BuildDirect and Vanier: A Review
Growing up in the Internet Age, I've become fairly accustomed to and comfortable with buying just about everything online.
But even for me, ordering wood floors online -- by the pallet, no less -- was fraught with "what if's" and a bit of trepidation. It isn't one of those things that you can just return if you get it and you don't like it or it's damaged or something and it's not exactly easy to get more product if you happen to be short a few square feet.
After doing much research and collecting dozens of samples (over a period of a few years...), I finally decided that I was ready to pull the trigger a few weeks ago and decided on BuildDirect.com for a couple of reasons:
* They were having a sale on some really nice engineered mahogany.
* Their prices couldn't be beat, even factoring in delivery charges (which are very high compared to some other e-tailers).
* Their web app was top notch; very well done.
This review is for people who are considering ordering from them (or ordering flooring online in general) since there weren't many online resources when I was researching them (even on this forum).
Ordering Samples
The sample ordering process is pretty simple and the samples are free (minus a delivery fee). I've ordered at least a dozen samples from them over a period of two or three years, trying to find the perfect flooring. Compared to other online flooring companies, I've found that they give pretty generous sample sizes in terms of length so you can get a better feel for the wood. I will note that there are some products which you have to call to obtain a sample for.
I would recommend that when ordering certain types of wood, get multiple samples since with mahogany or Brazilian cherry, for example, different boards can show dramatically different colors and patterns. We were considering mahogany, Brazilian cherry, acacia, and some of their twisted strand bamboo (really, really nice floors, IMO - definitely check these out).
I particularly like how the web app displays the weight information, the delivery source, and calculates the cost of shipping and adds it to the price per square foot calculation.
Their sample ordering process gets a 5/5.
Ordering Product
Once you've decided on your flooring type and measured your square footage, the next step is to go online and order the flooring. It should be noted that you should probably order at least 110% of your measured square footage. We had installers put down our floors and the first crew wasn't very conservative with their usage and we ended up one box short. At that point, you really have a tough choice to make; for us, we've decided to sell the extra flooring (or give it away to family members) instead of ordering additional flooring since the shipping costs would be silly. Our kitchen was supposed to get the wood as well, but since we were short about 30 square feet, we decided to just leave it for now.
The initial ordering process is generally pretty easy. It's not much more difficult than the sample ordering process. However, there does seem to be this extra step of having to call their offices to confirm the order and what not. At times, it can be difficult to reach anyone in the office (a secretary always picks up, but then you need to be transferred to the right department). This became a pain-in-the-ass game of phone tag trying to reach the guy.
It was also a bit of a pain to adjust the order size once I had the installer come out and measure and estimate. Again, it was hard to reach someone in the right department.
They were also initially somewhat inflexible with their pricing. I had purchased a large quantity (most of it) on a sale price but then wanted to add an additional 400 or so square feet and some accessory pieces. The sales rep. initially gave me some beef about adding the additional square footage at the original sales price until my wife called and threatened to cancel the order. We did get the flooring at the sale price, but I don't understand why they made us jump through hoops to get it considering this order was coming in at several thousand dollars already.
One minor gripe is that you can't just go online and order more accessories; if you try to do it online, you have to order more product to be able to do it. It seems like you should be able to go to your original order and add a limited quantity of product or accessory pieces. In the end, I simply had to call them up to get one or two more transition pieces, but still, it would have been easier to do it online.
Their ordering process gets a 2.5/5.
Delivery
The delivery was probably one of the most annoying aspects. The first issue is that their delivery window is very large; you won't know when you'll get it until you get a call the day before asking you to schedule delivery. This is a pain in the ass.
The second issue is that while their web site is generally pretty well done, their delivery estimates aren't very well integrated with their stock levels as we were delayed by a month as their stock levels were low. This wasn't an issue for us since our schedule was flexible, but I can see how this might be an issue if you're in the process of building a house and you have a much less flexible timeline.
The actual delivery itself was a bit of a pain as well. The product comes in pallets, but the pallets for our product were like 8x4 (oblong), which makes it a bit harder to store (say in your garage since you have to clear out a lot more space). Not only that, they're only supposed to drop it in your driveway! As I wasn't home that week, we asked my father-in-law to accept delivery for us. He gave the driver a $50 tip to help him get it into the garage using his hand lift. Just beware that the delivery process is less than optimal for average folk.
It would be one thing if they could give you a very specific delivery date and then you could schedule your installers to be there at the same time to move/install the product, but the combination of such a wide delivery window and delivery service (driveway drop) makes it a bit of a pain.
On the other hand, I have to say, the product was very well packaged and had no damage at all. This was one of my primary concerns, that there would be damage during transit and that we'd have to deal with a messy return process.
Their delivery process gets a 3/5.
Product
Despite all that, the wife and I absolutely love the floors. The engineered material is pretty good at this price point when you compare it against the stuff you'd find in big box stores like Home Depot or even from Lumber Liquidators. The specific engineered flooring that we got, their house brand Vanier Santos Mahogany, came with a 4mm wear layer. At this price point, if you were going to get it from HD or Lowes, you'd probably be getting something like a 0.5mm wear layer. With a 4mm wear layer, it can be sanded and refinished at least once in its lifetime (probably twice).
From a durability perspective, we've only had it for a few weeks now, but we have three cats and as far as I can tell, it looks to be holding up well to their claws. I was worried about rolling around in the office chairs and leaving marks, but so far, it's been fine, even without a protective plastic mat or an area rug.
I was a bit worried watching the installers handle the product since they were pretty rough with it, tossing around pieces here and there, stepping over them, hammering it pretty heavily with rubber mallets...but it held up. There were only like one or two places where their rough handling was apparent (possibly from dropping a nail gun). Otherwise, the boards seemed fairly resilient - no breakage, no splitting of the veneer from the base, no cracking. I should note that watching the installers cut the boards lengthwise, they did it by simply using a hand held circular saw and they were able to get very clean cuts. I would think this speaks a bit to the workability of the product.
Overall, in the 60 some boxes that were installed, there were probably only 3-4 boards that had defects in them (hairline cracks in the finish, splintered tongue, etc) and only a few boards which weren't very attractive (only based on the specific tree or the section of the tree that it was cut from - we set these aside or used them in closets). Otherwise, the boards were remarkably well milled and 99% perfect in terms of being square and straight. The accessory pieces also matched nicely in terms of color and finish.
The packaging should also be noted as well: the contents of each box were sealed with fairly durable plastic and there were thin layers of foam sheets between each layer of the product inside the box. I was pretty impressed with the lengths they went to ensure that the product wasn't going to be damaged in transit (although I wasn't too happy about how much waste this generated).
The product itself gets a 5/5.
Overall
I'd say I'd probably order from them again in the future and would recommend them to friends and family. In the end, I think it's a great value as long as you're willing to plan it out properly and accept the risks with ordering this stuff sight unseen (it can be really hard to judge some types of flooring based on samples).
I'd say it's a solid 4/5.
Comments (23)
jeri
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (1)did you go with the Yanchi? I too am looking at bamboo and trying to decide on the best brand. Would be interested in your experiences. I have a US Floors Natural strand woven sample that I like - it's engineered. I also have a natural floors sample that's solid. I like that too. I ordered a Cali bamboo sample in natural - it's too yellow for me. Much more yellow than the other two companies. Why do they make so many choices!...See MoreSounds like Build Direct is a bad idea, so...?
Comments (2)I can't comment on your questions 1, 2, or 4, but I recently built a custom house and installed Build Direct engineered, prefinished, 5-inch plank handscraped Durham maple hardwoods throughout (roughly 1700 square feet of flooring). Like you, I read many bad reviews for both Build Direct and their product...but I took a gamble and ordered anyway. I had no problems with Build Direct, with delivery, with the product or anything else. Maybe my experience is the exception, but I love my hardwood floors and people comment on their attractiveness all the time. During the install, I asked my contractors if they noticed any quality problems and they said they did not. I asked if they noticed a great number of planks that could not be used and they said they did not. Also, from what I have read, prefinished and engineered hardwoods are more stable, meaning they are not as prone to expansion/contraction as unfinished. That's why I chose the product that I did. I haven't taken pictures of my finished house in quite a while but the picture I am attaching shows the flooring. This was before the house had the final cleaning, so they are very dusty. Still, I think it gives you a general idea. My house has been finished for 5 months and I honestly could not be happier with my floors....See MoreBad reviews: BuildDirect, LL, Home Depot Where do I Buy Hardwood?
Comments (25)While remodeling, ran out of hardwood flooring. Purchased cheap untreated flooring & tried to match paint to no avail. Called Hosking to get pricing on hardwood I needed. Sales rep gave price quote & explained since I didn't purchase my previous flooring from them, might be slight color variation. I understood as I knew it wasn't from same "paint batch." She told me to check on invoice that hardwood brand, color, size is correct & then respond acknowledging there’s no returns. Got invoice emailed which stated description of my order, “LAUZON (brand) SOLID MAPLE (wood type) TRAVERTINE (color)” & confirmed. Two weeks later I opened box to see different size, wood type, & colored flooring. Enclosed shipping package shows these are not Lauzon. It looked the same as my initial failed attempt. Called Hosking about the MISTAKE but was told that since Lauzon is so EXPENSIVE, they use CHEAPER 3rd party lumber molding company that uses GENERIC hardwood & ATTEMPTS to paint match. I asked “Why wasn’t I told this BEFORE?” Rep responds “I don’t know what I may or may not have said…” I ASKED for Lauzon, PAID for Lauzon, I should be GETTING Lauzon. Why would I agree to pay for GENERIC, SUBSTITUTED product & be charged same price as the authentic? She was unapologetic & connects me to the owner. He doesn’t answer & unsurprisingly doesn’t return my voice message. I was willing to return INACCURATE order & have correct one sent. Now its been a month so had to resort to disputing charge & informing others about this UNSCRUPULOUS company & their blatant BAIT & SWITCH. I had to order again from QUALITY FLOORING 4 LESS, paid same price & got correct item. Would you buy a FAKE Rolex that is the same cost as the real one? If your answer is no, then AVOID ordering from Hosking!!! The pics of the invoice of what I expected, the packing slip of what came, and image of Lauzon Solid Maple Travertine & the "generic":...See MoreBuild Direct Nightmare
Comments (39)I'm sorry to say, but BD is the retailer. The RETAILER is the one responsible for dealing with warranty claims and the manufacturer. If they sold it to you, they have to help you. Shaw will only deal with retailers - not homeowners. And just to be clear, BD is going through bankruptcy protection and is having cash-flow issues. They may not want to help because they can't afford to help. Delamination of a laminate floor has nothing to do with underlayment. The surface of the floor won't touch the underside of the floor. As for 'not needed' this can happen if the laminate floor has an integrated underlayment (already attached to the bottom of the plank). And yes I've seen Big Box retailers (like BD) make the mistake of forcing a person to purchase underlayment when it isn't needed (I've seen Costco and HD do this ALL THE TIME). Flooring professionals know this...but Joe Home Improvement guy won't. Delamination is an odd duck. It can happen if there is too much moisture used to clean the floors. If a steam cleaner has been used on laminate floors (absolute NO-NO!) = delamination. If chemicals are TOO HARSH are used to clean the floor (ammonia based cleaners) = delamination. There are so many reasons why laminate floor starts to delaminate in a short period of time. It's not unheard of....it is just really weird to have 60% of a laminate floor having problems. We normally see 10% or so if there is a manufacturing problem. If there is more than 40% we start to look at cleaning regimes/products as well as climate the floor is being exposed to. Example: A floor that is sitting in a HOT room with DIRECT SUNLIGHT sitting on the floor all day/everyday and that same floor is cleaned DAILY with a steam cleaner. And then every week a harsh cleaning product (like Simple Green) is then used for a 'deep clean' on that floor. In a situation like this, I would fully expect to see a laminate floor have problems (60% of the surface) in a very short amount of time. Show photos if you have them. And a little bit more about how these floors are treated....See Morecdigs
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agojeri
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Timothy Tom
8 years ago
This shows the newly installed approximate 10K worth of BuildDirect flooring which had to be demolished and replaced with another manufacturers product; DO NOT BUY BUILDDIRECT FLOORING!!!!
Timothy Tom
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
jeri