How to Choose a Flooring Contractor: 10 Things to Check Before You Hire

Why Your Contractor Matters More Than Your Flooring

Here's something most homeowners don't hear until it's too late: the person installing your floor matters more than the floor itself. You can buy the most expensive hardwood on the market, and if it's installed by someone who doesn't prep the subfloor, doesn't acclimate the wood, or doesn't know how to handle transitions — you'll have a beautiful floor that buckles, gaps, or squeaks within a year.

We've been installing floors across Lehigh County, the Lehigh Valley, and northern New Jersey for years. In that time, we've been called to fix or redo more jobs than we can count — jobs done by contractors who were cheap, unlicensed, uninsured, or just plain unqualified. Every single one of those homeowners thought they were saving money.

This guide is the honest advice we'd give a friend or family member before they hire anyone — including us. We're going to walk through the 10 things you should check before signing a contract with any flooring contractor in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. Some of these are obvious. Some will surprise you. All of them will save you from a bad experience.

If you want to know more about who we are and how we operate, visit our about page. But this post isn't a sales pitch — it's a checklist. Let's get into it.

Check Their License (Here's How in PA and NJ)

This is step one, and it's non-negotiable. Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey require home improvement contractors to be registered with the state. If your contractor can't produce a valid license number, stop the conversation right there.

In Pennsylvania: Contractors must hold a Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration through the PA Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection. You can verify any contractor's registration online. The registration number should appear on their contract, their estimates, and their advertising. If it doesn't, ask why.

In New Jersey: The NJ Division of Consumer Affairs requires all home improvement contractors to register and hold an active HIC number. New Jersey is actually stricter than PA in some ways — contractors must also comply with the Contractor's Registration Act, which sets rules about deposits, timelines, and contract terms.

Why does this matter beyond the legal box-checking? Because a licensed contractor has something to lose. If they do shoddy work, you have a registration number to file a complaint against. An unlicensed contractor can disappear tomorrow, and you have no recourse beyond small claims court — which is slow, frustrating, and often fruitless.

Verify Insurance and Bonding

A license tells you they're registered. Insurance tells you you're protected. These are two different things, and you need both.

Every flooring contractor should carry at minimum:

• General liability insurance — This covers damage to your property during the job. If a crew member drops a saw through your kitchen counter or a sander gouges your wall, liability insurance pays for the repair. Look for at least $1 million in coverage.
• Workers' compensation insurance — This is the one people forget to ask about, and it's arguably the most important. If a worker gets injured in your home and the contractor doesn't have workers' comp, you — the homeowner — could be held liable. That's not a hypothetical scenario. It happens.

Don't just take their word for it. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) and call the insurance carrier directly to confirm the policy is active and hasn't lapsed. A COI takes five minutes to produce. If a contractor says they'll “get it to you later,” that usually means they don't have it.

Bonding is a separate layer of protection — it's a guarantee that the contractor will complete the work as agreed. Not all states require bonding for flooring contractors, but a bonded contractor is one more sign that they're serious about their business.

Look for Industry Certifications

Licensing is a legal minimum. Certifications are a professional standard. There's a big difference.

The two certifications that matter most in flooring are:

• NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) — The gold standard for hardwood flooring installation, sanding, and finishing. NWFA certification requires hands-on skills testing, not just a written exam. It covers proper acclimation, moisture testing, subfloor preparation, and installation techniques for every type of hardwood flooring.
• CFI (Certified Flooring Installers) — A comprehensive credential that covers luxury vinyl, carpet, tile, and laminate installation. CFI certification also requires practical testing and ongoing education.

Why do these matter? Because a certified installer has proven they know the manufacturer's recommended installation methods. That matters when something goes wrong — if your floor fails and the installer didn't follow the manufacturer's specs, the warranty is void. A certified installer gives you a second layer of protection.

You can see our team's certifications on our certifications page. We invest in training because it directly translates to better results in your home. Not every company does.

Read Reviews the Right Way

Everyone checks reviews. But most people check them wrong.

A company with 200 five-star reviews sounds great — until you realize that half of them just say “great job!” with no detail. The reviews that actually tell you something are the ones that mention specifics: Did the crew show up on time? Did they protect the furniture and walls? How did they handle an unexpected subfloor problem? Did the finished floor look right a year later?

Here's how to read reviews like a contractor would:

• Look for patterns, not individual stories. One bad review out of a hundred might be an outlier. Ten reviews mentioning the same problem (late starts, poor communication, messy cleanup) is a pattern.
• Check multiple platforms. Google, Yelp, BBB, and Angi all have different audiences. A company with great Google reviews and terrible BBB complaints is worth investigating further.
• Read the three-star and four-star reviews. These are often the most honest. The reviewer liked the work but had a legitimate concern. That tells you more than a perfect five-star rating ever will.
• Check how the company responds to negative reviews. A defensive, combative response tells you everything about how they'll handle a dispute with you. A professional, solution- oriented response is a green flag.

We're proud of what our customers say about us — you can read their feedback on our reviews page. But more importantly, we encourage you to look at how we handle every interaction, not just the ones that go perfectly.

Get a Detailed Written Estimate

A verbal quote is worthless. A one-line written quote isn't much better. What you need is an itemized estimate that spells out exactly what you're paying for.

A proper flooring estimate should include:

1. Material specifications — Brand name, product line, color, and cost per square foot. Not “LVP — waterproof.” The actual product with a SKU you can look up.
2. Labor cost — Rate per square foot or a flat project fee, clearly separated from materials.
3. Demolition and disposal — What's being removed, how it's being disposed of, and the cost.
4. Subfloor preparation — Leveling, patching, moisture barriers. If they haven't inspected your subfloor, ask how they're accounting for this.
5. Trim and transitions — Baseboard removal and reinstallation, transition strips, door undercutting, stair nosing.
6. Timeline — Start date, estimated completion, and what happens if the project runs over.
7. Warranty — Both the manufacturer's product warranty and the contractor's workmanship warranty, in writing.
8. Payment schedule — Deposit amount, progress payments, and final payment terms.

If a contractor hands you a quote on the back of a business card or sends a one-paragraph text message, that's not an estimate. That's a guess. And guesses lead to surprise charges on install day.

We itemize every quote we send. Line by line, no exceptions. If you're curious what a detailed estimate looks like, request a free quote and we'll show you how it should be done — even if you end up hiring someone else.

Ask About Their Crew

This is the question most homeowners never think to ask — and it's one of the most important ones.

Some flooring companies have full-time, trained employees. Others subcontract every job to whoever is available that week. The difference shows up in the quality of the work, the consistency of the experience, and what happens when something goes wrong.

Here's what to ask:

• “Will your own crew do the work, or do you subcontract?” — Subcontracting isn't automatically bad, but it adds a layer of distance between you and the people in your home. If they sub out the work, ask who the sub is and whether they carry their own insurance.
• “How long has your install crew been with you?” — High turnover is a red flag. A crew that's been together for years has worked out their systems and knows how to handle the unexpected.
• “Are your installers certified or factory trained?” — There's a difference between a guy who watched YouTube videos and someone who's been through NWFA or CFI certification. Ask specifically.
• “Who will be on-site if I have a question?” — You should have a point of contact during the installation. Whether that's a crew lead or a project manager, someone should be available and accountable.

At VM Power Flooring, our installers are full-time team members with industry certifications. When you hire us, you know exactly who's showing up at your door. You can learn more about how we work on our about page.

Red Flags to Watch For

After years in this business, we've heard every horror story. And they almost always start the same way — with warning signs the homeowner ignored because the price was right. Here are the red flags that should make you walk away:

• Cash-only, no contract. If someone wants to do a $5,000 job with a handshake and a wad of cash, they're not running a real business. No contract means no recourse.
• No license number on the estimate. Both PA and NJ require it. If it's missing, either they don't have a license or they don't care about the law. Neither is good.
• Pressure to sign today. “This price is only good until Friday” is a sales tactic, not a deadline. A legitimate contractor will give you time to compare options.
• A quote that's dramatically lower than everyone else's. If three companies quote $6,000–$7,000 and one comes in at $3,500, something is missing from that quote. Guaranteed.
• No physical business address. A contractor operating out of a P.O. box or with no verifiable address is harder to hold accountable if something goes wrong.
• They won't provide references. Any company that's been in business for more than a year should have customers willing to vouch for them. If they can't produce a single reference, ask yourself why.
• Large deposit demanded upfront. In New Jersey, contractors cannot collect more than one-third of the project total before work begins. In PA, there's no hard legal cap, but anything over a third should raise eyebrows. A 10–20% deposit is standard for most residential flooring projects.

Questions to Ask Before Signing

Before you sign a contract with any flooring contractor, ask these questions. Write down the answers. A good contractor will answer all of them without hesitation.

1. “Can I see your PA HIC or NJ HIC registration number?”
2. “Do you carry general liability and workers' comp insurance? Can I see the certificate?”
3. “What certifications do your installers hold?”
4. “Will your own crew do the installation, or will you subcontract it?”
5. “What's included in the estimate — demo, subfloor prep, transitions, baseboards, cleanup?”
6. “What happens if you find subfloor damage after removing the old floor?” — This is a critical one. A good contractor will explain their process and give you a ballpark for common subfloor repairs. A bad one will say “we'll figure it out.”
7. “What's your workmanship warranty, and is it in writing?”
8. “What's your payment schedule?” — Deposit, progress payment (if applicable), and final payment on completion.
9. “Can you provide references from recent projects in my area?”
10. “What's your timeline, and what could delay it?”

Print this list out. Bring it to every estimate. The contractors who answer clearly and confidently are the ones worth hiring. The ones who get defensive or vague are telling you everything you need to know.

If you're in the Lehigh Valley or anywhere in our service area across PA and NJ, we're happy to answer every single one of these questions during a free in-home estimate. No pressure, no sales tactics — just honest answers. Get in touch here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I verify a flooring contractor's license in PA or NJ?

In Pennsylvania, ask for their Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration number and verify it on the PA Attorney General's website. In New Jersey, check their HIC registration through the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs. Any legitimate contractor will hand you this number without hesitation.

What insurance should a flooring contractor carry?

At minimum, they need general liability insurance (at least $1 million) and workers' compensation coverage for their crew. Ask for a certificate of insurance and call the carrier to confirm it's active. If they don't have workers' comp and someone gets hurt in your home, you could be held liable.

Should I get multiple flooring estimates before hiring?

Yes — get at least three written estimates. But don't just compare the bottom line. Compare the scope of work, materials specified, subfloor prep included, and warranty terms. The cheapest quote almost always leaves something out. For more on understanding pricing differences, read our guide on why flooring quotes vary so much.

What are the biggest red flags when hiring a flooring installer?

Watch out for cash-only requests with no written contract, unwillingness to provide a license or insurance certificate, no physical business address, pressure to sign immediately, and a quote that's dramatically lower than everyone else's. Any one of these should make you walk away.

Do flooring contractors need to be certified?

Certification isn't legally required, but it matters. Look for NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) certification for hardwood work and CFI (Certified Flooring Installers) credentials for general flooring. These certifications require hands-on testing and ongoing education. See our certifications page for more on what these credentials mean.

How much should I pay upfront to a flooring contractor?

Never pay more than a third of the total project cost upfront, and in many cases 10–20% is standard for a deposit. In New Jersey, contractors are legally prohibited from collecting more than a third before work begins. If someone asks for 50% or more upfront, that's a serious red flag. When you're ready for a transparent quote with clear payment terms, contact our team.