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pat44_gw

lumber liquidators anyone?

pat44
18 years ago

looking at the bellawood line. anyone know their reputation?

Comments (26)

  • popeda
    18 years ago

    I think Bwood is their own line. When they sell other lines, it is seconds (12ths?). We had two very bad experiences with LL and would never set foot in their store again. I would use them only if it were the only way to afford hardwood. The material we got from them, engineered wood planks by another mfg., but obviously not first quality, is STILL causing us problems 2 yr. later.

    Sometimes you get what you pay for. We did.

  • floorguy
    18 years ago

    Buyer Beware! Hit & Miss! Expectations once installed, rarely met.

  • pat44
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    to floorguy: can you elaborate a bit re: "hit or miss/expectations rarely met"?

    we are not looking at engineered flooring but braz. cherry light.

  • floorguy
    18 years ago

    Throw the dice, you may be the lucky one.

  • brianstreehouse
    18 years ago

    I bought 2200 sq ft of unfinished 3/4 x 5 inch BC planks from LL. The bundles had various lengths up to 7 ft with very few shorts. It was beautiful stuff and I had much less waste than I had alotted. Great price. Lousy customer service. I had done my homework on what I wanted. Good thing because the guy there was not much help. From what I have read since I must have gotten lucky. Order online in advance with the main office and never go there on a sale day.

  • livvysmom
    18 years ago

    We did our kitchen, dining room, foyer and powder room in Bellawood Brazilian Cherry (not "lite") from LL.

    I don't remember any issues with LL other then they did not have enough product in stock when we needed it and weren't to good at guestimating when they would get it.

    My DH loves our floor -- I think it is beautiful but a PITA to keep looking clean because every crumb, lint and smudge shows. We do have a couple of cracked boards and dents (and of course scratches) so it no where as durable as a tile floor.

  • faisal
    17 years ago

    We bought 723 sq ft. of Bolivian Rosewood select 3/8 in from LL/Bellawood.

    The order came in on time. But when our installer started installing it we found:
    30-35% of the pieces a have variances in width and height causing gaps.
    A significant number of pieces are not cut straight again leading to gaps.

    Over 60% of the pieces are 1 ft pieces.

    The finish is very nice.

    I called them and they wanted me to send them smaples but then agreed to accept pictures. They don't want me to continue to install, leaving the house in the torn up state. According to them if oyu install it you have accepted the material. I sent them the pictures but have not heard back from them. Its now been three days.

    Faisal

  • boxers
    17 years ago

    just do a search on this site for LL stories and you will likely change your mind on using them. Their products are warrantied by LL, so if all these issues occur with cust service before installation can you imagine how they respond to a consumer complaint?

  • boxers
    17 years ago

    just do a search on this site for LL stories and you will likely change your mind on using them. Their products are warrantied by LL, so if all these issues occur with cust service before installation can you imagine how they respond to a consumer complaint?

  • boxersandkoi
    17 years ago

    Run...don't look back...just get out of there...

  • kgolby
    17 years ago

    I must be in the minority b/c I had an excellent outcome using Bellawood from LL. I have to agree with a previous poster who said having wood is a pain to keep clean but other than that the floors are beautiful. I went w/ natural maple and the installer did an excellent job. The price was outstanding compared to other flooring co's in town. I put wood in almost 3 yrs. ago so I don't know if anything has changed in that time but see if you can get some references and call to see how their experience was.

  • cheilma
    16 years ago

    I installed LL pre-finished Red Oak by Bellawood. The floor is beautiful and I experienced no problems with anyone at the LL warehouse. We were so pleased with the Red Oak, that we decided to install the Bellawood Brazilian Cherry Lite. The floor is installed and the cherry lite color is beautiful and warm. There was a good mix of lengths (mostly in 12" increments); however, the flooring did have some unexpected problems:

    1. All the 12" pieces had ends that were not cut square. This left gaps at butted ends.

    2. The board widths were 3 1/2"...give or take. As pointed our in an earlier post, this will leave gaps in the next row if you do not plan ahead and find boards of equal widths for the row you are installing.

    3. I found occasional pieces where the finish on parts of the edges would flake off.

    4. Some pieces came in with broken/split tongue and/or grooves.

    5. A few pieces were split (possibly due to grain of wood), knicked/marred (due to poor packaging or mis-cut at the factory).

    I was less impressed with the over all quality of the wood. Especially since the exotic hardwood was rated harder than the Red Oak I previously installed and more expensive $$$.

  • leapfrog0202
    15 years ago

    We got away easy compared to the LL horror stories I've read - thank goodness because many have been through the wringer apparently. www.bobvila.com and www.thesqueakywheel.com have the following complaint of mine posted:
    My experience was different, but bad. We bought 1000 sq. ft. of hardwood flooring on a big sale the weekend of Easter 2008. We chose store delivery.

    10 days after purchasing the flooring and having the $2,000 + taken from our debit account, no one had contacted us regarding picking up our flooring.

    I called the store here only to find out that there wasn't enough flooring to fill my order! I realize it is 1st come 1st served, but 10 days and no one emails or calls to say "hey, we ran out, here's your $2000 and some dollars back?"

    So I clicked the link to write to the President, but what I got was an email from some flunky saying "it's 1st come 1st served" not even addressing that now 14 days has passed and Lumber Liquidators had our money all this time and didn't even bother to notify us!

    My thing is where is their inventory tracking software that automatically stops sales when the inventory of that product is low? Where is the checking to make sure that no one's money was taken without them getting product?

    Seems like amateur night to me and I think Bob Vila, Rush Limbaugh, Ty Pennington and the others that flog this product must get it for free or they'd complain too.

    Lumber Liquidators solution? To give us back our money 16 days after taking it, leaving us with no product. Not even a discount on a different product due to the hassles we went through and the fact that they had our money that long. Lousy customer service if you ask me.

  • addition_drlefever_com
    15 years ago

    LL is a nightmare. Even if their product looks great after initial installation, just wait until about two months in--their "50-year warranty" finish cracks and peels, gaps develop between boards, and the cupping defies description.

    We purchased 2400 sf of Brazilian Redwood, which we had installed by LL's recommended installer (by the way, LL claims their materials are first-quality, not seconds--ask them), and it looked good for about a month. Then, the problem started, and LL's response was to give us a small credit for more of their products (in other words, "Have more of our terrible stuff") if we would not pursue this any further.

    Now, we're looking forward to the day we can afford to tear it out and go with oak flooring from someone else. Dealing with their "Customer Service" department, you realize that *no* problem will ever be because of their flooring--it is always you. At this point, we anticipate participating in a class action against them.

  • al_godo53_gmail_com
    14 years ago

    NIGHTMARE, HORROR, stay out of there. I purchased the Brazilian walnut from Bella-Garbage, that's what it is garbage. The floor has buckled several times, it seems that it was never properly dried. Customer service there is none! Go somewhere that's is rebuttal Home Depot, you'll get a better quality for the same price. Remember the word "LIQUIDATORS" that means 2nds, you don't have a chance in a court of law. That's why they're still in business !

  • Sckooter
    12 years ago

    I would run from lumber liquidators, especially when it comes to bamboo. They do not have the experience to deal with this type of product. I have been waiting 2 months for them to complete the work on my home. I ordered the floor and installation from LL. They also sold two products which clouded the floor. The installer actually said they should not have sold this to me.

  • suzie2003
    12 years ago

    I stumbled on this forum this morning as I sit waiting for my family room floor to be completed. We are on day 3 of what I was told would be a 1 day process. I wish I'd seen this earlier, I would have never chosen LL or allowed HSS to install my floors. They're 3/4 of the way finished and I'm terrified that a year from now I'll be pulling this stuff up. So far the workmanship looks good. I did notice that there are a lot and I do mean a lot of bad pieces. These pieces are missing finish, buckled, missing tongue, chipped, cracked and peeling. I see now why they recommend a minimum of 10% increase in your order. I too have contacted both LL about quality of product and timeliness of install. I'm still waiting on a response. I've called HSS to complain about the installer only to get a soft shoe dance about how it's my responsibility to work out any issues with the installer. I've had to reschedule other work because of the time it's taking these guys to finish the job. I'll add my warning to anyone that's considering LL - Avoid them like the plague.

  • jimfloyd
    11 years ago

    BEWARE! If you insist on dealing with this company, which I would never do again, be sure to make your purchase on a credit card. Lumber Liquidators sold us flooring that was the wrong color and so full of moisture it could not be installed for almost 2 months. They would not allow us to return the product and actually tried to blame us for the moisture problem that was present when the wood was delivered. Our credit card company went to bat for us and after a 5 month battle we suceeded in getting a credit.

  • kwscook
    11 years ago

    We're definitely in the minority here, as we really like our floors from LL and get constant compliments. We didn't use Bellawood, but got the 3/4" solid hardwood handscraped flooring, maybe from their Virginia Millworks line (can't remember).

    We had barely any waste, which was great. There were some minor annoyances, like some widths being slightly off, so there are a few planks that don't fit perfectly up next to the adjacent one. But honestly, with a handscraped look, it just blends right in - sort of the rustic look.

    We did not have LL install it, however - we used our flooring guy. We also let it sit in our house for months to dry out (we live at high altitude where it is very dry). That may have helped.

  • kai615
    11 years ago

    Hubby and I used LL a lot when we were fixing up a place we were renting. We did find some great deals, but we always knew we were somehow going to get screwed in the process. Sometimes it worked out to be a weird blessing (bamboo marked down to $.99 a square foot on sale with one lot number we got home had two very distinct shades we turned into a beautiful striped floor that wouldn't have looked nearly as good in one shade and we wouldn't have thought to do otherwise). But more often than not it would just cost us a lot of time, effort, and aggravation (unfinished tongue and groove flooring so bent you can't even get more than 3" of 2 boards together at the same time).

    But now that we are working in the home we are planing on never moving out of, we have vowed to NEVER shop there for this house!

    So, I guess it depends on the boat your in and what you are willing to put up with and how much money you have to invest in the project you are doing.

  • jimbobreese
    10 years ago

    We installed 720 sf of the Morning Star Click bamboo flooring sold by Lumber Liquidators in June of 2013. The material scratches easy, however, the scratches are the least of our problems. The cupping started with the shorter pieces in the hallways. By December 2013, the entire installation was cupping and gaps appeared in random areas.
    After contacting Lumber Liquidators about the problem, We were told that since we did not hire someone to test the moisture of the subfloor and the humidity in the house prior to the installation of this material, the warranty was void. In addition, I was told that our method of cleaning resulted in the problems with the floor. It seems that if the cleaner is sprayed directly on the floor, the material absorbs the moisture along the edges and this was another reason for the damage to the bamboo flooring.
    We purchased a 32 oz. bottle of cleaner after the floor was installed. Most of the time, the cleaning involves sweeping and using a dust mop. About once a month we get on our hands and knees, spray a fine mist of cleaner directly onto the floor and use a cloth towel to clean the floor. Since the installation, we have used the liquid cleaner about five times and still have about half of the cleaner left in the bottle. I guess 16 oz. caused the damage to the entire 720 sf of the floor, including the material under the furniture and area rugs!! Seriously?!
    In reading the various reviews for this product, it seems that there is a chronic problem with scratching, cupping and separations. It seems that Lumber Liquidators will use any excuse to avoid the liability for providing the customer with a very poor product. I understand that a product warranty is only as good as the company that stands behind it. We will have to replace our six month old floor and it sure as heck will not be with a product supplied by Lumber Liquidators.
    STAY AWAY!!!!! We learned a $5,000.00 lesson the hard way⦠donâÂÂt make the same mistake. STAY AWAY FROM LUMBER LIQUIDATORS!
    The LLI warranty should be condensed to read: âÂÂWarranty is void if material is removed from factory packagingâÂÂ.

  • jimbobreese
    10 years ago

    If you are considering purchasing the Morning Star Clic bamboo flooring from Lumber Liquidators, do yourself a huge favor and research customer satisfaction with this material and the LLI customer service department before you make a costly mistake. Do not rely solely on the reviews posted on the LLI website. One web search for an independent review of this material and LLI should open your eyes. I wish I had before I purchased this product. It only takes a few minutes and could save you a few thousand dollars.

  • Vertise
    10 years ago

    I'm not supporting LL, but all these flooring manufacturers have to deal with failures resulting from unknowledgeable or lax installers who do not think following product specs is important. Then customers want to collect on the warranty. It requires a dispute and inspectors to try to determine whether the floor was installed correctly. Often they are not.

    There are a lot of so called pros (and they are also found at "real" flooring stores) who think they know better, but the reality is they know nothing at all, except how to take risks.

  • jimbobreese
    10 years ago

    The LLI excuse is too much moisture or not enough moisture. I purchased a floor! I did not expect to have to maintain my home at an ideal temperature and humidity level similar to that of a terrarium for exotic reptiles and plants. Each passing day this flooring deteriorates further, and it has been installed now for only eight months. Please do not even consider installing this product!

  • Vertise
    10 years ago

    Jim, be careful with a lot of this faux wood flooring out there. Try to destroy samples before commiting. These are not the wood floors of the old days.