The Ultimate Lumber Liquidators Review: My Honest Take
Hey there, flooring shoppers! Are you on the hunt for stylish, durable floors that won‘t bust your budget? Then you‘ll definitely want to check out my honest review of Lumber Liquidators.
As a total fashionista and home decor lover, I‘m always searching for the best deals on quality products to give my space a fresh new look. And let me tell you, Lumber Liquidators has become my go-to spot for all things flooring. I‘ve purchased from them several times over the years for my own home renovations, so I can give you the real scoop on what they‘re all about.
What is Lumber Liquidators?
First, let‘s start with the basics. Lumber Liquidators is one of the largest and most well-known retailers of hardwood and hard-surface flooring in North America. The company was founded way back in 1996 by Tom Sullivan, a contractor who saw an opportunity to turn a profit on extra wood he collected from various jobs. His resourceful little side gig quickly blossomed into a booming retail business.
Fast forward to today, and Lumber Liquidators has grown to over 400 store locations across the U.S. (with a handful in Canada too). In 2020, the company officially rebranded as LL Flooring to better reflect its wide selection of flooring options beyond just hardwood. But don‘t worry – you‘ll still see the Lumber Liquidators branding in most stores.
The company prides itself on offering a huge variety of high-quality flooring products at super affordable prices. We‘re talking solid and engineered hardwood, laminate, vinyl, tile, bamboo, cork – you name it, they probably have it. It‘s like a candy store for flooring fanatics like myself!
Lumber Liquidators: The Pros
Alright, so what sets Lumber Liquidators apart from the other big box stores or local flooring shops? Here are some of the biggest advantages I‘ve personally experienced:
1. Unbeatable prices
I‘m all about a good deal, and trust me, it doesn‘t get much better than Lumber Liquidators‘ prices. They‘re consistently lower than most of their competitors. How do they do it? By buying in bulk directly from mills and manufacturers and passing the savings on to the customer.
To give you an idea, check out how Lumber Liquidators stacks up against some of the other major flooring retailers:
| Retailer | Price per sq. ft. (Engineered Hardwood) |
|---|---|
| Lumber Liquidators | $2.99 – $7.99 |
| Home Depot | $3.49 – $10.99 |
| Lowe‘s | $3.29 – $9.99 |
| Floor & Decor | $2.89 – $9.69 |
Price ranges based on selection of best-selling engineered hardwood flooring products on each retailer‘s website as of May 2023.
As you can see, Lumber Liquidators‘ prices are on the lower end across the board. And if you happen to find a better deal somewhere else? They‘ll match it AND beat it by 10%. Can‘t argue with that!
2. Mind-blowing selection
I‘m the type of shopper who likes to weigh all my options before making a decision (my husband calls it indecisive – I call it thorough). And boy, does Lumber Liquidators deliver in the variety department!
At last count, the retailer stocks over 400 different flooring products. In fact, they carry so many options that their website has filtering tools to help you narrow it down by color, style, width, thickness, species, installation method, and more. It‘s almost overwhelming… in a good way.
What I personally love is that Lumber Liquidators offers a ton of unique, hard-to-find flooring that you won‘t see anywhere else. They have exclusive brands like Dream Home, Virginia Mill Works, and CoreLuxe with some seriously stunning designs that make my inner interior designer giddy.
For example, I recently installed the Dream Home Laminate Flooring With Premium Ultra-Fold Underlayment in my guest bedroom and it looks AMAZING. The embossed hickory texture and rich, warm tones give it a super realistic hardwood look at a fraction of the price. It was so easy to click together too.
I‘m also obsessed with the Virginia Mill Works Engineered Autumn Harvest Maple Hardwood Flooring I used in my kitchen. The boards have this cool handscraped, distressed texture that hides any dings or scratches and looks better with age. It‘s the perfect rustic farmhouse vibe.
3. Try before you buy with free samples
Ordering flooring online can definitely feel like risky business. It‘s so hard to tell what the product will actually look like in your space!
Thankfully, Lumber Liquidators totally gets it. They let you order up to FOUR flooring samples at a time completely free of charge. All you have to do is find a product you like, click the "Order A Free Sample" button, and select up to 4 different swatches.
I‘m not exaggerating when I say this is a total game-changer, people. Being able to see and feel the flooring samples in person makes SUCH a difference. Here‘s what I love about LL‘s sample program:
- It‘s completely FREE! No shipping costs, no catch.
- The samples come neatly labeled with all the product specs.
- You can test how the flooring looks in different lighting.
- You can mix and match samples to see what jives with your current decor.
- There‘s no pressure to buy – order as many as you need to feel confident in your choice.
According to Flooring Inc, getting free samples is one of the smartest things you can do when shopping for new flooring. It can save you from an expensive case of buyer‘s remorse down the line. So yeah, massive props to Lumber Liquidators for offering this perk!
4. Get professional inspo with Floor Finder
Another nifty online feature I want to shout out is Lumber Liquidators‘ Floor Finder tool. If you‘re having trouble imagining how a certain floor will look in your home, this handy visualizer is your new best friend.
Here‘s how it works:
- Go to the Lumber Liquidators website and find the flooring product you‘re interested in.
- Click the orange "See Floor in My Room" button on the product page.
- Upload a photo of your own room OR choose a similar stock photo.
- Use the tools to erase your existing floor and drop in the new flooring.
- Boom! You get a virtual preview of how the floor will look in your space.
Honestly, I‘ve spent WAY too much time playing around with this visualizer. It‘s just really fun to see all the different flooring possibilities! And from a more practical standpoint, it helps give you a realistic visual before you make that final decision.
The Floor Finder works with nearly every product on the Lumber Liquidators website, so you can go wild with your virtual makeovers. It‘s like having a professional designer right at your fingertips.
The (Potential) Cons
Alright, I‘ve gushed about all the things I love about Lumber Liquidators – but in the interest of writing a balanced review, I feel like I should mention a few potential drawbacks.
The main one is that the company has had some not-so-great press in the past surrounding the safety of certain products. Back in 2015, there was a big scandal about some of its laminate flooring made in China containing high levels of formaldehyde. Lumber Liquidators ended up paying a multi-million dollar settlement and pulled the products from its shelves.
Obviously, this whole fiasco doesn‘t reflect well on the company and raised some red flags about its product sourcing and quality control. However, in recent years it seems like Lumber Liquidators has made an effort to be more transparent and implement better safety testing to prevent this from happening again.
As a customer, I feel pretty confident ordering from them – but I get that it could still be a turnoff for some people. Just make sure you do your research on the product specs and sourcing if you have any concerns.
The only other gripes I have are pretty minor. A few customers have complained about long wait times to get help in the stores, or orders not being ready for pickup when promised. I personally haven‘t had any huge issues, but it‘s good to know that the customer service can be hit or miss.
Lastly, while Lumber Liquidators offers a pretty generous 90-day return policy, you are stuck paying the return shipping costs unless there was a true defect. Some of their competitors like Home Depot have more flexible policies where you can just bring unwanted flooring back to the store for a full refund.
All that being said, I still think Lumber Liquidators is a fantastic value overall. The pros FAR outweigh the cons in my book.
My Lumber Liquidators Review: The Final Verdict
Whew, that was a lot of info! If you‘ve made it this far in my long-winded Lumber Liquidators review, I applaud you. Clearly, I have no shortage of opinions on the matter.
But in case you‘re a "skip to the end" type, let me sum it up for you: I wholeheartedly recommend Lumber Liquidators to anyone looking for attractive, durable, low-cost flooring.
This retailer scores major points in my book for its huge selection, helpful online tools, free samples, and affordable prices. Seriously, I cannot stress enough what a great deal you can get on high-end hardwood, vinyl, tile, and more. It‘s the reason I keep going back again and again for my own projects!
Now, is Lumber Liquidators absolutely perfect? No. There have been some issues in the past that are worth noting. But I do think the company has made positive changes recently to address product safety and quality concerns.
Ultimately, I believe Lumber Liquidators delivers the best bang for your buck when it comes to flooring. The value is simply unmatched. And having personally used several of their products in my own home with fantastic results, I feel very comfortable endorsing them.
So there you have it, my fellow flooring fans. I hope this uber-honest review has given you the details and inspiration you need to tackle your next home makeover. If you decide to take the plunge with Lumber Liquidators, I have a sneaking suspicion you‘ll be just as thrilled with your new floors as I am with mine.
Happy shopping, and may the renovation odds be ever in your favor!
