Better Floors Inc

I was concerned about the installation since I had had trouble with installation on former floors.  However, Installers were good and professional.  I stayed with them all day and they were patient with my questions and concerns.

Better Floors did a great job with this project. Jason regularly checked in with me on the status and when I left him voicemails, responded quickly. The crew assigned to this job was also very good. The crew leader, Bubba, made time to discuss concerns, timing, and status whenever I dropped by during the day.
We ran into 1 major issue during this work. After the floors had been stained we let them sit for 24 hours to dry then came back to check. For some reason the color was very inconsistent and blotchy (apparently this happens from time to time depending on the humidity, etc.). Bubba and Jason proactively suggested we sand off all the stain and put on a new coat. Although this set us back a few days on the schedule, it was done at no additional cost to us. The 2nd time around the stain came out great. I really appreciated that Better Floors was willing to spend extra days (and 3 guys working each day) to deliver the best quality possible.
Overall, the quality Better Floors delivered for the cost was exceptional. I highly recommend them.

The installers were courteous and professional. They were great, but the price was a little high.

I was pleased with the results.

We heard about Better Floors, Inc on a local home improvement radio show and went by their showroom to discuss installing ceramic tile in our kitchen and utility room. The staff was professional and we scheduled an appointment for the sales manager to come to our home to discuss options and costs. The sales person arrived as scheduled and we were quoted a price to have Congoleum DuraCeramic tile installed in our home. The price was based on the salesman’s assessment that the tile could be installed over the existing underlayment. The salesman agreed that his installers would confirm that the existing underlayment was OK and let us know if any additional prep or materials would be needed. We paid $1,850 (a little over half of the total agreed-upon total price) as a deposit. The installers arrived on the date and time promised and began work. From there on, the project was a nightmare. I can only assume that there was a misunderstanding between Better Floors and their installers because they installed the tile directly over a lauan plywood underlayment which we later discovered was specifically “not recommended” by the manufacturer thus voiding the lifetime warranty for the product. Since the proper underlayment was not used, the finished installation left unsightly gaps at the door jambs at each of 7 door openings (see photos). The layout was improperly done which resulted in an off-centered and slightly out-of-square installation. There were several raised areas where the tile was installed over top of some type of debris (small rock, nail, etc), several of the tiles were misaligned (see photo) and some grout joints were twice the width of others. The grout between many of the tiles cracked after just 48 hours (see photo). We also found out after the fact that many of the manufacturer’s installation instructions were ignored by the installers. We immediately contacted Better Floors and explained our concerns. We also contacted Congoleum tech support who advised that the proper way to correct our issues was to have the DuraCeramic tile removed and properly reinstalled. Within a few days, Better Floors told us that if we didn’t like the gaps at the doors we should hire a carpenter to replace the casing and jambs at each of the doors and hire a painter to stain and poly the trim. Better Floors advised that if we paid the balance due that they would replace 2 of the tiles but the company refused to repair any of the cracked grout, misaligned tiles, or correct any other issues. Since the problems were caused by the poor workmanship of Better Floors’ installers and the proposed repairs would have cost us more than $1,000, we refused to pay the balance. Approximately 2 months after the installation, the situation got worse as Better Floors sued me for the balance they claimed was due. I went to court and Better Floors failed to appear so the judge dismissed their case. Better Floors then requested a new court hearing based on their excuse for not appearing in court on the first date. The judge realized that they had lied to the court and again dismissed their case. We were hopeful that the matter was over but then Better Floors brought a new lawsuit against both me and my wife and we were off to court for a third time. The judge not only dismissed Better Floors suit against us but also directed Better Floors to return our deposit of $1,850 and then pay to have our floor repaired. Before we could collect the court-ordered judgment, Better Floors appealed the case to Circuit Court asking again for the balance they claimed was due as well as for over $6,000 in legal fees incurred pursuing their baseless claims against us. As in previous cases the Circuit Court judge agreed with us and determined that the work that Better Floors had performed in our home was not to a standard expected of a professional installer and for the 4th time their case against us was dismissed. Better Floors, Inc. has been in business for many years and presumably is capable of providing professional grade services. Perhaps our experience was an exception to the norm but for us this has been the worst experience we have ever had with any type of contractor. A two-day job has turned into 18 months of legal hassles at considerable expense when all we wanted was to replace our kitchen floor. Better Floors told the various judges that they were proud of the installation in our home. The attached photos capture some of the problems with the flooring in our home which according to Better Floors represents their BEST work. If their “best” work is good enough for your home, perhaps their services will be OK. However, based on our experience if there are problems with Better Floors’ workmanship then buyer beware. You’ll either need to come up with some more cash to correct their mistakes or find yourself a good lawyer to do battle with their corporate attorney.

Member Update as follow up to Service Provider's Response: As Better Floors states in their response, there are indeed two sides to every story; the truth which I've presented herein and the company's false and misleading response. I offer the following to help Angie's List members make an informed choice when considering this contractor's character and quality of work.

Fact 1: Although a friend of the company who is a Mohawk representative was complementary of the job, the Congoleum technical representative (these are the folks who distribute DuraCeramic tile and provide the installation specifications) told us that the work performed by Better Floors should be removed and reinstalled per Congoleum specifications. Contrary to the provider response, neither the Mohawk nor the Congoleum reps told us that we should pay the price which Better Floors demanded for their work. To be clear regarding the final payment, what we refused to do was be bullied by this company into paying full-price for a terrible job.

Fact 2: Better Floors work was not performed in accordance with Congoleum's well-documented published specifications (The Mohawk rep is certainly entitled to his opinion about the cosmetic appearance of the floor - maybe he didn't see the cracked grout, misaligned tiles, gaps at the doors, etc).

Fact 3: Better Floors and their attorney presented fabricated evidence and false testimony from no less than 4 employees and friends in the court cases they brought against my wife and myself, yet despite Better Floors' dishonesty and a $6,000 investment in legal services, the judges repeatedly dismissed their claims.

Fact 4: The Vice President of Better Floors who brought the court actions and so vigorously defends the quality of his company's work never visited our home to inspect the work performed by his company!

Fact 5: Better Floors is capable of performing professional quality work and it may even occur most of the time - All I know is that it simply didn't happen on our job nor was the company willing to correct their installation mistakes.

What is clear from Better Floors' side of the story is that even when their company performs second-rate work, their customers should just pay whatever price they demand and be satisfied with unsatisfactory work. Apparently, the courts disagreed with Better Floors' side of the story. Should you choose to do business with this company I sincerely hope that that your project turns out better than the work done in our home.

The carpet and tile installation look great, without complaints. The hardwood floor experiene was terrible. The shoe molding in my bedroom was dark brown and red oak throughout. This took two additional trips over to my home to correct and make sure all of the shoe molding was red oak. I found large chunks of trash in my rear hallway. This area approx. 3'x5' was sanded and re-coated 3 separate times from what appeard to be a one man crew. I then requested that then entire hallway be re-done properly with the large sander because there was still an excess of trash as well as a brushstroke and footprint. Finally, after sanding the hallway down all the way and re-coating 3 times it looks as it should. During this time, they also had to buff the remaining of the downstairs and re-coat in order for it to match the hallway. During the hardwood project, I noticed that almost every single doorway had been damaged up to about knee height. The trim and walls throughout the home also had numerous scuff marks and yellow staining from the polyurethane used to seal the floor. The entire staircase had the most amount of yellow staining. This includes the risers, stringers, and all spindles splashed with yellow poly. I met with the owner and salesman and we agreed that I would get a quote from my painter for the painting repairs. My current bids for painting range from $650.00-$775.00. I had a balance due of $677 with this company and suggested we call this project a wash and I would take care of the painting. Better Floors offered to pay half or let them come and paint. This is completely unacceptable to me, as I did not cause any of the paint damage throughout the home, the hardwood floor crew did. I certainly did not wish to have any one of their crews in my home again either. I waited approx. 40 days for my project to be completed 100%, excluding the paint damage, when I only expected the job would take one week. I feel that the crew may have been very frustrated to keep coming back to my home and therefore, were hasty and careless. My home still smells very strong of polyurethane. I find this odd because I was under the impression the smell would disappear within 30 days and its been much longer. I am also pregnant and afraid I'm breathing in harmful chemicals. One other final issue I had was ordering my wood floor vents/registers. I was assured by my salesman that I could easily buy the floor vents myself, although every other floor contractor was going to take care of purchasing my new matching wood floor vents. I trusted him and began the process of ordering the floor registers. This was a complete nightmare. Ordering these vents took even longer than they did to do my work. It was not directly their fault for my dealings with a separate hardwood floor distributor, however it would have been much better customer service to provide everything turn-key. I suggested that as well to the owner so that the next customer does not have to chase after vents.

They did an appalling job. The customer service was terrible and the work was shoddy. We didn't have to pay because it was included in the initial contract that we had with the original builder. This work was guaranteed for one year after the house was built.

The work is very tedious and I would say that they did a good job. The only problem that I had was when they got some of the stain on the walls down stairs while installing the hardwood. That is the only reason that I gave them that "B" other wise I would give them all "A's" because they are such a great company to work with.

They called ahead, in which I appreciate and they showed up right on time. They explained what they would be doing very well and in detail. They answered my questions if I had any and they handled the job with professionalism. We were very happy with the ending results. They did a great job on the clean up too.

We had all the carpet through out our home cleaned at the same time. They moved all the furniture and put it all back when done. They used a steam method to do the cleaning and it removed all the stains from the carpet. The price was very reasonable for all the work they did. The carpet dried very clean looking and smelled fresh also.

This company did an excellent job. They made sure to prepare the floor so that the job was done correctly. During the installation, I had asked them if there was anything that they could do with the quarter round from the kitchen to the sun room and they said sure we can fix that up as well, no problem. They did and they did a great job on everything. I am very pleased with the work. The prices are also excellent as well.

We had all the carpet through out our home cleaned at the same time. They moved all the furniture and put it all back when done. They used a steam method to do the cleaning and it removed all the stains from the carpet. The price was very reasonable for all the work they did. The carpet dried very clean looking and smelled fresh also.