my sister works in the installed sales department at Lowe's. She deals with complaints and customer satisfaction, etc., every day. We got a lower bid (not much lower) for our granite top but went with a Lowe's installer because of what I know about their satisfation policy. You will be happy or they will replace it. You're buying an insurance policy which you won't get anywhere else. I know because I bought an ugly orange, resin pooled defective $1500 cambria island top and I HATE it. It's getting replaced with granite. We are stuck eating the expense of this $1500 top because we didn't buy it from Lowe's or Home Depot.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer. Our contractor seems to feel we couldn't install without a wall behind :( I will pass along this info, though, because I think the woodstove folks said that as long as you meet the clearance, it wouldnt' be a problem! So good to know they are holding up well and you get to use your stove a lot! Are you able to sit out there even during some winter months?

OK Sam, now we look at LIFE TIME COST of a floor like the one you are looking at. I would give this floor 15 years at most (which is HIGHLY dependent on the finish and on the construction and on your HOUSE HOLD indoor living conditions). To get to 15 years (without issues) YOU and YOUR HOUSE must provide PERFECT living conditions. Yep. To keep the cheap floors from deteriorating inside of 10 years, you are personally responsible for the indoor climate stability. If you cannot afford the better hardwoods then you probably need to look at HIGH END laminates. A high-end European Laminate will offer 25+ years of service without a hiccough! For the same price you will get a BETTER floor. If you want to play in the 'basement' with wood flooring be prepared to loose the investment much sooner than you would with a HIGH END product in a different category. It's your money. It is your call. We in the flooring industry know how bad these 'bad' products can be. We can type the warnings until we blister our fingers...but, as Smokey the Bear says, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires" (aka. junk wood from being burnt for warmth). It's your call. You have been warned.

It may sound odd. It's cheap, fast, and probably no one out looking for it right now. But get a bag of plain grilling charcoal. No EZ start or anything like that. A box of garbage bags- bigger heavier ones are better, but you can double bag if you need to. A pillow sack or bed linen to use as a clothes sack. Get your garbage bag set up. Dump a bunch of the charcoal in. Put your clothes sack in. Tie the garbage sack tight. The charcoal will help absorb the odors. If they can get a bag of cheap cedar or pine pet bedding, they can toss some of that in with the charcoal to help "sweeten" it. It can take a few days, but it should help. And helps keep the smell closed up in the small space of a hotel room. After washing, they can do the same thing, but using baking soda instead of charcoal in the garbage bag. Still use a clothes bag to help keep the clothes dust free. If a dollar store or other has cheap packs of white school chalk or any sidewalk chalk. Chalk is an odor and moisture absorber and can be put in the bags. The garbage bag thing can be used with other stuff too, like shoes, bags, jackets, ect that aren't so washable. Or if they have paper goods like books, photos, important documents that have smoke odor that works too. There are laundry soaps for removing odors, but they can get kind of pricy. Probably some of the easiest to find and less expensive would be scent killer soaps hunters use. It does not always fully strip smoke out of fabric, but it can work better than some regular laundry soaps and it has no scent. So you can tell how much you have washed out at least. If there is some sootiness or ick touch to the fabric, you can try looking for a gallon of Fast Orange or Gojo hand cleaner- make sure it's the smooth stuff, not the gritty. Usually found at auto places or the auto section in many box stores. Use some of that in a sink or bathtub as a prewash to soak out stuff.