!

Anyway I think the team at iFLOOR TV, the installation crew and the magic elves in the background did a wonderful job at producing a video that gives you tons of information at NO COST to you. That is FREE for those from Pocatello. (that is where I was born.)

To check out the video go here: GLUE DOWN HARDWOOD VIDEO

Enjoy

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7136034015880372092&pr=goog-sl

I just spent a week touring stores in the midwest and man they were awesome.

At that time I saw the new product introduced called Saso - a 2008 Flooring introduction.

The 5" wide plank is probably my favorite the style is called: PARK AVENUE

Some of the features include:

5” CLICK 5G Product Overview

125mm (5”) plank width

Four (4) sided micro beveled edges

Popular color palette from traditional to exotic

Easy installation

Choice of installation methods appeals to homeowners and builders alike

For residential and light commercial use

25 year warranty against wear through

Lifetime structural warranty

===================

The things I like the best about this is the very high quality finish, the wide luxurious planks and the impeccably engineered click system. Saso uses the Valinge 5G locking system which is really state of the art! I've known the German leader of this manufacturer for more than a decade and he and his team are all about precision. The Saso collection is kind run like Mercedes Benz - high quality German engineering.

2008 will be a great year and Saso is a great early launch here at the end of 2007. (best of all it is being launched at intro prices so the value is truly unique!)

Have you noticed that manufacturers and retailers claim that if you buy on the Internet you will void your warranty? Oh sure, in some cases they offer a shorter term warranty, but their idea is to discourage you from buying at a discount!

Even though iFLOOR has close to 40 stores across the nation and is not really an Internet-only company, these scare tactics may make you wonder whether you will get the full manufacturer’s warranty protection if you buy from iFLOOR.

This is not right! You deserve to save money. So we’re going to take care of this problem once and for all.

I am putting iFLOOR’s “money where my mouth is!”

Announcing :

iFLOOR’s “One Million Dollar Limited Warranty!”

If you have a warranty claim that would ordinarily be covered by a manufacturer, but is denied only because you purchased from iFLOOR, we will cover your claim up to 1 Million Dollars on the same terms as the manufacturer promised all other customers.

Here is the iFLOOR “One Million Dollar Limited Warranty”:

1) You must buy the flooring from iFLOOR.
2) Blowouts, seconds or other closeouts are ineligible for iFLOOR’s warranty.
3) The coverage is “same as” the manufacturer’s warranty. Independent inspections will validate the claim per the manufacturer’s standard warranty coverages of your flooring. If the claim is not valid under the manufacturer’s normal terms (other than Internet exclusions) it is not valid under iFLOOR’s limited warranty. If the claim is denied after independent inspections, you are responsible for the costs of inspection.
4) You agree that iFLOOR first will work your warranty claim through the normal manufacturer’s warranty process and get DENIED before invoking iFLOOR’s limited warranty. Any improper maintenance, care, usage or other conditions that are not warranted by the manufacturer also are not covered under iFLOOR’s warranty.
5) The claims resolution will be at the discretion of IFLOOR and based on the manufacturer’s normal coverages including any pro-rata adjustments for how long the floor has been in service or other normal resolution methods including repair, replacement or compensation.
6) You agree to assign your warranty rights to iFLOOR and agree in the event of legal action against the manufacturer under any and all applicable laws that you will cooperate so that iFLOOR can seek justice from the manufacturer.

That’s the iFLOOR “One Million Dollar Limited Warranty” and here’s our DISCLAIMER:

iFLOOR, INC. DISCLAIMS LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, OR WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCTS COVERED UNDER ITS “ONE MILLION DOLLAR LIMITED WARRANTY.”

THE ABOVE REMEDIES ARE THE CUSTOMER'S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES FOR CLAIMS ON THIS PRODUCT FROM iFLOOR.

This warranty constitutes the entire agreement of the parties, and no waiver or amendment shall be valid unless in writing and signed by an authorized representative or iFLOOR, Inc. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights that vary from state to state.

========================================

We have officially launched the press release shown above to illustrate a couple key points:

1. If you call a manufacturer who talks about buying online in a negative way and tries to scare you we believe not only is it unethical to the extent they lie it may be illegal.

2. iFLOOR has dozens of stores in the US and a HUGE online flooring business. We buy through authorized channels and always have. ANY warranty protection offered through the manufacturer is 100% in tact when you buy from iFLOOR!

3. And we're saying - don't just take our word for it; we will put up to one million dollars in the form of a written limited warranty to back up our position. We may also consider further legal action against manufacturers who are hurting consumers. Someone has to stand up for the little guy, it may as well be us!

When you buy flooring - we just want you to concentrate on the style, the color and what works best in your home. We'll handle the rest!