Don't hire a flooring contractor before asking these 16 questions.
You’ve spent months designing your dream facility. You’ve worked with architects and engineers to get the drawings just right. You’ve selected quality building materials that will bring the blueprints to life.
Then you awarded the contract to the industrial flooring installer with the lowest bid. It’s just sticking tiles to the ground, right?
Oh, so very wrong.
If the industrial flooring installation is poor, all that time and money you spent on the right designs and the right products is like dust in the wind. The floor won't perform well; you may even have to tear it up and start over.
There’s nothing wrong with choosing the lowest bidder as long as they can provide the outcome you seek. Cost is definitely a part of the equation; it’s just not the only part. It costs more to rip out and replace a badly done floor than it does to get the job right the first time. Hire a flooring contractor who provides quality work and stands behind it.
Here are 16 questions you can ask to separate companies you’ll want to work with from those you’d be better off without.
16 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Flooring Installer
Establish expertise
Before selecting a company to install your industrial tile, make sure they are up to the task.
- Have they ever installed this product before? Argelith tile is unique; just because a company is experienced with other ceramic tile does not mean they will know the best way to install this tile.
- Do they have experience in your industry? If you are building a bottling plant, hire a contractor that has tiled other bottling plants, not one that has tiled only car dealerships.
- Do they have references from other companies like yours?
- Is the company bonded and insured?
- Check with the state contractor’s board to see if any complaints have been filed against the company.
- Ask some technical questions about the installation. This will give you an idea of whether the installer really knows what they are doing or if they plan to Google the steps as they go. Your Argelith account manager can suggest a couple of questions and tell you the answers to look for.
Establish integrity
You also want to make sure you are doing business with a reputable flooring company that stands behind its work.
- Is the contractor licensed to work in your state?
- Has the company been cited for OSHA violations?
- Has the company ever been sued? If so, why, and how was the issue resolved?
- How often does the installer issue change orders? Some companies submit low bids and then count on lots of change orders to make their profit.
- Do they offer a warranty on their work? If there is a flaw in the installation, what is the repair process like?
Establish expectations
Clear expectations at the outset can prevent customer service headaches once the project has started.
- Is the company local or out of state?
- When would they be able to begin your project?
- Does the company use day laborers or subcontractors?
- How are change orders or unexpected costs managed?
- How easy is it to reach the company? How long does it take to get questions answered?
Building or renovating an industrial facility is an expensive investment, and it makes sense to cut costs where you can. But when it comes to materials and workmanship, it costs less in the long run to do it right the first time.
