The Design Expo - Flooring Center of Bowie

It was outstanding. They were professional and timely. They stood behind their work and did what they said they were going to do. We have been very pleased with the work so far.

Given the ratings for the company we went in with high expectations for service. They did not deliver anything beyond average service, the type we received from contractors before joining Angie's List. The job was slated for two days but took four and the first three days were long, stretching to between six and six-thirty at night. This was very inconvenient. The work was also sloppy. The tiles placed on the wall containing our shower were poorly aligned at the join. Clean-up was even sloppier. Streaks of grout were found all over our molding and there were even a couple of splotches on the ceilings. The grout work itself was not clean. We notified the company of the sloppy work and they sent some men to clean up the bathroom. This required me to take off early from work to meet with them. Overall we were very disappointed with the quality of the work and level of service.

The installation was unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. In the process of installing the new vinyl floor, the installer left black rubber marks on a wall and a door by moving a washing machine. I had to remove those marks myself. The installer did not clean the work area, leaving debris on the porch, including pieces of molding, kick plate, vinyl, and saw dust. After he left, I realized that the kitchen door was rubbing against the new molding underneath. The installer returned and addressed the issue. He had to return a second time to fill in a cavity in the sub floor that had been specifically brought to his attention. In the process of doing so, he caused 2.5 inch tear in the vinyl was caused at the angle where the material had to be folded back. He had to return a third time to adjust a quarter round that had not been trimmed, to compensate for the fact that it was a different size from the existing quarter round, and to patch the nail holes left from reusing both existing level adjusters. The following five issues remain unresolved: 1) the manufacturer's required installation guidelines were not followed. These are spelled out by the manufacturer, IVC, in its "Resilient Flooring Installation Guide", which states: "The full-spread professional installation method is the required installation process for all IVC fiberglass sheet vinyl products. This installation method provides optimal performance of the vinyl and should be used in any area over 25 square yards, in heavy traffic areas, kitchens and home offices." For such areas, these guidelines require the use of a specific adhesive on the subfloor, and of double-faced tape around floor vents, neither of which was applied. Failure to apply the manufacturer's guidelines voids the manufacturer's warranty; 2) the contract specifies that the stove would be removed, which was not done. Consequently, instead of the six-inch extension specified by the contract, the vinyl was cut around the appliance feet, and extends two inches under the stove. The cutoff line is clearly visible; 3) the 2.5 inch tear in the vinyl caused by the installer; 4) a bubble area remains where the refrigerator was returned to its location without the use of professional moving glides or carpet with the pile side down as required by the manufacturer's installation guide. Instead, it was placed on a sheet of plywood, which was pushed into position. 5) Design Expo has yet to provide me with their installation warranty, which I requested in writing two weeks ago. Design Expo has told me that they have now met their obligation, that I am being "unreasonable", and they refuse to address remaining issues. I believe it is neither reasonable nor professional for Design Expo to leave it to the customer to carry out his supervision on his own, and having been paid $1477.52, to then refuse to complete a job that remains unsatisfactory because of their negligence. I am asking that The Design Expo Flooring Center of Bowie install a new floor according to the terms of the contract and of the manufacturer's installation guidelines. Updated on Jan 2, 2012: On the advice of the product manufacturer, I obtained a certified inspection report and submitted it to my bank, which has issued a refund of the cost of this defective installation. Update: In his Jan 26, 2012 response, the president of the Design Expo Flooring misstates the following facts: 1) "We installed the flooring according to manufacturer specifications." They is false. The attached certified inspection report puts that claim to rest. 2) "We are still working with the member to come to a resolution in this matter and will continue to do so until we reach an agreement." This is false. Design Expo has refused to address my concerns. 3) "However the member was not happy so we refunded their money in full." This is false. The Design Expo Flooring did not issue any refund. Instead, based on the certified inspection report, my bank issued a chargeback, which is the return of funds, forcibly initiated by the consumer's issuing bank, following a successful transaction dispute.

They were punctual. The gentleman that I called told me that he was one of the owners (Gene Burton) and he told me what time he would be here and he was here on time. He was very professional. I told him on the phone that I wasn't sure which carpet I wanted so he brought a number of samples. He explained everything about the carpet to me. He was very helpful and I learned about carpet from him. He was very professional. He went upstairs to do all of the measurements and came down with his measurements. I was very happy with the price. He called to make sure they had the carpet and we set up the time. I was a little concerned about the amount of men they would send to move my furniture. Everything went smooth. Nothing was damaged or broken. They even nailed the floors down to help fix the squeaks in the floor. I was very happy with my experience with them. If I ever change the carpet in my home again, I will use them. They were wonderful.

Called and spoke with Gene to schedule an appointment to come out to provide an estimate. Gene was very accomodating and able to work with my schedule. The appointment was made for 7:00 PM on a weekday. Gene took his time to measure the space, so that he could provide an accurate estimate. The estimate provided by Gene was the price I paid. The installation was scheduled for one week later and took two men about six hours to complete. They moved all of my furniture and put it all back when they were done. Both were courteous and professional. I've had the carpet now for about a month and a half and am very satisfied with the purchase. I would use The Design Expo again for any work I needed done.

I had hardwood installed in my living room, hallway, master bedroom and stairs. Scott at Design Expo Flooring Center of Bowie was fantastic. He helped me pick the perfect wood for my budget and walked me through every step of the process. From the time I walked into his store to the time it was installed was about 1 week (this timeframe includes measuring my home and the 3 days the wood sat at my house to acclimate). My wife and I couldn’t be happier. I would definitely recommend Scott, his installation crew and the entire team at Design Expo Flooring of Bowie.

We went to the store to check out the types of carpet offered. Knowing very little about the types of carpet available, we received a brief tour and explanation of the differences among various carpet types. We picked out 4 carpets for which to receive estimates. Two ended up being out of our price range, but the salesperson suggested another brand that used the same fiber, and cost a lot less. We ended up choosing that carpet. The salesperson gave us samples of the colors we were considering, so we could determine what looked best in our house. After we placed the order, we received notification that there was a production delay. However, in the end, the delay was not nearly as long as anticipated, and we received our rug nearly 2 weeks ahead of time. We are pleased with the way the rug looks in our house, and will definitely consider using this business in the future for any other flooring needs.

The whole installation took about ten hours. The guys worked really hard and were very professional. Scott called us during the day to check on progress, which I thought was very nice. We love the way it looks. Wish we would have used them for our kitchen and living room floors!

Overall, the experience was excellent. The work was accomplished on time and was completed in a very professional manner. I highly recommend this vendor. They did an excellent job!

A very professional, friendly, and honest company to work with, and a good experience.

Scott helped me in the store pick out the kind of carpet I wanted in the bedrooms (I had no idea what I was looking for). He was very helpful and knowledgeable, but not pushy. Then Gene came to do the measuring and quote. Everything was included in the quote - no surprises come payment time. Gene was nice enough to explain certain processes, etc. for my inquiring mind. The people who did the work were very quick and did a great job. They had to move some big furniture, but seemed to have no problem. I was very pleased with every step of the process.

Gene was incredibly good about explaining the different types of carpet and laminate when he dropped by, really taking the time to answer all our questions, finding out what our needs were, and giving us options. As we were coming at this as first-time homeowners, this was helpful beyond belief and we very much appreciated it. Of all the vendors we got estimates from, he was by far the best with customer service. He was punctual and polite as well, a professional who knew his stuff. The price he offered us was competitive, but in the end he got beat by a couple of other vendors. He clearly wanted our business and with another combination of carpet and laminate, I think it's possible that he might have come out on top. If the difference had only been a couple of hundred dollars, we would have gone with him even with a higher price, since we think that level of service is definitely worth a bit extra. I'd strongly recommend getting an estimate from these guys if you're looking to get new carpet or flooring.

They were very professional. They offered me the best tiles to choose. The guys who came did an excellent job. They work around your budget. They provide the best quality of service. I?m very impressed with them. I?m definitely going to use them in the future.

We had an estimate done for our bathroom remodel and we were honestly shocked at the price. We decided to do the tile work ourselves, and visited The Design Expo store to see what they had in tile selections. After talking to Scott Weaver, he gave us a rough estimate for our hall bath, since he was very familiar with our home style and builder. We had narrowed down the tile selections to two and he allowed us to take the samples with us to review. We made an appointment for the following Saturday to get an estimate. Scott brought additional samples of accent tile. He worked up an estimate in about 45 minutes and we very pleasantly surprised. (And it was not too far off from his 'rough estimate.' ) Scott was very friendly, knowledgeable explained everything about the timing and installation. The actual tile installation took two days. Rinaldo and his team were on time, very efficient and cleaned up well when the work was completed. They worked with us to ensure that the tile pattern was what we were envisioning. We couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. We are definitely giving the Design Expo-Flooring Center a call when we are ready to remodel our kitchen. Thank you, Scott, and thanks to your team!

Gene was very kind, but a little too expensive. I had a budget of $8500, and they came in too high. I thought I was going to go with them, but they'd forgotten to include two staircases that needed the work.

While I was out of town, my ice maker hose in the back of my refrigerator popped a slow leak. I didn't notice it immediately upon my return until the floors began buckling. It was pretty serious and damaged the entire kitchen floor. Since the floor was about 12 years old, new flooring would not match.Since this was a Homeowners Insurance claim, the determination was made to replace the entire floor on that level. I searched around and got 4 estimates from local companies. Scott Weaver from The Design Expo made arrangements to came to my home the same day I called to give me an estimate. We looked at floor samples and colors and widths and he helped me to decide. He was very friendly, knowledgeable about flooring and helpful. He explained everything I inquired about (how the process works, removing the old flooring, cleanup,etc) and was very thoroughly. He made me feel very comfortable. He gave me a very good estimate, much below the others. The installers came on time, worked all day and did a marvelous job installing everything all in one day. I would highly recommend this firm to anyone looking for hardwood flooring. Thank you Scott.

Very smoothly, no unexpected surprises.

Scott Weaver is just a pleasure to deal with. He came out for the estimate and brought his flooring/refinishing person. They looked the place over, we talked about dates, and then two days later, he sent me an estimate. It was $500 more than what I'd gotten from others, but Scott and his flooring man Earl gave me such a good feeling that I thought the extra $500 was worth the peace of mind. and it really was. Scott took care of everything, he was responsive and punctual. He called me to let me know when there would be delays, and when my building demanded extra paperwork, he duly worked with them to make sure the work got done. I would recommend Design Expo every time, hands down. This was the best experience and the work was excellent

One day we noticed our toilet looked as if it were sinking into the floor. We called a plumber. He said he could do the entire job, remove old flooring, and install new flooring and plumbing fixtures. We had used The Design Expo before and I wouldn't do any flooring without them. So we went into the Design Expo and they remembered us. We choose the tile we wanted and scheduled the job. This was expedited because it was a week before Thanksgiving and we were hosting. The Design Expo worked us into their schedule and got special delivery of the tile because we were repeat customers. When the workers arrived they took up the old floor and showed us the damage. They reinforced the floor, laid the tile and cleaned up the work area. It looks great. On Thanksgiving, everyone loved the floor and admired the work. We have found our flooring guys and they are the Design Expo!

the phone manarism from the lady to the guy was very rude

Overall, it went quite well. Gene, from Design Expo, was helpful from the start in terms of choosing a product that I would be interested in to replace our downstairs carpeting (which was ruined by flooding). I came in with ideas, he made related suggestions, and he provided multiple samples to take home. While I was evaluating the samples at home, Gene came over and took measurements and provided a detailed estimate of price, which he stuck to when we went through with the installation. It took a while to schedule the delivery & installation, but that was due to scheduling issues for both of us. The materials were delivered first and that went quickly. The installation was performed by a subcontractor. They had two personnel, one focused on removal of materials while the other prepped the floors and focused on cork installation. They worked the entire time and were tidy, e.g., they did all cutting outdoors and swept up when they were done. They arrived about an hour late (10:30am instead of 9:30am) and they finished close to 6pm. They asked for a sign-off before they left and I had some minor items that I was not completely satisfied with related to 1) shoe moulding around door trim and 2) scuff marks. Gene followed up and said he would take care of both items. He sent the subcontractor back, who fixed item #1, but was unable to fix item #2 without new shoe moulding. Gene ordered new shoe moulding and sent the subcontractor back to do the installation and we are done. We're quite happy with the floors and we're quite happy with Gene's follow through on our concerns.

It went well. Their price was fairly good, and the estimate was professional. The gentleman was professional, reassuring, and on time.

He is very professional and is a great guy. I would definitely use him once I have the money.

When I called to get an appointment for an estimate to refinih my wood floors, I was told politely they do not refinish wood floors. They do install new floors.

Everything went smoothly. After it was all done, about an hour later I noticed a defect in one of the pieces that had just been installed. Within 48 hours, they returned, replaced the piece, and made it all look perfect.