NOVA FLOORING INC

The POSITIVES: Barry came out with flooring samples, left them here so I could see how they looked in different lighting, and made suggestions that I would not have thought of that enhanced the look, such as a "picture frame" border around the fireplace hearth and doing wood on the first three stairs and stairwell landing to be more visually appealing than carpeted stairs right against the floor. The NEGATIVES: I discovered after the new floor was halfway installed that it was not the same style and grade quality as the sample I had and that I ordered, because I contacted the manufacturer to confirm the style numbers on the boxes. He did not install the Melrose Plank in Select/Better grade that I had ordered, he put in Golden Opportunity which is a Mill Run grade (has more color variations in each plank), and less expensive than Melrose. I had also asked--and paid for--the baseboards to be painted before installation, and they first delivered the wrong size baseboards (which I had to call to tell them about) then they installed the correct size and painted them afterwards, resulting in paint on the shoe molding that I made them come back in and remove. My personal opinion is that this co. is capable of doing good work, had good ideas and a good price. BUT, you have to have the time and desire to monitor each and every step AND make sure you get every single detail in writing, especially the exact flooring style and grade (lesson learned: my invoice just said "hardwood flooring" so I had no proof of what sample he'd shown me vs. what he installed) and double-check every material that is delivered before it is installed. When I brought up the discrepancies, Barry just said "it's the same color" and he'd also told me "all of Shaw's floors in that color were Select/Better grade," which was not true. I was able to get a $400 refund (the "width surcharge") but it overall was a frustrating experience.