We hired Wolff Construction for a kitchen and living room remodel, and NG Floors was subcontracted…read moreto replace the flooring throughout our home. Unfortunately, the flooring portion of the project became an extremely stressful experience.
Throughout the replacement project after our GC was informed of the flooring not being a product failure, Nazar (owner) was our primary and essentially only point of contact regarding the second flooring installation and follow-up work. One of the ongoing frustrations throughout the process was the lack of proactive communication and scheduling consistency. Many times, we found ourselves having to initiate contact just to understand timelines, next steps, or when work would actually resume.
There were also instances where scheduling expectations were unclear or changed at the last minute, including receiving calls late on Fridays asking if crews could come work on Saturdays after we had previously understood that no weekend work was planned. That level of uncertainty became very difficult to manage while simultaneously trying to live around a major flooring replacement.
After installation, the flooring began failing. What was initially presented as a product issue ultimately turned into a dispute involving the flooring manufacturer, who required a third-party inspection to determine the cause of failure.
That independent inspection identified the issue as installation-related, including improper floor preparation, spacing issues, and the absence of a proper moisture barrier.
What made the situation especially difficult was the amount of disruption this caused our family. Our home was left torn apart and partially unlivable for over three months during the holidays, beginning Nov. 3rd and extending well past New Year's and into February while the flooring issue was being addressed. This was not due to material shortages or product availability delays, but rather the prolonged pace of the repair process itself.
Despite the actual flooring work only taking a couple of weeks to complete, we spent more than 90 days living in and out of the house while our belongings were stacked throughout the garage and much of the home was reduced to exposed concrete slab.
We later learned that the flooring material installed was also of a noticeably lower quality than the original flooring product we believed was being matched as part of the initial remodel project.
Even after the installation deficiencies were identified, many proposed solutions came with resistance or delays, and we ultimately had to hire an outside flooring professional at our own expense to oversee the final installation process ourselves. We also paid for hotel stays and other various costs associated with making sure the second replacement job was done to ASTM standards.
To be fair, there were times communication was responsive, which is why this is not a 1-star review. However, this experience required far more time, oversight, and stress than any homeowner should reasonably expect from a professional flooring installation.
During the amount of due diligence we were forced to do throughout this process, we also learned that California contractor regulations generally limit upfront deposits on home-improvement contracts to 10% or $1,000, whichever is less. In our case, substantially more than that was collected upfront.
One thing this experience taught us is how important it is for homeowners to educate themselves on flooring installation standards, moisture requirements, and California contractor protections before beginning a major flooring project. Unfortunately, we trusted the process more than we should have and only learned many of these standards after problems began appearing.
For anyone beginning a flooring project, we would strongly encourage reviewing:
* ASTM flooring and subfloor preparation standards
* Manufacturer installation requirements
* California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) contract and deposit regulations
We genuinely hope sharing our experience helps other homeowners avoid going through a similar situation.