Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look at house floor covering providers that sell carpet

Distributors of home flooring can offer you a wide range of colors, styles and grades of carpet. From high end, delicate fibers to tough, sturdy commercial grade carpet, wholesalers and distributors can give you a number of options to choose from.

I recommend: Buy discount carpets wholesale direct from Georgia Carpet Industries. You can also check out their carpet specials while on their website. Consider purchasing from Wholesale Carpet Store.

Check out distributors and wholesalers of home floor covering basics on tile and hardwoods

Take advantage of wholesalers and distributors of home flooring that offer hardwood floors or tile flooring options. Both can be great for a high end look as well as for high traffic areas depending on the quality of product that you choose.

I recommend: Buy hardwood floors direct at wholesale prices from Absolute Hardwood Floors. Check out the hardwood specials from Wholesale Floors. Check out the selection from International Wholesale Tile. See what options are available from CornerstoneWholesale.

Consider vinyl as a house floor covering

Consider vinyl as a house floor covering can be a cost effective alternative that can often give you the look of tile or hard woods. Many vinyl options now adays are created to have the look of hardwood or tile, so you can go with the less expensive route but have a faux tile or hardwood appearance.

I recommend: Check out the vinyl selection from Advantage Carpet and Hardwood. Purchase vinyl sheets or vinyl tiles from NetFloors.com.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Whether you are a contractor, real estate agent, house flipper, bank that has bought a foreclosure that you have to spruce up before putting back on the market, purchasing your carpet from distributors and wholesalers of home floor covering will help keep your bottom line expenses low.
• •  Before installing your own house floor covering, either consult a professional or take a class on the subject. Wasted materials because you didn't do the project right the first time can become a costly expense.

1. The cost-benefits of buying from national home floor distributors versus local flooring distributors and manufacturers;
2. The potential drawbacks of buying in bulk;
3. The importance of ensuring you only get first-quality home floor covering.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase from online floor covering distributors to save a bundle

Because most of the online distributors of home flooring don't have a showroom with pretty displays, their overhead is much lower and they pass that savings on to you. Yes, you will pay for shipping, but it is usually still a better price than you can find in a local store. If you're lucky enough to live near a distribution point for one of these companies, you can save even more because you may be able to avoid shipping.

I recommend: Lumber Liquidators is a chain of house floor distributors that is well-known for their quality laminate flooring and hardwood flooring. They have more than 100 locations in North America as well, so those close by will save on shipping. ProSource is a chain of showroom wholesalers of home flooring available in many major metropolitan areas. While ProSource does require a membership, it offers the added benefit of allowing you to bring your clients in to look at flooring; your customers will see only the market price of the home floor covering, not the price you pay.

Avoid the pitfalls of buying home floor covering in bulk

Some distributors and wholesalers of home floor covering offer you the best price when you buy the flooring in bulk--enough flooring for several houses. While this can be appealing, you should consider the costs of this as well. Not only will you need to have a place large enough to store all the house floor covering, you may be required to pay inventory tax on it to your state. In addition, you're much more likely to have odd quantities of leftover flooring that you can neither use nor sell, further reducing your savings.

I recommend: Floor Max Factory Outlet offers home floor covering to builders at “Wholesale Mill Direct” prices. These savings are the same regardless of how much flooring you purchase in one transaction. FastFloors.com offers name-brand flooring at discount prices for orders of all sizes.

Buy first-quality flooring every time

When looking at distributors and wholesalers of home floor covering, occasionally you'll find companies that offer substantial discounts on second-quality flooring. While this may seem appealing at first, it's not a good standard of practice. It can be difficult to properly install factory seconds, and the house floor covering may not last as your customers would expect. Either way, you risk your reputation as a quality builder.

I recommend: Carpet Works offers first-quality carpet options from the mills in Dalton, GA. Carpet Express allows builders to request quotes on their most often-used products, which can give you a price comparison list unique to the industry.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you have local floor covering distributors with whom you have a strong working relationship, don't hesitate to ask them to price-match an offer you've found online; expect them to include any shipping costs in the matching price.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider a variety of distributors and wholesalers of home floor covering

From distributors of home flooring to wholesalers of home flooring to those who have membership based organizations, look at the variety home flooring provider options to compare prices and options.

I recommend: Access manufacturer-direct prices of high-quality manufacturer-direct home flooring from DirectBuy. DirectBuy is membership-based organization that offers wholesale pricing and over 700 brand-name manufacturers. Check out the many types of flooring available at wholesale pricing through Owen Carpet. They offer linoleum flooring, rubber flooring, wood flooring, laminate flooring, cork flooring, vinyl flooring, area rugs, ceramic and porcelain tiles as well as natural stones.

Request home floor covering samples

Order or pickup samples from distributors and wholesalers of home floor covering before you settle on a particular style of flooring.

I recommend: Request a free sample kit from simpleFLOORS. Wholesale Flooring & Stone has open inventory and samples to give you an easy shopping experience.

Watch for house floor covering sales

Plan out the timing of your purchase so that you can watch for sales or specials from your favorite distributors and wholesalers of home floor covering.

I recommend: Check out the specials that Norton's Flooring. They offer solid wood flooring, laminate flooring, engineered wood flooring as well as ceramic tile. See what deals are available at Wholesale Flooring USA, a wholesale distributor that sells direct to the public.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When ordering samples from distributors and wholesalers of home floor covering, find out if they are free or if any part of their shipping or charges can be applied to your final purchase if you decide to go with that company.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Resilient flooring

Resilient flooring is a type of artificial sheet flooring made of plastic, fillers and dyes. It is available in a range of thicknesses. You'll find it marketed as vinyl, linoleum, cork and rubber flooring.

I recommend: Find out more about resilient flooring at Resilient Floor Covering Institute.

Plush

Plush describes carpeting with a high, slightly twisted pile of even height. Plush carpeting is a popular option for bedrooms, family rooms, and formal living and dining rooms.

I recommend: Go to FloorBiz for an in-depth description of plush carpet. You can also find tips about the best applications for this type of carpet.

Vinyl remnants

Vinyl remnants are the rolls of vinyl flooring that are left over after wholesalers or distributors make cuts for other jobs from the roll. Vinyl remnants are an extremely cost effective flooring option, especially for small jobs, such as apartment kitchens and bathrooms.

I recommend: Learn about vinyl remnants from Carpet Express.

Laminate

Laminate flooring is designed to emulate the look and feel of solid hardwood. Laminate flooring usually consists of several layers of fiberboard topped with a thin layer of laminate that is printed with an image of wood grain. Laminate is generally cheaper and more stable than genuine hardwood.

I recommend: On its website, FlooringGuide.com explains the particulars about laminate flooring.

Engineered hardwood

Like laminate, engineered hardwood is a type of wood flooring that is comprised of a combination of materials. The components of engineered hardwood include a core of MDF board, hardwood or plywood that is coated with a thin veneer of a particular hardwood. Engineered hardwood provides the beauty of real hardwood with the increased stability of a compressed wood product.

I recommend: Visit BuildDirect for more information on engineered hardwood.

Carpet pad

Carpet pad, sometimes referred to as cushion, is the term for the roll of foam or rubber sheeting that is laid down beneath wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpet pads protect the sub flooring while making the carpeting more comfortable and easier to clean.

I recommend: Visit the website for Shaw Industries Group to learn about carpet pads and their many benefits.