The Floor Store’s nine locations around the Bay Area offer a comprehensive selection of flooring, from name-brand designer carpet (specializing in 100% New Zealand wool), luxury vinyl flooring and laminates to exotic hardwoods, tile and natural stone. The company carries every major manufacturer’s products, but it also goes beyond the traditional retailer’s role by directly importing tile, stone, luxury vinyl plank and hard-to-find exotic hardwood.
President Larry Flick began his career in the flooring industry when he was a teenager. After running wholesale and manufacturing businesses in Georgia, he moved to the West Coast and shifted his focus to retail, establishing The Floor Store in 1983 with a single location in Richmond. The Floor Store has since become one of the largest independent flooring retailers in the Bay Area.
The Floor Store’s San Carlos, San Rafael and Sunnyvale locations are part of Daltile’s Statements Program, which offers preferred pricing. The company has held the prestigious title of Mohawk Floorscapes Dealer for 24 years, and it was named Mohawk’s Retailer of the Year in 2012 and 2018.
“Customer satisfaction is our top priority. Of course this means providing excellent service and competitive prices, but it also means providing continuous training for all our employees, including our salespeople and installers. A customer is truly satisfied when they feel they’ve made the right decision for their home, and that takes expertise, which we have. That’s why we call ourselves ‘Your Bay Area Flooring Authority.’”
Choose a flooring company that supplies its own labor, because it’ll be accountable for your project’s outcome.
“Find a shop that has in-house installers,” says Cambria Hance, general manager of The Floor Store. “That allows you to control the overall experience and quality of the job
Hance suggests choosing a local flooring company with a proven track record. Consider how long it’s been in business, its standing in the community and whether it has a local showroom where you can view products before you purchase them. “You don’t want to do business with a company that doesn’t have ‘brick and mortar’ in the community,” she says. “There are a lot of small operations that are just dabbling in the industry. They’re not truly committed.”
If you’re thinking of installing or upgrading flooring in your home, consider these popular options:
Hardwood: There’s a wide variety of woods and grains to choose from, such as oak, pine, maple, cherry and bamboo. Once you choose a wood, it can be stained any color, from a light natural hue to a deep, rich mahogany. A well-maintained hardwood floor can literally last a lifetime.
Laminate: Laminate flooring is designed to look like real wood, but it costs less and is easier to install and maintain. Some laminates are glued down, while others simply click together to create a “floating” floor.
Vinyl: Vinyl floor covering either comes in one large sheet or individual tiles. Sheets require special adhesive and will often produce at least one seam. Tiles typically offer easy, peel-and-stick installation.
Ceramic and stone: There’s an endless variety of ceramic and stone floor coverings available, but they’re difficult and time-consuming to install. They require a proper sub-floor and must be affixed with mortar. A ceramic or stone floor should be installed by an expert.
Carpeting: Wall-to-wall carpeting almost always has some kind of padding underneath it. Get the best quality padding you can afford; it’ll contribute more to the life of the carpet than the carpet itself.
Concrete: Concrete is a newer material for residential flooring that gives an industrial look to your décor. It’s ideal for areas that receive hard wear and can be painted or stained to improve its appearance. Concrete can even be permanently colored.
The Floor Store is a full-service flooring product provider that serves residential and commercial clients throughout the Bay Area. The company, which has six Northern California locations, sells and installs a wide range of traditional flooring choices, including carpeting and area rugs; hardwood, laminate and vinyl flooring; tile; and marble and granite.
According to General Manager Cambria Hance, The Floor Store also carries “one-of-a-kind, exotic and rare” imported wood and tile products that aren’t typically seen on the U.S. market. “Some are purchased from small quarries that big-box retailers can’t afford to do business with due to economies of scale.”
Ms. Hance says The Floor Store prides itself on offering a level of customer service that its larger competitors can’t match, despite their heavy advertising. The company greets its customers with design and color specialists who can assemble entire interior packages that include flooring, paint recommendations and window treatment ideas. Shop-at-home programs are also available.
The Floor Store’s Dublin showroom is divided into room-size segments, some as large as 20 by 20 feet. Instead of small swatches, customers can view full-size representations of hardwood, tile, carpet and stone. The company also provides custom “concept boards” that facilitate the design process.
