Preparing Your Home for New Floors

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS
Material and labor:  A 50% deposit is required on all material and labor invoices prior to placing an order.  The balance is due upon substantial completion of the project.  If something needs to be completed such as door moldings or trim or minor punch, 10% can be held back until the project is completed.  Reasonable access needs to be granted for Smart Floors installation staff to come back and complete the project.  Once the project is completed in full, final payment is due immediately. 

Material only:  It is Smart Floors policy to collect 100% when purchasing material only.  A 50% deposit can be given on orders larger than $5000 however, 100% payment is due before any material leaves the Smart Floors warehouse.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

No returns:  NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES ON ANY MATERIAL.  NO EXCEPTIONS.    

ORDERS, SHIPPING AND DELIVERY

Once your order is placed with the mill, most material is delivered to us within 5-10 business days.   PLEASE BE PATIENT.  We rely on the shipping information given to us by the mill and the shipping company.  The delivery date is an estimated delivery date and is not uncommon for the ETA to be off by a few days or sometimes even longer.  Our staff will do the best updating you with delivery changes as we get updates from the mill.  Smart Floors does not own the shipping company or the mill where the material is made.  Therefore, Smart Floors is not responsible for shipping delays. 

SCHEDULING THE INSTALLATION

Once your material arrives and has been inspected and cleared for scheduling our Smart Floors scheduling staff will call to set up the installation and give you an idea of how long your project will take to complete.  Keep in mind that every installation is different, and the installation could run longer than anticipated.  If a Smart Floors associate says 2 days for installation, please plan on 4 days to be safe. 

PREPAIRING YOUR HOME FOR INSTALLATION

• Remove all linens and pillows from beds.
• Remove all breakables and small items from the tops of furniture.
• Remove all breakables from china cabinets.
• Remove all books from bookshelves.
• Remove lamps and computers.
• Remove shoes, boxes and allow 3 foot clearance between the floor and the bottom of the clothes in closets.
• Fish tanks must be completely empty.
• Remove any valuable artwork from the walls in the room and the areas or hallways leading to the area of installation.
• Pool tables and pianos to be releveled and retuned by others at owner’s expense.   
• Grandfather clocks must have weights and pendulum removed. 

Please keep in mind that in most installations, the furniture must be moved completely out of the installation.  If you have paid for Smart Floors to move furniture our staff will move the furniture out of the way and have it set back up by the end of the day except for tile installations.  Smart Floors staff only move furniture as far as needed in order to install flooring.  Smart Floors staff do not move furniture or appliances into garages or downstairs.  Smart Floors staff does not haul away unwanted furniture, cabinets, or appliances. 

ANTIQUES

Please let us know if you have any fragile furniture or items of extreme value or irreplaceable items before the installation. We may ask you to have a professional move these items prior to installation.

LEFTOVER MATERIALS

Smart Floors factors a waste of 8%-15% of the job total depending on the material selection and layout. There may or may not be material left at the end of the project and could be up to 8% of the total ordered. This material is NON-REFUNDABLE and is a normal part of a new floor installation. If there is anything left, we encourage you to keep it for future repairs.

ALL SALES ARE FINAL

Once the material has been purchased most manufacturers will not take material back no matter what the reason.  The manufacturers that will take material back charge 25% restocking plus the shipping costs to return to whatever state or country the material came from.  Due to ever changing dye lots, Smart Floors cannot absorb the costs of crediting back unused or unwanted material after installation.  Smart Floors staff have a NO EXCEPTIONS rule on returns.  Please check with your installers if you are purchasing material only or please take extra time before making your final decision on purchasing materials.  

UNFORESEEN FLOOR PREP

It is impossible for our staff to determine if any floor prep is needed in preparation of the new floor until all the old flooring has been removed. Most hard surface products including tile, wood and luxury vinyl require the slab to be flat 1/4 inch over a 10 ft span. Tile floors require all cracks in the slab and expansion joints to be covered with crack suppressant. These items will be at an additional cost and in most cases will have to be determined once the old floor has been removed.

CARPET SEAMS

The visibility of seams is dependent upon the product, lighting, and seam direction.  Smart Floors makes no claims that seams in carpet will be invisible.  Some seams hide better than others, but noticeable seams are not a warranty issue. If this is concerning, please ask Smart Floors associate for more details.

ITEMS NOT COVERED BY SMART FLOORS

TOUCH UP PAINT:
Due to the nature of installing flooring, it is not uncommon to have some minor paint touch up once the installation is complete.

TV CABLE AND COMPUTERS:
Smart Floors will only unplug and re-plug televisions and computers. If it does not work once the item has been plugged in, please get further assistance from cable or internet provider.

CABLE, PHONE OR ELECTRICAL WIRES UNDER FLOORING:

Smart Floors does not guaranty that cables or phone wires will be able to be ran underneith new floorcovering.  Smart Floors will not run electircal wiring under new flooring.   

DOOR CUTTING AND DOOR CASINGS:

DOORS:  Smart Floors does not cut doors. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if a door will clear the new floor. There is a possibility that you will need some doors to be cut.  Smart Floors does not cut doors, and this would be an additional expense and would need to be completed by others.  

CASINGS:  Some floors are also thinner than your existing floor.  Caulking will be used at door casings to cover the gap if any.  Some gaps may be too much for caulking and would need to be addressed by a licensed trim carpenter at the owners expense. 

SHOWER INSTALLATIONS:
Shower doors may not fit back into place properly after a new shower installation. Shower pans must be installed by plumbers.  Any drywall and texture repairs where new tile meet drywall not included in shower installations and must be completed by others.

ELECTRICAL:
Every effort is taken to get floor and wall outlets in the installation areas back into place however they may need to be reset by a licensed electrician and are not covered in the installation of any floor.

TOILETS:
Toilets will be pulled when flooring is going into bathroom areas but must be reset by a certified plumber or homeowner.  Sometimes when the toilet is removed, the flange is broken.  Smart Floors does not take responsibility for broken flanges. 

Sometimes it is difficult to coordinate a plumber the same day as the installation in a bathroom(s).  Please make arrangements with a friend or neighbor just in case you have to go overnight without a working toilet. 

APPLIANCES:
It is recommended to have plumber inspect connections within 24 hours when Smart Floors reconnects appliances.  Sometimes when Smart Floors installation teams disconnect supply lines the shutoff valve gets corroded and will not shut off properly.  If this occurs, Smart Floors staff will shut the water off to the property and it is the homeowner’s responsibility to call a plumber. 

SOUND BARRIER:
For second floor and above condos, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to get board approval for what type of sound barrier or waterproofing membrane that must be used.

DUSTLESS WOOD AND TILE REMOVAL

Smart Floors offers dustless tile and wood removal. This does not mean dust free. It means you will have less dust that the traditional method. Every effort is made including the use of plastic and keeping the air conditioning off in order to keep the dust levels down to a minimum level.

BUDGET FOR CLEANING SERVICE

While Smart Floors does everything possible to keep the dust levels down during our removal process and the installation process you will have some dust. Sometimes your new floor requires our installation staff to undercut door jambs and grind high spots in the floor. There is no dustless method for this work. There is a possibility that we create some dust with this type of work and is out of the control of our installation crews.

HOMEOWNER REPRESENTATIVE

It is best to have the homeowner or a homeowner representative present at the end of the installation to inspect the floors prior to our departure. Once our Smart Floors staff has left, any scratches, stains, chips, gouges in floors and furniture are the responsibility of the homeowner. Especially when other trades are present at the job site.

MANUFACTURER WARRANTY

GENERAL

Manufacturer warranties are the sole responsibility and liability of the manufacturer. All flooring material purchased from Smart Floors is warranted by the manufacturer. In the event of a warranty problem, Smart Floors will facilitate the problem with the manufacturer and homeowner, but Smart Floors does not assume responsibility for anything not covered under the manufacturer warranty.

CARPET

Carpet manufacturers require carpet cleaning every 12-18 months to honor any type of carpet warranty.  Matting or crushing (traffic patterns) in carpet are considered normal wear and tear and are NOT covered under the manufacturer warranty. 

There are so many different carpets on the market, it is difficult for our staff to tell whether you will see vacuum marks or footprints.  Footprints and vacuum marks are in practically every carpet that is currently manufactured.  Some carpets show less but more than likely YOU WILL SEE FOOTPRINTS AND VACUUM MARKS.  This is not covered under the manufacturer warranty. 

You may need to purchase a new vacuum.  Some carpet yarn is so fine that the typical vacuum will not work, even if you have a new vacuum and even if your vacuum has adjustments. 

WOOD

Scratches in wood or luxury vinyl are not covered under manufacturer warranty and are considered normal wear and tear.  It is recommended to keep extra material inside the controlled air-conditioned environment just in case there is a need to replace a few boards due to scratching. 

Engineered wood floors are a part of nature.  Smart Floors installation teams use every piece of wood floor.  There is no such thing as an ugly board.  The waste factor used for every wood installation is used for cutting and not for removing ugly boards.  There will be extra charges for boards that must be pulled after installation.  Please keep in mind that if boards are rejected during installation, it is possible that Smart Floors will need to order more material at homeowner’s expense. 

TILE

Cracks in tile floors caused by stress cracks in the foundation that have not been protected with a crack membrane are not covered under the Smart Floors labor warranty or the manufacturer warranty.    

Smart Floors Labor warranty

Smart Floors labor warranty on basic installations is 24 months from date of purchase unless otherwise specified.  Smart Floors labor warranty is nontransferable. Smart Floors labor warranty does not cover any damages related or unrelated to the actual repair. Homeowner is responsible to keep leftover materials safe and inside climate-controlled environment if a repair is needed including leftover materials and grouts.   

ADDITIONAL CHARGES

UNLEVEL CONCRETE

If our installer has found some unlevel or uneven subfloor that needs to be addressed.  The mill requires the floor to be level. All subfloors must be clean, flat, dry and structurally sound.  Proper subfloor preparation is a major part of a successful installation.  An unlevel floor will create pockets or spongy spots in your new floor.  Subfloor must be flat – 3/16” in10’ or 1/8” in 6’.  The charges are calculated per pail including material and labor.  The photos above are for your understanding of the additional work that needs to be completed before the installation of the new finished product. 

Q&A

Q:  Why wasn’t this brought to my attention before I purchased new flooring?

A:  It is difficult to tell what needs to be done until all the existing flooring has been removed.

Q:  Why wasn’t floor prep factored into the total cost of my job? 

A:  Every home is different.  Smart Floors can install new flooring in lots of homes and not have any problems.  It is difficult to charge for something that our staff does not know for sure whether your home will have any floor prep or not. 

Q:  How is the floor prep additional charges figured? 

A:  To be fair, Smart Floors charges by the pail/bag for floor prep including material and labor. 

Q:  How do I know that the Smart Floors staff is being honest with me and not trying to make extra money?

A:  The Smart Floors installer will bring in a large level and show you the areas that need to be addressed.  If the installer says he will need 5 pails, you will see 5 pails being used.  If the installer says 5 pails and only uses 3 pails, you will only be charged for 3 pails.  Everything is documented from start to finish.  

CRACKS IN CONCRETE/SUBFLOOR

If our installer has found cracks in the slab that need to be addressed before the installation of your new tile floors.  A crack isolation membrane is needed specially designed to be used under approved thinsets, and adhesives for interior and exterior applications of ceramic tile, porcelain, stone, and brick to eliminate the transmission of cracks.  The photos above are for your understanding of the additional work that needs to be completed before the installation of your new floor.

Q&A

Q:  Why wasn’t this brought to my attention before I purchased new flooring?

A:  It is difficult to tell what needs to be done until all the existing flooring has been removed.

Q:  Why wasn’t a crack membrane factored into the total cost of my job? 

A:  Every home is different.  Smart Floors can install new flooring in lots of homes and not have any problems.  It is difficult to charge for something that our staff does not know for sure whether your home will have any cracks or not. 

Q:  How is the crack membrane charges figured? 

A:  To be fair, Smart Floors charges by the sq ft for membrane including material and labor. 

Q:  How do I know that the Smart Floors staff is being honest with me and not trying to make extra money?

A:  The Smart Floors installer will walk the homeowner around or send photos showing the cracks that need to be addressed.  The installer will explain what needs to be covered and why.  If you are home, you will get to see this work take place.  If you are out of town we will take before and after photos.  Everything is documented from start to finish. 

HIGH SPOTS IN CONCRETE/SUBFLOOR

HI Our installer has found high spots in your concrete slab that need to be ground down with the use of a grinder. This process is not part of the normal installation and will be at an additional hourly cost. Although the installer will do the best he can we could be creating some dust that is beyond our control but is a necessary part of a proper installation. The photos above are for your understanding of the additional work that needs to be completed before the installation of your new floor.

Q&A

Q:  Why wasn’t this brought to my attention before I purchased new flooring?

A:  It is difficult to tell what needs to be done until all the existing flooring has been removed.

Q:  Why wasn’t grinding the floor factored into the total cost of my job? 

A:  Every home is different.  Smart Floors can install new flooring in lots of homes and not have any problems.  It is difficult to charge for something that our staff does not know for sure whether your home will have any cracks or not. 

Q:  How is the crack membrane charges figured? 

A:  Smart Floors charges by the hour for grinding the floor. 

Q:  How do I know that the Smart Floors staff is being honest with me and not trying to make extra money?

A:  The Smart Floors installer will walk the homeowner around or send photos showing the areas that need to be addressed.  The installer will explain what needs to be ground and why.  If you are home, you will get to see this work take place.  If you are out of town we will take before and after photos.  Everything is documented from start to finish. 

MOISTURE IN CONCRETE SLAB

Lets face it.  We live in Florida and we build all of our homes on top of a swamp.  It is not out of the ordinary to have moisture in the slab.  Moisture can be a wood floor killer and in some other materials could cause mold.  Smart Floors does the best we can to protect you against moisture.  In most cases this is already included in your project but there are certain instances where we need to add more protection than has been included in the cost of the installation.  Each moisture meter is different but normally Smart Floors is looking for a moisture reading of less than 17%.  Anything over 20% is consittered alarming and needs to be addressed.  All wood flooring and luxury vinyl plank installed by Smart Floors on the ground floor level is already estimated with a moisture barrier.  In come cases we have found higher than normal moisture levels in a second story or above condo.  This is something that is out of the ordinary and would not have been factored into your price. 

DISCLAIMER

Smart Floors does not cover any moisture related issues that happen below our moisture protection including mold, mildew, excessive moisture or any topical moisture such as a flood or spills or pet accidents.