Buying floors online is not the same as E-Commerce
Buying floors online should not be confused with e-commerce which implies a lack of 1 to 1 communication. Real wood floors require us vetting the customer, no kidding. If we did not answer unlimited questions, we create the room for confusion and problems. For example, our 12′ unfinished Heart Pine floors are not end-matched which must be explained every time to make sure we catch that person who did not know that about real wood mills. E-commerce requires you buy the floors with only the marketing information you are being provided, i.e., asked to believe. Did you know that Southern Pine is not a species, nope? In fact, it is made up of a whole bunch of them including White Pine because it grows in Virginia. Yellow, as in Southern Yellow Pine indicates the ‘hard’ pines, which sometimes morphs into heart pine with callers new to the subject.
4 most common species of Southern Pine
- -Longleaf
- -Loblolly
- -Shortleaf
- -Slash
Actual Flooring Cost
The online flooring market, as in actual e-commerce cost per square foot, has little to do the real-world cost. The real cost include shipping, waste factor and ease of installation because nothing matters until floor installed. Again, the cost of delivery mean anything with a guarantee of coverage, with a reasonable damage and or waste factor. Part of our A+ rating comes from never being short and zero surprise fees. A 100% coverage guarantee assumes we (homeowner or buyer) determined a total amount needed, i.e., waste factor, normally 10% of the total square footage, if not we ship necessary amount free of charge.
Custom crate & pallet
If you are buying floors online, shipping can ruin an order if floors are not protected. Pallets protect your freight and make loading and unloading much easier for the carrier. Pine walls and a ceiling (from usable materials) make our pallets “custom”. Pallet walls help protect your investment from tired forklift drivers, for example. Bayou Rustic has 100% coverage and satisfaction guarantee; execution of your delivery carries the same importance as price. If your floors arrive beat up, what difference does a low price make? Customers have created some very cool items from our pallets, including:
-Barn Doors
-Chicken Coup
-Work Bench
-Window Seat
-Stair treads
-Accent Walls
-And More
LTL or less than truckload – aka Land Pirates
Less than truckload is the most commonly used mode when shipping floor coverings because it allows you to save money by sharing truck capacity with other shipments. When using LTL, the pitfalls are everywhere; some of them operate like “land pirates”. If one thing goes wrong, you are paying enormous fees. Again, our A+ BBB rating tells the story, we take care of your order from start to finish. Our VIP service, called a flooring concierge by one customer, tracks your floors while keeping the shippers honest. We understand which carriers to use and will always find the best rates. Furthermore, we do not add 20%, the industry standard and huge revenue source for most online flooring “malls”, where you can find boxes, bundles, and bins.
Wood flooring sale prices
Wood flooring sale prices never end, it is one never ending “going out of business sale”. Online wood flooring sale prices per square foot are meaningless without details such as delivery, waste factor, length, and grade. And local installers almost always want you to buy from their source. Flooring installers may not always share the goals you have for your flooring, i.e., increases the value of your home. Comparing online flooring prices requires looking at apples to apples materials even if you are simply looking for the cheapest option.
Important questions to ask when buying floors online.
-Are the Knots solid?
-What is the waste factor?
-What is the average length of the boards?
-Is the select grade – hand selected?
Grades change when buying floors online.
One issue customer face when buying floors online, assessing quality and grades. Homeowners buying floors online see a grade or term, such “Select” Knotty Pine and assume it means ‘the best’. No, not all. Select, by definition indicates ‘hand selected’ during the sorting process. Only problem, it is all ‘hand sorted’ unless you are keeping defects in the grade. Machines do not sort boards for things such as Heart Content, holes, cracks all of which matter, to say the least. Best advice when buying floors online, read the specifications online and ask questions.
