Portofino Hardwood Flooring - Anyone ever heard of this?

13 years ago

My local flooring store carries a brand called Portofino, but there is no website linked to the brand. All I know is that this engineered wood has a 4mm wear layer (hand-scraped), 7 ply construction, aluminum oxide coating and a supposed 25 year limited warranty. But I am seeing a problem - how can a warranty be offered if the company seems to be non-existent? My local store told me that they buy from a distributor, Golden State Flooring. Several other shops in this area (the SF Bay Area) as well as several flooring stores online carry it. No one has anymore info that what I gave above.

Should I be wary? I did find installation instructions and brochures through the distributor (linked below), but they seem to have no manufacturing name. I like the hand-scraped look and the 4mm wear layer seems very impressive, but the lack of info is giving me serious doubts.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to the distributor's page on Portofino

Featured Answer

inspector

13 years ago

A lot of large distributors have private label lines of their own produced overseas at a lower price point to offer a option to consumers at a price point lower than flooring from the Big 4 manufacturers. The large manufacturers have so much tied up in marketing their pricing is much higher but private label lines are often marketed only as an alternative to the brand names at a lower price point. I'd guess that is what you are looking at. The distributor most likely carries the warranty themselves. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as many times the off-brand quality can be as good as the brand name products, you just have to make sure they stand behind it which is what you are doing. I'd ask the retail store what their experience has been in dealing with claims from product that comes from Golden State.

Comments (10)

Tiffany Altieri
Original Author
13 years ago
Hadn't thought about it from that angle. I am going back to that floor store on Thursday so I will definitely ask about other customer's experiences with it and who actually holds the warranty. I didn't think to on my last visit (which was my first) as I just took down the brand name and figured I'd find more on the web. Guess I shouldn't assume.

Thanks so much for the advice!
barbj_actionnet_net
12 years ago
So what did you decide or find out about the Portofino flooring? I am building new construction and this is what the builder is using within my budget, but I can't really find any reviews about how the product holds up. I am looking at the natural hickory.

Here is a link that might be useful: portofino engineered floor
heyjessica22
7 years ago
I know this thread is old but did anyone install this portofino wood floors? If so, how has it held up over the years? Does it scratch and dent easily? Thanks!!
Linda Hanlon
7 years ago
I know someone that has it and loves it. No denting or scratching and they have 2 dogs. I'm looking into buying for myself.
stacybean777
7 years ago
We installed it a few years ago and I love it. The only problem I had is when we ordered transition pieces, the color was way off.
sillyme822
7 years ago
Installed this flooring in two rooms in 2009. Has worn well. Looking to install in two more rooms, but unable to find. Originally purchased at Flooring Liquidators, but the local stores have closed. Where can I find this flooring now ?
stacybean777
7 years ago
We did the same thing, I was recently able to finally find it at Golden State Flooring in Buena Park, CA 714-576-5370. I bought everything they had left in the color/style we were trying to match.
573573
last year
Has anyone recently installed Portofino engineered wood floors? Here is a link to there website - https://portofinoflooring.com/. They seem to have a good collection but don't have any information about where the company is situated or where the floors are being made. Please share any insights about their engineered wood flooring.
emma56
last year
I have it and hate it. impossible to clean and keep finding chipped seams