Currently facing lawsuits from activist groups and criminal federal charges over illegally imported bamboo, Lumber Liquidators took another blow yesterday after the CEO Robert Lynch resigned, reportedly unexpectedly. Surrounded by plummeting stocks and terrified homeowners, Lumber Liquidators is now facing the repercussions of neglecting quality in favor of reduced pricing.
The original trouble for Lumber Liquidators began when it was discovered that their Chinese laminate flooring had toxic levels of formaldehyde, possibly causing nose and throat irritation, a burning sensation in the eyes, difficulty breathing and wheezing. It was unearthed that the formaldehyde emissions were several times higher than California’s requirements for flooring, and all Chinese laminate flooring was ultimately removed from shelves on May 6th.
Lumber Liquidators has been continually combatting the claims against the shockingly high formaldehyde levels, although it would seem that the sudden resignation of the Lumber Liquidators’ CEO only confirms the allegations. In an attempt to placate consumers, Lumber Liquidators now offers an “Air Quality Test Kit,” allowing homeowners to test for levels of formaldehyde in their flooring. This test kit measures levels of formaldehyde and other toxins in the air around the wood, not in the wood itself, despite the fact that chemical emissions from wood greatly vary depending on the current air conditions.
The promise of a good deal is an alluringly efficient trap. In knowing that, Lumber Liquidators has smattered their target audience with non-stop “Customer Appreciation” promotions, unbeatable special financing, and unimaginably cheap flooring prices. The consumer, however, need be wary of something that sounds too good to be true, because, as we’ve found with Lumber Liquidators, it typically is. Lumber Liquidators has sacrificed not only the quality of their flooring in order to make a sale, but the health and well-being of their customers.
Knowing where the products in your home are obtained is as important as knowing how they’re made. Hardwood flooring, for example, is installed in your home and can last for a lifetime. Your child will learn to crawl, walk and grow on the floors, spending countless hours touching and inhaling various components of the wood. If you are unaware of where your wood is coming from, the chemicals that it has been treated with or even the reputation of the manufacturing company, then you are unintentionally putting your child and family at risk.
Sometimes, finding out information about your flooring provider can be difficult. At a time when many people are searching for lower quality flooring without consideration of the repercussions, many flooring providers are drawing from a multitude of providers in order to satisfy customer demands. There are three questions that should be asked of all flooring providers in order to ascertain whether or not they are reputable, qualified, and most importantly, safe for your family:
1) Where is it from?
When purchasing hardwood flooring, either engineered or solid, you should be able to determine exactly where each part of your flooring has been obtained. For example, PurezaWood three-layer engineered hardwood flooring has three specific layers: Top, Middle and Bottom. The Top layer is any type of hardwood chosen by a client — Walnut, for example. The Middle layer is either Hinoki or Acacia Wood, and the Bottom layer is Hinoki. At PurezaWood, we can tell you EXACTLY where each portion of your engineered hardwood flooring comes from (Wanut: North America, Hinok: Central Japan, Acacia: Southeast Asia) and can even inform you of the specific forests and regions.
2) How is it made?
If your hardwood flooring provider can’t tell you exactly how your hardwood flooring is made, then there is definitely cause for concern. Many hardwood flooring providers have no idea where their hardwood is coming from, let alone the quality of the factory or the conditions of the workers. Most frequently, and in the case of Lumber Liquidators, wood is shipped over in bulk from China with little knowledge of its origin, treatment or even provider. PurezaWood, on the other hand, can not only provide you with detailed explanations and photos of the manufacturing machinery and the process that your hardwood will go through, but will give you a glimpse into the manufacturing company via a live video feed.
3) Who is the hardwood flooring manufacturer?
If you ask this question and your hardwood flooring provider gives you an obscure name or a non-existent company, start asking more questions. How did you develop a relationship with the manufacturing company? Why am I unable to search for the manufacturing company on the Internet? Is there someone I could talk to at the company to ascertain the quality of my hardwood flooring? The beauty of PurezaWood is that the office of our high-end, luxury manufacturing company is located in Chicago, IL, and our family owned company erases the need for a supplier or a middleman. With Purezawood you are able to deal directly with the hardwood manufacturing company, in person, without the difficulty of language barriers or anonymity.
Asking these questions will not only provide you with safer flooring for your family, but will also provide you with HIGHER QUALITY flooring. With extremely low prices comes extremely low quality, and long-lasting hardwood flooring is not low in quality. Our competitively priced flooring ensures that you will receive the highest quality hardwood flooring at the most affordable pricing available. There is no need to sacrifice durability or resiliency – the quality of PurezaWood hardwood flooring is consistent and reputable.
Don’t leave the health of your family up to chance. Contact PurezaWood today, and start demanding excellence.
