Designer's

Freight Costs
Costs depend mostly on what area your shipping to and how much the order weighs. If you are shipping a small order that does not weigh much, there is still a minimum cost charged to us by the freight carrier. For Business delivies the minium is usually around $75.00. Residential delivery miniumums are about $125.00. This is an estimate only, it does depend which carrier deliveries to your area. Often it will take less than a minute to arrive at your final shipping costs, providing we have all the details we need. Freight costs will be considerably lower by shipping to a place of business or a local freight terminal. If you are having someone install the flooring for you - they might be able to ship it to their business address, many people chose this option.

How do we ship - what carriers do we use?
We ship all products (except for hardwood medallions & borders) via large common freight liners. We use Southeastern Freight Lines, Old Dominion, Roadway Express, etc. We quote your shipment and use the carrier that currently offers the lowest freight cost. If you prefer us to use a specific freight company, we can do that.

We will ship to any zipcode in the U.S. or Canada
We ship to all zip codes in the continental United States - and we will ship to Canada - if the customer is willing to pay freight charges. Most of the time freight between Canada and the U.S. can be too expensive.

Shipping times?

In most cases after your order is processed and gets on the road, it will arrive a maximum of 7 business days if you're on the west coast for many of our products. Some may be shorter in duration as they originate from different locations including the west coast. If you reside on the east coast expect a maximum of 4 days. The remaining geographical areas will fall in the middle of the two. We will provide an estimated time when freight costs are determined. This will also be noted on the order confirmation we send. Order confirmations will be faxed or emailed.

Keep in mind not all products are available for immediate delivery. Manufacturers have production times for all of their products. This will be dictated by amount produced and demand. Products with natural finishes are more readily available than those that are stained. Exotic hardwoods tend to be in short supply more frequently; best to buy when they are available.

Tracking The Shipment Online
Your customer service / sales rep should email or fax you a copy of your shipment BOL, so you can track your shipment. For UPS / or FEDEX shipments - they should email you the tracking number. Some times these tracking numbers are not available until the product is picked up and logged in to the carrier' database. Allow a day or two to receive this information. If you do not receive it, email or call your sales representative. To track a shipment - call the delivering terminal in your area.
For those preferring residential delivery, the freight company will call to schedule a convenient time. In most cases the calls will be made in the morning. It's very important we get the most accessible phone number they can reach you. For all orders, be it residential, business, or freight terminal we suggest calling the freight company in the morning when the flooring is in town. Just give the carrier the PRO number or BOL and they can track the shipment for you.

Home Residential Delivery

You must have a home address that can be accessed by an 18 wheeler size vehicle. Some companies will not delivery to address' that have limited access. (small streets, gated communities, etc.) In these cases it is sometimes necessary for the driver to call the customer and have the customer meet them at another location. There are no credits for residential delivery if this happens. We do not receive a credit from the freight carrier - so we can not pass that on to you. If you have a limited access area - it will be best to ship to a business address, or a freight terminal for 'dock pickup'.

Residential service is considered "curbside delivery." Curbside is defined as the truck will only go as far as the end of your driveway. Drivers will assist in handing down boxes from the truck but it will be your responsibility to get it into the home from there. There is usually 1 driver - so be prepared to have people on hand to help offload the freight. Boxes can weight between 20 - 75 lbs.

You can pay for other options - should you not be able to help offload. Other options include a liftgate (usually about $75.00) - with this option - the driver lowers the freight to the curbside. Then, you take it in to your home from there. If you need to have the driver put the freight inside your home - there are additional inside delivery fees. (Usually about $100.00 additional for inside delivery).

Freight Terminal Pickup

Freight terminal pickups - your product is shipped to the freight terminal nearest you. They will then call you to tell you your order has arrived. The customer goes to the terminal within 1 or 2 days to pickup the freight. Terminals are usually over 24 hours and weekends. But, it is important to call the local delivery terminal to check pickup times.

Business Deliveries

Business deliveries are usually $50 - $100.00 dollars less than residential deliveries. Business deliveries must either have a loading dock or you must unload the product when it gets to the location. The business must be open during regular business hours. Freight companies do not call ahead for business deliveries, the just show up. So, if your shipping to a business address and you need to help unload, it is best to be prepared and make sure you know when the freight will arrive. If the business is not open when the driver goes to deliver there will be additional delivery fees to make another delivery attempt. If you are delivering to a business address - and you are not the one meeting the truck, make sure you have a reliable person that will check in your items for you. If the delivery receipt is signed off - and no note is made as to missing items, it is considered to be received and in good condition. If there are missing or damaged items - it must be noted on the delivery receipt - by the driver - and somone must sign for it. Only then will items be replaced for free. If for some reason you have someone check in your freight - and they do not count the items - and you end of having missing items - we cannot guarantee free replacement. We will try to search for the items and try to have them replaced, but there is no guarantee. Most of the times if an order is marked as received (signed by the consumer, and no missing items reported), the freight terminal will not re-imburse. Very Important: Please be responsible and make sure to count all your items.

Count Everything Twice!

Make sure to count the items being delivered. Sometimes the freight carrier will have a BOL or delivery receipt -- that only lists total pieces shipped. Make sure to have your invoice handy - and count the exact number of items to make sure you receive everything. If a shortage exists - you must tell the driver - and he must make a note on your delivery receipt. The freight company will attempt to look for the items for you. But, it is your responsibility to notify your sales associate immediately. We have to report the missing items -- should the items be lost and need replaced. Damaged items - must be reported within 24 - 48 hours to be replaced. Check in and look at everything thoroughly, preferable the same day.

Freight Damage

Sometimes freight can be damaged. How often does this happen? Possibly 1 out of every 25 shipments might be damaged. Don't be alarmed if this happens to you! Sometimes you can still use part of the product. If it is a molding, you might be able to cut it - and use the rest - if you can finish your job. Sometimes a box might be dented on the end - some of those will be able to be used for areas you have to cut. When you install hardwood flooring - you always have to cut one board on each side of the room, so you might be able to use these pieces. If the wood or molding is damaged too badly, it will be replaced for free. But, in order for this to happen - it needs to be reported to your sales rep within 24 hours. Sometimes the manufacturer will even allow up to 1 week to report damag, but, if you wait longer than that to report damage - there is a possibility that your flooring or moldings might not be replaced for free. Please double check all items when you receive them.

Hardwood flooring is packaged in corrugated cardboard, and strapped with plastic bands. Tears, broken bands, scuffed, or rippled packaging is not considered damage. Freight damage is exclusive to actual damage of the hardwood flooring itself. Damage to one or two boxes is not considered a total loss. Often a few pieces are affected as up to as many as 30 pieces can be contained in one box of hardwood flooring depending on the product purchased. For damaged boxes we suggest opening them when you have it in your home to assess how much has been affected. Place all good pieces back in the original carton and don't open until the actual installation.

In the rare likelihood of freight damage, or items that have not been received, you must note it on the delivery receipt before you are finished receiving the shipment. Don't rely on the driver making notes. You must be specific and clear. We cannot be held responsible for damage or shortages after the shipment is signed for.

Notify us immediately of any freight damage or missing items. Even though you've made your notes while signing for the items, freight companies don't tell us about it. It will be your responsibility to contact us immediately to expedite any replacements. In the rare case of damaged freight, we also require taking digital pictures and send them to us as soon as possible. The more information we receive, the quicker replacements will be on their way. Without written documentation of damaged freight or missing items we cannot proceed with any claims or replacements.

Returns

It's always a good idea to have extra inventory on hand should you need it for a repair at a later date. Prefinished manufacturers discontinue lines from time to time or change the style which creates problems trying to match. Often the only recourse is to replace an entire room if the product is not available.

Our policy for those wishing to return extras must do so within 30 days of placing the order. We do not accept returns under 100 square feet or lines that have been discontinued by the manufacturer. Only full unopened cartons/boxes are acceptable. You will be responsible for the freight when returning and a 25% restocking fee. All thresholds, trims and other moldings cannot be returned, along with adhesives and underlayment.

Cancelled Orders

Orders may be cancelled. However, those wishing to cancel orders after an order has been shipped will be responsible for all freight costs including a 25% restocking fee. Freight costs include shipment to you and back to the origin point.

Credit card fees:

Credit card fees add up. As a merchant, we are charged a fee to run your credit card. If you cancel an order - before it ships - you might be responsible for paying a credit card fee of up to 3.29%. With large purchases such as hardwood flooring, these fees can be quite a bit. The fees vary by card, you will be charged whatever we were charged. Should this happen, we will provide documentation showing the amount we were charged in order to process your transaction. We suggest that you be absolutely sure that you want to order your hardwood flooring before approving your credit card transaction. If you want to save money - you can always avoid these credit card fees. Ask about money order purchases or cash purchases - to see how much you can save.

General Returns and Cancellations

All returns and cancellations must be authorized by us with a return/cancellation authorization number. Do not refuse a shipment without calling us first to notify us. You should not store your wood products in an area that is open to the elements. The products must be stored in a dry area where the temperature is between 60 - 85 degrees. If you store these product in an environment that causes the wood to swell and be damaged, the manufacturer will not allow you to return the items for any credit.

Prices on this site are subject to change without notice: We try to update our pricing as often as possible but are not always able to do so. Please call for current pricing.