Recently, we needed carpet for an addition and settled on Floor Trader. We took our measures in and received an initial quote. The estimator came out an measured and found exactly the same square footage as our measurement but they added 150 sq' (21.5% overage) that company boss/owner said was due to how it was laid out. He said he would send a sketch to show it - which he did not do.
The installers made a mess of things. They wore the paint off at every corner and every doorway (up to 6' high) along with all up and down the stairs. They had the stairs blocked much of the time so I was unable to watch what they were doing. I did catch one thing where they laid the carpet in such a way that the knee wall access door would not fit. They corrected that before leaving.
They left a couple of mat sized pieces of carpet but it did not add up to that excess 150 sq feet. I went looking and found a piece of nearly 100 square feet in the back of their truck. I called Floor Trader and asked if they were going to refund the cost of that and they said no - they don't buy it back. I told them it was not a buyback, but a refund of their inflated estimate - no response. Apparently the installers were going to steal the excess. I made them leave it.
When i examined the install, several problems were evident. The seams were running everywhere. In a 12' x 3' long hallway, they had one 3' seam when a second one would have eliminated a 12' seam in the main living area.
The biggest issue had to do with the transition strip between the carpet and the floating LVP floor. They had quoted Three 8' pieces of 3 in 1 transition strips for only 14 linear feet (maybe their math is not very good either). However, the transition strips they brought were not 3 in 1 but only straight transitions. This type will not work when going from carpet to floating LVP since the thickness difference is significant. When the installers saw it would not work, they proceeded to nail down the vinyl transition strip.
I complained to the estimator/install supervisor and he sent the same jokers out to correct the problem. Because the transition strip was not a 3 in 1 type, They made it overlap the LVP but cut the carpet right to the edge of it, which left a bare edge of the carpet that is susceptible to fraying.
I contacted the guy again and he sent yet another guy out. He did not speak English so our method of communication was him calling someone, who called the estimator, who called me. This went on for a while and the installer and the guy he called seemed to agree that a true 3 in 1 transition strip was needed. However, the estimator guy called me and wanted to argue everything. I asked i I was going to have to do it myself. He got off the phone and, I guess, talked to someone else then called back and said they would refund for the transition strips and their installation and I was on my own to figure it out. I was flabbergasted but relieved to be rid of them. I did get the proper materials and did the transitions myself. But I will never do business with Floor Trader again - and I recommend that you don't either. read more
