Hardwood flooring continues to be a popular choice for people renovating their home or property, due to its stunning beauty and durability. Although it is not the cheapest renovation you can make, there are several places where you can buy hardwood flooring wholesale and save a ton of money!
If you’re looking for a great deal on wholesale hardwood flooring, you’ve come to the right place NOW!
Depending on where you live, finding a store that sells hardwood flooring shouldn’t be too difficult. While many home improvement retailers carry hardwood flooring as a result of its immense value to a home, these stores may not offer a price that you can afford. Thankfully, you can find great deals at one of these three places that sell wholesale hardwood flooring.
Buying Wholesale
Regardless of what you’re getting, buying wholesale is a really good way to save a lot of cash if you can swing it. Although the term “wholesale” is sometimes used to refer to different things, typically it means buying goods in large quantities from a wholesaler. Most of the time, people purchase their goods in smaller and more expensive amounts from a retail store.
Buying wholesale is also a cheaper way to go because, usually, wholesalers don’t have a large showroom that requires a large amount of staff, and therefore they can offer lower prices. Wholesalers typically sell their products in bulk to retailers, who then sell it to consumers.
So why doesn’t everyone just buy wholesale? Of course, one of the challenges in buying wholesale is that a lot of wholesalers only sell in bulk. In the case of hardwood floors, you can get a great price per square foot if you buy it in a large quantity, but you may not need that many boards.
For example, a company may offer to sell you hardwood flooring at $3.99 per square foot, only if you purchase more than, say, 1,000 square feet. If you purchase less than that, the price may go up to say $4.49, or they may not sell smaller amounts at all.
One way to purchase your hardwood flooring in bulk is to find some friends or relatives who also might be interested in new floors. Find a type of hardwood floor you all agree on and split the cost! Or, perhaps you have another property like an office or summer cottage that could also use some new floors. If you have the storage space, you could also think about buying more boards to save for a future project.
Many wholesale businesses have a few sales per year in order to get rid of extra or older stock.
As a result, they may offer wholesale prices to individuals and not require a certain amount of product to be bought. Or they might just reduce the minimum requirements. Due to the fact it’s a sale, refunds may not be allowed, so it’s important to choose what you’re buying wisely.
Wholesale Distributors
You can find out whether there are any hardwood floor wholesale distributors in your region by quickly searching online. Typically, these are stores that sell larger quantities of hardwood flooring materials to home improvement chain stores and smaller, independent retailers. Due to the fact many of these businesses are not designed for walk-in customers, they are often located in industrial zones or on the outskirts of town.
Depending on the business, however, they may not sell to individual customers or in smaller quantities, so be sure to research the company’s policies beforehand. Other wholesale distributors may require you to take out a membership or pay an annual fee to shop there. Although they may not have as many staff as say a larger chain store, wholesaler employees are typically very knowledgeable about hardwood floors and can probably answer any questions you have.
You may also be able to buy hardwood flooring materials wholesale through a timber or lumber distributor. Depending on the type of businesses to which they usually sell, some timber distributors may carry boards that can be used for hardwood flooring, particularly if you’re buying solid wood boards.
Buying hardwood floors is an important investment, so be sure to research the distributors online to see if they stand behind their products and provide good service. You can also check them out by referring to the Better Business Bureau.
Hardwood Floor Manufacturers
Another way you can buy your hardwood floors wholesale is directly through the manufacturer. Although some manufacturers do not sell to individual customers, there are others that will. If a certain type of hardwood floor catches your eye, take note of the manufacturer and contact them to find out what their wholesale policies are.
A manufacturer may also only sell in bulk or, if not, they may offer a price that’s higher than what they charge wholesale distributors. That price is still lower than what it would cost at retail. Depending on where the manufacturer is located, however, you could encounter high shipping costs that will cut into your savings.
Remember to shop around and to do some research before you contact a manufacturer directly. Naturally, if they sell to individual customers then they want your business, so you won’t be told about better or cheaper options that their competitors are offering on their products.
Online Distributors
Online distributors that specialize in selling hardwood flooring are great, convenient places to find wholesale bargains. You can shop from the comfort of your own home or office, whenever you choose, and you don’t have to worry about a high-pressure sales environment.
In addition, some online distributors have connections with manufacturers from various different regions, providing a wide selection of hardwood floors from which to choose. Due to these connections, they will find you the best price possible on the hardwood floors you want. Many online distributors also offer great discounts or sales on select items.
Anytime you shop online, do some quick research about the company to make sure they’re legitimate and that previous customers have liked their products and service.
Before you make any payment or provide your credit card info, double check to see that the website is secure.
You can learn more about shopping safely online through government websites like On Guard Online or from companies like Microsoft.
Choose Your Hardwood Floors Carefully
While you’re shopping for wholesale hardwood flooring, it’s a good idea to have a sense of what you’re looking for. There are many different types of hardwood floors from which to choose, and some may be better suited for your home than others.
One of the key decisions you need to make is whether you want to buy engineered hardwood floors or solid wood. Engineered hardwood floor boards are manufactured with several different layers of wood. They are more resistant to moisture or temperature changes than solid wood floors. However, due to their thin layer on top, they can’t be refinished as many times.
The boards for solid wood floors are made of one type of tree, like Maple, Yellow Birch, or Mahogany. Typically, there’s no big difference in price between engineered and solid wood floors, unless you decide to purchase a more exotic species of tree. Exotic woods like Brazilian Walnut or Teak are generally much harder than domestic trees and therefore they don’t scratch or dent as easy.
Exotic woods also have to be shipped from farther distances, which coupled with their durability makes them more expensive to buy. You can learn more about each type of wood through online publications like the Wood Database.
Another factor to consider is whether you want to buy unfinished or prefinished boards. Finish helps protect the floor from moisture and scratches, so if you don’t want to buy prefinished boards, you or someone you hire will have to apply it. Either way, your hardwood floors need to be finished.
There are also many different types of grains and colors to choose from when you’re shopping for hardwood flooring. As a result, some types of boards may not go with the rest of your home. If you’re looking for a more rustic look, than woods with a second or third grade have much more marks, lines, and knots than first-grade boards.
Unless you shop through an online distributor, some wholesalers may not carry the type of hardwood floors you’re looking for, so doing some homework in advance could save you time and money.
You can learn more about the various types of hardwood floors through the World Floor Covering Association’s website.
Other Factors
If you’re shopping for hardwood floors from a wholesaler during a sale, it’s very important to inspect the boards before you purchase anything. Some distributors do not offer refunds on sale items, so you want to make sure the boards you’re buying are in good condition.
If you have your hardwood flooring delivered, you should also double check to see that nothing was damaged while it was being shipped. You don’t want to have your floor half installed only to find out that several boards are scratched or dented.
You should also ask about the floor’s warranty. Although you can find some great deals through buying wholesale, if the warranty isn’t very extensive then you could end up regretting your purchase.
Some warranties require a certain type of underlayment to be installed under the hardwood flooring, which helps protect the boards from moisture and damages that the subfloor might cause. Before you buy any flooring materials, check with the manufacturer to see if an underlayment is required. If you don’t install one your warranty could be declared invalid.
Finally, while you’re calculating your budget, don’t forget to factor in installation. Hardwood flooring is a great and valuable investment, so if you’re not absolutely certain you can install it correctly, hire someone else to do it!
Take a look around to find some great deals on wholesale hardwood flooring right NOW!
