The Problem: Replacing Existing Flooring for a More Practical and Modern Option
As the first owners of a new open-concept home, Stefanie and her family loved their new place, but realized early on that the existing flooring just wasn’t going to cut it for their lifestyle.
There was carpet almost everywhere, along with hardwood in the entryway and some not terribly attractive vinyl sheet laminate in the kitchen.
A Smooth and Seamless Installation Process and a Very Happy Client
The carpeting in the living areas was impractical with two kids and their busy schedules, and the flooring in the kitchen just didn’t look very good.
They wanted to replace it all, but weren’t sure what their best options might be.
So, they decided to get estimates from a few companies for traditional laminate flooring, since they didn’t want to break the bank.
An Epiphany at Home Depot
Stefanie was looking at laminate flooring while scheduling an estimate appointment when she noticed boxes of luxury vinyl plank flooring set off in its own section.
She asked about it and was told that this was a new and superior high-end flooring product—not at all like laminate and waterproof, to boot.
It was also beautiful, with a real hardwood look and a much better feel.
Still, she didn’t think she could afford it, as the estimates she’d already gotten for lower quality laminate products were about as much as she wanted to spend.
Those Two Giant Pink Panthers
Stefanie had been driving by Flack’s Flooring and Rugs for years. “You can’t really miss those two giant pink panthers,” she says, and she even knew someone who had used them to replace their floors.
But that house with the new floors from Flack’s was a lake house on Lake Lanier, so she more or less thought it “was one of those businesses for wealthy people living on lakes—which ended up not being the case!”
She figured it couldn’t hurt to get an estimate, though, so she called and they told her to come in.
She was a little surprised because the other companies just sent someone directly out to her home with some samples, but she went in anyway.
She was immediately impressed by the selection and layout of the showroom as well as how friendly the representative Ryan was.
She even saw two installers leaving with a roll of carpet for a job, and they smiled and waved to her and Ryan in a friendly manner.
“It felt like I was in a commercial,” she said, “They clearly all knew each other,” which wasn’t the case with any of the other companies she’d talked to. The installers for those other companies, as she later found out, were third-party contractors who changed with almost every job.
Ryan told her that one installer had been working for Flack’s Flooring for 20 years.
A Crash Course in Flooring
Stefanie had done some research on flooring, but as she puts it, it was a “you don’t know what you don’t know” situation.
From the moment she stepped into the Flack’s Flooring showroom with Ryan, she immediately learned quite a bit she didn’t know.
For one thing, she noticed that all of their prices were fully inclusive, including “occupied installation”, which means that their installers move all the furniture and heavy equipment (refrigerators, ovens, washer and dryer, and so on).
She’d also never heard of “quarter round”, and that was another included piece. When she asked Ryan what that was, he explained that the bottom portion of floor molding is removed in the installation process, and so their installers replace that at the end.
The other companies hadn’t even mentioned those things, so she wasn’t sure if they would handle them, if they were add-ons to the cost, or what the process would involve.
Ryan also educated her about “mil” measurements for luxury vinyl flooring products, which she hadn’t heard of either.
This measurement regards the wear-layer, so the higher the mil, the longer the floor would take foot traffic without showing wear.
For her situation, since she planned to stay in her home for many years, Ryan recommended a floor with at least 12 mil.
Surprisingly Affordable
The biggest revelation came when Ryan showed her the fully installed prices on luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring.
She was shocked—the prices from Flack’s were less than some of the estimates she’d gotten for inferior laminate flooring.
The selection of LVP flooring within her price range was impressive, as well. She found several she liked, and Ryan helped her narrow it down to a few good samples for her home visit.
He talked about home value for future sale and steered her away from a few too-trendy options that were likely to look dated in a few years’ time.
He also sent her home with a booklet of Karndean luxury vinyl flooring products to browse and consider.
She was thrilled to have so many options and to know that the pricing would be all-inclusive, with no add-ons or surprises.
The In-Home Visit and Estimate
Ryan showed up with four large samples for Stefanie to evaluate in her home. This included two new ones she’d picked out from the Karndean sample booklet.
He told her to take the samples around the house and look at them in different types of light while he measured.
He used a handheld device to get precise measurements, and even measured the upstairs area after she told him she wished she could do that part of the house, too.
She hadn’t really considered doing the upstairs until she realized that, with Flack’s reasonable, upfront pricing, she might be actually able to afford it.
Ryan provided her with two estimates that same day—one with the upstairs included and one without—so she could seriously consider all her options.
He also made sure to warn her about potential hidden issues that might arise: she might have to have a plumber reinstall the toilets due to the higher height of the new flooring, and the glued-on wood in the foyer could damage the subfloor during removal.
Neither turned out to actually be an issue, but she was glad to have that information so she could make an informed decision.
The Deciding Factors
While Flack’s wasn’t the cheapest flooring estimate she got overall, Stefanie definitely felt they were by far the best value for her money.
She also loved Flack’s professionalism and knowledge, and how attentive they were to her needs and concerns.
Their transparent pricing and affordability made her feel confident enough that she and her husband decided to do the upstairs, too.
A Seamless, Easy Installation Process
Stefanie has only good things to say about the installation process with Flack’s in-house team of professional installers.
The installers arrived on a Friday around 10 AM and finished Saturday, late afternoon. She made a quick trip from work to let them in and show them around before the family went off camping at Lake Lanier for the weekend.
Her Ring camera kept notifying her as they went in and out, and she was impressed to see how diligently they were working.
She also had to stop by later and get a couple things and noticed how thoroughly they had sealed off her kids’ playroom with plastic sheeting, so no particles from the installation could get in.
They even left their workspace super tidy overnight and texted her with updates on the process and their arrival times.
And then, of course, the final product was revealed—finished floors that left her astonished at how beautiful they looked and how well they were installed.
She is incredibly happy with her floors, noting that “There is not one spot where it seems like these floors were switched out from the original flooring. Even my parents commented on the excellence of the installation. Those men worked tirelessly, and I am not kidding when I write that these guys showed incredible workmanship.”
She loves the color, Smoked Butternut — she credits Ryan for steering her toward it — and she loves the look of the wide-plank flooring in her open-concept home.
She chose Karndean’s Korlok Select luxury vinyl flooring in a 9-inch width, and she also loves that she was able to afford this high-end flooring on both levels of her home.
Easy Care Flooring
Another thing Stefanie enjoyed was that they told her how to keep her new floors looking new — and that it’s easy!
“There’s nothing crazy to it, none of the ‘You have to order this obscure product that is super hard to find, and which can take many weeks to receive, and which costs a ton.’ The floor care is simple.”
Future Plans
Based on their experience with Flack’s, Stefanie and her husband are now planning to re-carpet the bedrooms and the stairs sooner rather than later.
They also have plans to redo the basement floors sometime in the future, and they are glad they won’t have to shop around for a new flooring company when the time comes.
Stefanie says she isn’t worried, even though her basement reno likely isn’t in the cards for several years. She’s sure that Flack’s will still be around (after 30 years and counting!) and providing the great service she enjoyed.
She’s happy to have a trusted partner to help with all her flooring projects and pleased to do business with a local, family-owned company, too.
Thinking About Redoing the Floors in Your Home?
We can help! Call us at (770) 889-9753 to make a showroom appointment or stop in during business hours to see all your flooring options.
Our flooring specialists are here to answer all your questions, so don’t hesitate to call and ask us anything that’s on your mind.