Anyone ever shop for hardwood online?

forgop · 11-07-2010, 05:40 AM

I gave a deposit for my flooring installer last night and now all I need to do is find what hardwood I want to use. I'm looking for around 1600 sq ft, so I stand to save a lot of money buying wholesale. Just wondering if anyone has had a good/bad experience and good pricing with anyone Thanks.

Chainsaw13 · 11-07-2010, 07:27 AM

Have you checked out Lumber Liquidators? There's a store in your neck of the woods. I bought my laminate flooring from them when I redid my kitchen. At the time, they had the best price/selection.

floydpink · 11-07-2010, 08:54 AM

Lumber Liquidators is good.

I put in Pergo a few years ago and was shopping around and stopped by Ifloors to compare their prices and materials before dropping 12 grande.

They didn't carry Pergo but swore their stuff that is made in China was better.

They had a great financing deal and ran my credit to see if I qualified. This was done by a very pushy salesperson.

Like a fool, I waited until AFTER I shopped to research the consumer reports and was horrified and the reviews on their company and product.

Before I knew it, I had a $10,000 line of credit opened and floors ordered without me ever signing a contract.

A few threatening emails to their corporate offices resolved that problem and I ended up using Lowe's.

In the end, I paid more but had a warranty for a long time and a reputable company putting in my floors which are awesome. I am convinced you need to go with a top quality brand when making this type of investment and Pergo fits that bill for me.

I went with laminate due to the fact that I have a dog and kid and it is supposedly much less succeptible to scratches and replacing sections is easy if they get damaged..

forgop · 11-07-2010, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydpink

Lumber Liquidators is good.

I put in Pergo a few years ago and was shopping around and stopped by Ifloors to compare their prices and materials before dropping 12 grande.

They didn't carry Pergo but swore their stuff that is made in China was better.

They had a great financing deal and ran my credit to see if I qualified. This was done by a very pushy salesperson.

Like a fool, I waited until AFTER I shopped to research the consumer reports and was horrified and the reviews on their company and product.

Before I knew it, I had a $10,000 line of credit opened and floors ordered without me ever signing a contract.

A few threatening emails to their corporate offices resolved that problem and I ended up using Lowe's.

In the end, I paid more but had a warranty for a long time and a reputable company putting in my floors which are awesome. I am convinced you need to go with a top quality brand when making this type of investment and Pergo fits that bill for me.

I went with laminate due to the fact that I have a dog and kid and it is supposedly much less succeptible to scratches and replacing sections is easy if they get damaged..

Thanks for the info. Headed to the local Lumber Liquidators in a moment. I looked at the ifloor.com site and saw some stuff I liked, but I'm not sure that's the kind of outfit I want to mess with.

Not sure that Lowes will be as competitive, but I do have a 10% off coupon, so I'll see what I can work out.

jmsremax · 11-09-2010, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13

Have you checked out Lumber Liquidators?

My folks did most of their house with hardwood from LL. I helped them with one room and I must say I was very impressed with the quality.

Gonesledn · 11-07-2010, 09:38 AM

i am a florring installer, and i personally use Lumber Liquidators. prices are good, and their product is top notch.

the Bellawood is an excellent choice for a good price. 50 year finish warranty.

what is your installer charging you per foot to install? (if you dont mind me asking)

wes

here is a tiger stripe bamboo i did for a lady just north of you. she found the material online, i could ask her where if your interested.

forgop · 11-07-2010, 11:29 AM

My entire project is $10,500 for 1800 sq ft of hardwood, 225 sq ft of tile, and gutting my old shower and building out a beautiful doorless system with recessed shelves. He's not the cheapest but he's not the most expensive and he's a perfectionist at what he does.

hscmit · 11-07-2010, 12:15 PM

Wes that floor looks great

docdoty · 11-07-2010, 12:24 PM

I agree with the guys lumber liquidators is a very good place to go. What kind and size of tile are you using.

forgop · 11-07-2010, 04:30 PM

I went to Lumber Liquidators and wasn't overly impressed. There's a local wholesaler with more of closeout type of merchandise and to me had a better price on 5" white ash for 3/4" solid that I could find for the price at Lumber Liquidators. This is what I found that I really liked.

It's nonmally $6+/ft and they have it for $4.79. Trying to get them down to $4.49/ft for 1800 ft. 35 year warranty. For Lumber Liquidators, looking at 3/4" and 5" select ash, their lowest price was $0.80/ft more than my worst case scenario.

It's gonna be quite a transformation getting 2000 sq ft of new flooring, a complete shower makeover, and a built-in wall entertainment center in our great room.

Gonesledn · 11-07-2010, 04:39 PM

please post pics along the way. i love to see works in progress

forgop · 11-07-2010, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gonesledn

please post pics along the way. i love to see works in progress

Will do...I'm really excited about all of this. Most of what is coming out is carpet and being replaced with hardwood. I have some laminate that was laid prior to my purchase that I just don't really care for. My son's room is being converted from carpet to laminate coming out of the kitchen as we need a solution to deal with the messes he makes. He's 3 years old with autism and let's just say it'll be easier to clean up messes he makes. Once we get past this stage, we'll go to something else.

mmblz · 11-07-2010, 07:12 PM

we decided on mesquite, and found a place in texas that shipped to us.

beautiful wood, and doesn't move whatsoever over radiant heat...

forgop · 11-07-2010, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmblz

we decided on mesquite, and found a place in texas that shipped to us.

beautiful wood, and doesn't move whatsoever over radiant heat...

Looks nice. I like a darker grain than I've picked out, but I need to go with something lighter to provide more contrast between my kitchen/built-in cabinets. I'm afraid that going with more of a medium finish would make the floors/cabinets blend in too much together.

forgop · 11-08-2010, 05:54 PM

I picked up the 5" white ash for my great room. The place I got it is getting a visit from the same manufacturer and they have some various stuff that's closeout/overstocks that they're going to see what kind of deal they can work out for me in the 1400 sq ft range. If we don't workout something there, I think we'll go with the Bellawood 5" red oak as shown in this picture.

forgop · 11-09-2010, 08:36 PM

I stopped over at LL today and the guy working there was a complete idiot. In order to get 1600 ft of ANYTHING, he said it would be 2+ weeks. He was so helpful to suggest that we could round up inventory at other stores and charge me the freight to boot. No thanks.

Went and found the same thing at another local store that I already purchased at $4.79/ft and their sticker was at $5.75/ft. Got them down to $4.95/ft ad they threw in a 6' piece of stair nose as well.

Nothing better than walking around on 2000 sq ft of plywood, huh? Oh well, in less than 2 weeks, it'll all be like this.

T.G · 11-09-2010, 09:08 PM

Heh, heh, he said "hard wood" heh...

forgop · 11-11-2010, 06:40 PM

Here are a couple of pics for the great room. On the right side, there was a closet that I'm converting into a recessed/built-in entertainment center that will house the 60" tv and front/center channel speakers. On the left of the closet will be additional shelving for audio components, subwoofer, etc. Electrician is coming over in a week to relocate the ATT Uverse stuff currently on the floor to the shelving to free all of that up. Once that is moved, the sectional will move to that corner.

Gonesledn · 11-12-2010, 06:20 PM

looking good! i do like the look of the wider planks, i have to say.

forgop · 11-12-2010, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gonesledn

looking good! i do like the look of the wider planks, i have to say.

Yeah, I like the 5" ash. They also offered a 3-4-5 pattern, but opted for the 5" alone instead. Felt if I went with the 3-4-5, I'd most likely end up with 3-4" planks.

Not to shabby for less than $5/ft I think. 1610 sq ft due in on Tuesday and hoping it'll all be down in a a week or so.

11-07-2010, 05:40 AM	#1
forgop Not a puffer Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Duane Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 2,869 Trading: (40)	Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? I gave a deposit for my flooring installer last night and now all I need to do is find what hardwood I want to use. I'm looking for around 1600 sq ft, so I stand to save a lot of money buying wholesale. Just wondering if anyone has had a good/bad experience and good pricing with anyone Thanks.

11-07-2010, 07:27 AM	#2
Chainsaw13 Møøse bites can be nasty Join Date: Jan 2010 First Name: Bob Location: The Enchanted Mitten Posts: 7,144 Trading: (96)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? Have you checked out Lumber Liquidators? There's a store in your neck of the woods. I bought my laminate flooring from them when I redid my kitchen. At the time, they had the best price/selection. __________________ My neighbor came by my house this morning at 2AM, pounding on the door. Good thing I was still up playing the drums.

11-07-2010, 08:54 AM	#3
floydpink crazy diamond Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Pete Location: Orlando Posts: 1,955 Trading: (17)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? Lumber Liquidators is good. I put in Pergo a few years ago and was shopping around and stopped by Ifloors to compare their prices and materials before dropping 12 grande. They didn't carry Pergo but swore their stuff that is made in China was better. They had a great financing deal and ran my credit to see if I qualified. This was done by a very pushy salesperson. Like a fool, I waited until AFTER I shopped to research the consumer reports and was horrified and the reviews on their company and product. Before I knew it, I had a $10,000 line of credit opened and floors ordered without me ever signing a contract. A few threatening emails to their corporate offices resolved that problem and I ended up using Lowe's. In the end, I paid more but had a warranty for a long time and a reputable company putting in my floors which are awesome. I am convinced you need to go with a top quality brand when making this type of investment and Pergo fits that bill for me. I went with laminate due to the fact that I have a dog and kid and it is supposedly much less succeptible to scratches and replacing sections is easy if they get damaged.. __________________ "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"

11-07-2010, 09:38 AM	#6
Gonesledn making trails Join Date: Jan 2009 First Name: Wes Location: South Burbs Chicago Posts: 547 Trading: (31)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? i am a florring installer, and i personally use Lumber Liquidators. prices are good, and their product is top notch. the Bellawood is an excellent choice for a good price. 50 year finish warranty. what is your installer charging you per foot to install? (if you dont mind me asking) wes here is a tiger stripe bamboo i did for a lady just north of you. she found the material online, i could ask her where if your interested. Last edited by Gonesledn; 11-07-2010 at 09:49 AM. Reason: add pic

11-07-2010, 11:29 AM	#7
forgop Not a puffer Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Duane Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 2,869 Trading: (40)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? My entire project is $10,500 for 1800 sq ft of hardwood, 225 sq ft of tile, and gutting my old shower and building out a beautiful doorless system with recessed shelves. He's not the cheapest but he's not the most expensive and he's a perfectionist at what he does.

11-07-2010, 12:15 PM	#8
hscmit Have My Own Room Join Date: Sep 2010 First Name: James Location: no where Posts: 2,200 Trading: (4)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? Wes that floor looks great

11-07-2010, 12:24 PM	#9
docdoty Cigars & Guns...what else Join Date: Oct 2010 First Name: Justin Location: Homer, mi Posts: 429 Trading: (8)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? I agree with the guys lumber liquidators is a very good place to go. What kind and size of tile are you using. __________________ Enjoy what you smoke, and Smoke what you enjoy

11-07-2010, 04:30 PM	#10
forgop Not a puffer Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Duane Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 2,869 Trading: (40)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? I went to Lumber Liquidators and wasn't overly impressed. There's a local wholesaler with more of closeout type of merchandise and to me had a better price on 5" white ash for 3/4" solid that I could find for the price at Lumber Liquidators. This is what I found that I really liked. It's nonmally $6+/ft and they have it for $4.79. Trying to get them down to $4.49/ft for 1800 ft. 35 year warranty. For Lumber Liquidators, looking at 3/4" and 5" select ash, their lowest price was $0.80/ft more than my worst case scenario. It's gonna be quite a transformation getting 2000 sq ft of new flooring, a complete shower makeover, and a built-in wall entertainment center in our great room.

11-07-2010, 04:39 PM	#11
Gonesledn making trails Join Date: Jan 2009 First Name: Wes Location: South Burbs Chicago Posts: 547 Trading: (31)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? please post pics along the way. i love to see works in progress

11-07-2010, 07:12 PM	#13
mmblz .090909... Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: NH Posts: 4,031 Trading: (3)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? we decided on mesquite, and found a place in texas that shipped to us. beautiful wood, and doesn't move whatsoever over radiant heat... __________________ herf wear

11-09-2010, 08:36 PM	#16
forgop Not a puffer Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Duane Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 2,869 Trading: (40)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? I stopped over at LL today and the guy working there was a complete idiot. In order to get 1600 ft of ANYTHING, he said it would be 2+ weeks. He was so helpful to suggest that we could round up inventory at other stores and charge me the freight to boot. No thanks. Went and found the same thing at another local store that I already purchased at $4.79/ft and their sticker was at $5.75/ft. Got them down to $4.95/ft ad they threw in a 6' piece of stair nose as well. Nothing better than walking around on 2000 sq ft of plywood, huh? Oh well, in less than 2 weeks, it'll all be like this.

11-09-2010, 09:08 PM	#17
T.G Grrrrrr Join Date: Mar 2009 First Name: The Other Adam Posts: 15,557 Trading: (37)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? Heh, heh, he said "hard wood" heh...

11-12-2010, 06:20 PM	#19
Gonesledn making trails Join Date: Jan 2009 First Name: Wes Location: South Burbs Chicago Posts: 547 Trading: (31)	Re: Anyone ever shop for hardwood online? looking good! i do like the look of the wider planks, i have to say.