But you need to trust someone, right.
Of course you do, especially if you haven’t been recommended anyone by a friend.
So call a few of the natural listings on page 2 or beyond, place pages are usually fair placement, feel the companies out, see what they know, and if you like the way they sound, ask them to come and take a look.
So here’s a tip when they come to visit.
Ask if they have references, that can be emailed, phone numbers are a bit invasive, so just an email they should be happy to supply some with their quote.
If they try to give excuses. take note.
Ask about extra costs, £12 per ft or meter to change a board is outrageous, its a hidden charge that tops up the price nicely for some companies.
Ask how many coats of varnish they apply as standard,
If it’s varnish it should be 3 coats, not 2 and an extra charge for a third is another hidden charge i’ve encountered.
Hardwax should be 2 coats, there are no products that are single coat systems.
These are not trick questions but you need to be clear on extra costs as what price you have seen on their website usually doesn’t transfer into their quotes, it’s put in as a tempter to get a foot in the door, so to speak.
I would say ask for guarantees, but this is unfair, products carry manufacturers guarantees against default like peeling or abnormal fast wear, so faulty product is automatically covered but the floor itself cannot be guaranteed as they are use dependent and a single house party or stiletto wearing evening could trash it at no fault of the workmanship.
So finally before the floor sanding representative leaves ask him, Who will be doing the work?
If he say’s i have a team that will carry out the work, ask will he be on site to oversee things.
If however he says, he will oversee everything or even better says he will also be carrying out the work, then more often you are on to a good tradesman that cares about what he does.
Lastly, Wait until you see the written quote before booking in, the cheapest price is not always the best route to take and the differences between contractors is usually marginal, so choose who you felt made you feel the most confident.
Final note
There are lots of Domestic floor sanders out there, small companies that do not charge VAT and strive on there reputation, which is perfect for Domestic clients who cannot claim vat back and want a faultless job, try finding these guys, they usually give a much more personal service without the over heads of large companies and unlike most employees they really do care.
Of course there is exceptions to the rule, i know VAT registered companies that have great staff, but in hindsight its more often the small companies who keep a closer eye on their quality.
Questions?