LEHIGH VALLEY HARDWOOD FLOORING

Colleen and her team were magnificent. From the initial quote to the final install everything went better than I dreamed. I had my whole first floor converted to hickory hardwood and it really transformed the look of my home. Next will be my stairwell and Lehigh Valley hardwood has my business!

If honesty, reliability, and consideration are at all important factors when deciding to hire a contractor then I hope you learn from my mistake, heed my advice and search elsewhere. A very poor experience from the beginning. Lehigh Valley Hardwood has kept almost $500 of my deposit and all I have to show for it is 80 square feet of unfinished floor boards which they refuse to take back. That’s $6.02 per square foot, over twice the market rate for this material. I offered to deliver the oak material myself as well as provide them a $100 restocking fee. Nope. When I mentioned to Bernadette that I could get the finished product at Home Depot or Lowe’s for less than half that price she said, “but you didn’t.” Nice, right? Water intrusion from a failed chimney cap had caused damage to an area roughly 6’ x 6’ in front of the fireplace in my rental property. A proper job would require replacement of about 80 square feet of boards then sand and refinish the entire floor. I contracted with Lehigh Valley Hardwood shortly before Covid hit. I wish I hadn’t. The project had rough beginnings and never smoothed out. My tenant, Nancy, is a 68-year-old nurse working the graveyard shift in pediatric care. Her sleep schedule is during the day. One of my priorities was to minimize any imposition to Nancy’s schedule. As such, all appointments had to be coordinated with her. I made this very clear to Colleen from the onset. An appointment was made for the estimator to come out and agreed upon by all three parties. Well, two of us thought it had been agreed upon. When the third party failed to show at the appointed hour, I called. Colleen said, “…oh, well I said it would be Wednesday or Thursday when we spoke last…” or words to that effect. At the time, I took this in the context that Colleen was not looking at her calendar at the moment but yes, the appointment is either Wednesday or Thursday, or whatever day it happened to be. The appointment had been carefully arranged between Nancy, Colleen and I at an earlier time. Both Nancy and I understood when the appointment was scheduled so it wasn’t a case of singular misunderstanding on my part or Nancy’s part. Nonetheless, it seems Colleen took it upon herself to grant a two-day window in which to assign work to her estimator without consulting either myself or my tenant. No apologies for the inconvenience or acceptance of any culpability offered. Who does that? Regret began to set in. Now it’s time for installation of the 80 square feet of unfinished oak floor boards. The installer arrives, takes photos of the coffee table and small area rug that happen to overlap part of the area in need of repair and then leaves. Per my contract, all furniture must be removed from the work area. No call to me. No attempt to rectify the situation. No effort to slide the small items out of the way and do the work. No request for assistance in a task that any able-bodied man could have accomplished on his own in under two minutes. Just takes photos and leaves. Oh boy. What have I gotten myself into with these folks? This was the second event that interrupted Nancy’s life and we have nothing to show for it. To avoid any further inconvenience to my tenant, I made the decision to delay any further work until Nancy had moved out, tentatively scheduled for this summer some time. Covid hits shortly thereafter. Lehigh Valley Hardwood closes its doors. Nancy decides to postpone her departure indefinitely. The moisture has dissipated in the damaged area and Nancy is fine with it the way it is. I contact Lehigh Valley Hardwood both by email and phone to cancel the project and request a refund of my $1800 deposit. I get the stiff-arm citing Covid and “no one in the office” as the reason. My experience is that it is very easy to issue a check remotely. All my checks to pay bills are issued by my bank. I can do it using my phone, among other methods. It takes less than two minutes and can be accomplished anywhere. After three months delay, I finally receive two paper checks in the mail. No statement is included explaining charges but I’m short over $600. I call about it and am told that they “were just looking at that” and would issue another check as well as send the statement of charges as requested. Why were there two individual checks in the first place? Why were they “still looking at it” after they’d already issued not one but two checks? Seems to me that they already must have looked at it quite thoroughly, thoroughly enough to double, now triple, the paperwork. Or, perhaps when proper accounting of the charges was requested by me, they realized their “theft” might appear a bit too blatant once it was put down on paper. I receive the third check and a paper statement of charges a week after the first two checks. I’m still short $481. I contacted Colleen again and attempted to reach a reasonable settlement regarding the remaining funds. Per their statement, these 80 square feet of unfinished floor boards accounts for all of my remaining deposit. I offer to return the material to them as well as a restocking fee of $100. Colleen tells me in an email, “sorry the materials at this point are non-returnable.” I asked why and she replies, “The amount of time that has lapsed.” Whose doors were closed for three months? So closed in fact that they could not even write a check. So, exactly how and to whom was I supposed to return the materials? Moreover, why does the amount of time that has passed have any bearing whatsoever on the oak floor boards? We’re not talking about a head of lettuce here. Clearly there is something they are not comfortable addressing. A back and forth ensues via email where it is revealed by Colleen that what they are really attempting to do is recoup labor costs for delivery of the boards and the time lost on the failed installation attempt. Of course, there is no thought given for how their previous ineptitude and lack of consideration regarding Nancy’s schedule had impacted her. Never mind that. And why all the deception? Why the ruse? If lost man-hours were billable why not put that in the statement? Why not just tell me that in the first place? No, instead they try and hide their chicanery as materials cost and then refuse to accept return of these materials, suggesting that these oak floor boards are somehow perishable and of diminished quality after three months sitting in my tenant’s home. If their product is indeed unworthy after three months, I would suggest that the flooring business is not their calling. Either that or the supplier from which they obtained the materials is woefully inadequate. I’ve attempted to accurately convey to the potential customer both the events that have transpired as well as the character of those within the organization with which I’ve regretfully gotten myself involved. If honesty, reliability, and consideration are at all important factors when deciding to hire a contractor then I hope you learn from my mistake, heed my advice and search elsewhere.

The job went very well. Scheduling was responsive to the needs of the kitchen remodeling job. They were flexible and worked well with the kitchen contractors. Price was very good. The end result is beautiful. Tight joints, well matched entrances. Nice job. Will use again.

Colleen and her team are professionals. Rick, Joe and Adam are skilled craftsman who do an excellent job.

It was wonderful! I already plan to use them again. They do real good work and are reasonable priced.

Yes, I would use them again but I would be a little more demanding on them. I would competitively bid more rigorously, and if they weren’t low priced or distinguished themselves I wouldn’t feel compelled to use them. There is nothing that says don’t use them. I don’t feel like I got the best price for the quality. It was good quality.

This company is excellent in every aspect. We had a wonderful customer service experience and consultation prior to selecting them as our contractor and they far outdid other flooring competitors in pricing fairness, quality of product/craftsmanship, professionalism, and communication. Our job included a 1928 full home install including new wood vents, a re-finished staircase. and differing wood types and stains in different rooms of the home. The end result is immaculate! The floors are the most noticed and complimented part of our home and completely increased the value of our property. We would recommend Lehigh Valley Hardwood Flooring to anyone looking to re-finish or install hardwood. From start to finish their management, scheduling, contractors, and overall service and quality was top notch and unbeatable!

This company is excellent in every aspect. We had a wonderful customer service experience and consultation prior to selecting them as our contractor and they far outdid other flooring competitors in pricing fairness, quality of product/craftsmanship, professionalism, and communication. Our job included a 1928 full home install including new wood vents, a re-finished staircase. and differing wood types and stains in different rooms of the home. The end result is immaculate! The floors are the most noticed and complimented part of our home and completely increased the value of our property. We would recommend Lehigh Valley Hardwood Flooring to anyone looking to re-finish or install hardwood. From start to finish their management, scheduling, contractors, and overall service and quality was top notch and unbeatable!

matched color and sheen of adjacent existing floor perfectly.

Great! They were very friendly and considerate of the rest of our house and the animals.

They did a very nice job.

The project went very well. We recently purchased an old house and wanted to refinish the floors on the first floor before move in. The only glitch that we had was that the work had to be rescheduled because of a job ahead of ours took longer than expected. Really cut it close to have the floors dry enough before the movers came in but fortunately they were fine. One suggestion that they had, which sounded like a pain to do, but was definitely worth it, was that we should cover the basement area since polyurethane would drip through the floor (the pine floors are also the ceiling for the basement). This only cost about $20 for a bunch of disposable plastic sheets and about an hour of time. After the job was done, it was amazing how much stuff dripped in the basement and was so glad that I had put the plastic down. Another good suggestion was to remove the toilet on the first floor which allowed them to completely get the bathroom floor. Not that difficult to do and was certainly glad I did it. Really happy with the appearance of the floors and was glad that I chose Lehigh Valley Hardwood Flooring to do the work.

They did great work. It looked perfect when they were done. Their price was very competitive. The owner (Colleen) was very responsive and any issue which came up was immediately addressed by her. We were on a very tight timeline and Colleen met our deadline. I am a "type A" person who has done a lot of home remodeling in the past so I know good quality work when I see it - Lehigh Valley Hardwood does quality work.

We are very happy with the outcome. The crew was very careful, professional and everything went smoothless. The crew noticed a few bubbles and took care of it right away. We will definitely use this company again, not only the staff was great but the price was pretty descent compared to,other companies in the valley.

They are reasonably priced and did a good job.

.We just used LVHF for the third time in about 8 years. In 2006, they installed hardwood floors throughout our newly constructed home, with the exception of two bedrooms which we carpeted. They did a beautiful job with that initial installation and we still get complements from visitors on how good our floors look. Several years ago we used them again to install hardwood in the two bedrooms that were initially carpeted. They also did a terrific job in those rooms and we were especially happy with the way they were able to perfectly join the new hardwood in the bedrooms with the hardwood installed in the hall so that it has the appearance of having all been done at the same time. Our latest project, which they just completed today, was to reface our previously carpeted basement stairs, including a landing midway down, with hardwood. They used top quality materials and the finished stairs look fantastic. The first day a two man crew did what I estimate to have been at least 90% of the project. At the end of the first day, all of the new stair treads, risers and hardwood landing were in place, and only a few items had to be completed by a "finishing team." The finishing team came the next day but they arrived close to the end of the day and seemed rushed. When they were ready to leave, I noticed a few things that I thought still needed to be done. When I asked them if they knew when someone from LVHF would be coming back to complete those items, they told me that as far as they knew the stairs were completed and no one else would be coming to do anymore work. The next morning I call Colleen Dodson, the owner of LVHF, to ask her if they were planning to do anymore work on the stairs. When I described what I thought still needed to be done, she scheduled time the same day to come out and look at the stairs herself. Colleen not only agreed with my wife and I on the things that we thought still needed to be done, but she also noticed a few additional minor things that she thought should be done. Within a half hour of leaving our home, Colleen was back in touch with us to tell us that she had arranged for the original installation team to come back the next morning and complete all of the remaining finishing touches. That crew arrived promptly the next morning, as Collen had promised, and they did a very nice job of finishing everything to my complete satisfaction. Before they left, they even asked me to take a close look to see if there was anything I still wanted them to do, and there wasn't. My wife and I believe that LVHF does high quality work at a fair price and we will continue to use them for any future hardwood flooring related work.

The quality of the work done is very good. The floors turned out beautifully. Problems arose with communication with the front office (notification at 10:30AM the day before work was promised to start that it wouldn't commence until two days later, the need for 220V electrical to power their equipment, duplicate billing), which explains the rating of 'B' instead of 'A'. I do want to emphasize that the wok done is top-notch, and the workers showed up on time each day, which is a definite plus. Also worth mentioning is that the unavoidable odors of the products used (stain and oil-based polyurethane) were much less intense than expected.

They were able to schedule our work within a couple of weeks from when we first met and showed up on time and stayed until the job was done, which included working Saturday and Sunday at our request. The result was excellent despite some difficulties due to the old floors and sub floor.They also held the price.

Work was sloppy and unprofessional. The staircase in particular proved to be a problem. They did not tape anything when staining steps and had to come back and re-paint. When the crew finished (the first time), the only notification I received was an email, subject line 'Final Invoice'. No message. Just an invoice attached with pay within a week or face interest stamped on it. And it contained a line item not on the original bid. If it had been they would not have gotten the job. No one ever even offered to return the key to the house. I guess they thought they were doing me a favor by refinishing my floors. They only graded as high as they did because the floors did turn out fairly well, and they did a nice job repairing some damaged boards. I would not recommend them to anyone.

The work was decent, but the attitude was poor. One of their carpenters argued against my request to slightly extend the hardwood after the carpet was ripped by the stainers. It just felt like a struggle to get the work done right. Their entire team resents the homeowner making any complaints or requests. It is always "We have done this for years and you do not know anything." Just be prepared for that.

They were able to come quickly and they did a nice job.

i received several estimates, viewed the showroom and did a company background check, lehigh valley flooring performed excellent work and in a timely manner. i highly recommend this family owned business, i am a very satisfied customer.

They seemed like nice people. They generally interested in the work they were doing. The floors look great, but there was a problem when they did the sanding. They didn't turn the air conditioner off and it blew dust throughout the whole house. We had to hire people to clean it up. When I complained about it to the people, they have yet to call me back to talk about it. The workers were fine and I know things happen, but not to get a response is frustrating. The craftsmanship of the workers was great, but not getting an administrative response is frustrating.

They were professional. They weren't pushy at all, either. Everybody was very, very good. They provided good information. While we didn't use them, it was a productive visit.

Colleen was very detailed with her estimate. She did explain all the details of the job. I wish I had asked more questions i.e what a buff and polish would look like in the end. Her team was very responsive to my requests and they came back when I did the final assessment of the job. I did notice one small imperfection but Brian came out that morning to correct it. I would certainly recommend this team and company to any one.