How to hire hardwood floor installer or floor contractor?

Flooring installation like every trade in construction requires knowledge and experience. Most states say New York, California, Hawaii has a strict regulations, and contractor has to be licensed in order to conduct business as a wood floor installer and/or refinish hardwood floor. When you looking for a professional floor installer find the licensed one, make sure to check the status of his license. License can be active, suspended, can have fines. Make sure contractor is insured, most companies provide $1,000,000 liability insurance that covers damages that contractor has caused but remember this insurance doesn’t guarantee or covers bad work. All flooring contractors should be bonded, check the status of the bond as well. Find at least two floor contractors that are licensed and insured and call them up for an estimate, ask about experience and maybe before you invite them to your house check the web site.
You should visit local hardwood floor showrooms so you can get the idea what are the options. Remember you will have to choose from a lot of different kinds of products, you should educate yourself so you have a basic idea what is solid hardwood floors, what engineered floors, what is the difference between prefinished and unfinished floors, floating and nail down. You should make a research about eco-friendly floors as well, the most popular are bamboo and cork but there is a lot more. If you care about our planet  sustainable hardwood floor may be a great floor for you. If you educate yourself before calling up flooring contractor you can ask more questions and easily will find out if he is experienced and knowledgeable.
You can find licensed contractors in the local yellow pages, local classifieds newspaper; in Hawaii and California there is a whole section under FLOOR. Notice how punctual is the floor contractor, if he shows up on time,  most likely he will start the job on time and finish as planned. Ask him about the recent projects, and references so you can call his clients. You will find out quickly how flexible he is, knowledgeable and if you feel you can communicate with him well this might be the right person for installation of your hardwood floors. Remember you are changing floor for the next 10 or maybe 20 years so take your time and do not hesitate to ask a lot of questions. What options you have as far as the species, hardness, and durability. You might contact an architect who can advise you what will suit the best your home. Good hardwood floor contractor should be able to advise you what’s good for your house you. If you want to refinish hardwood floors or getting unfinished floor this will require sanding, ask if the contractor has the dustless system. Sanding and finishing floors is a long and complicated process, so make sure the contractor uses tools with dust collectors.Make sure you receive written estimate. It is very important to have it written even if the project seems simple and clear. Even if you are changing carpet to an oak floor in one bedroom and all contractors tells you this is very easy project. Make sure everything in the estimate is clear, it has the name of the business, date, license number and address.
This could be an example of simple but correct floor estimate:

OAK HARDWOOD FLOORS
17 King Street
Kailua, Hawaii 99999
808.888.8888
Lic#22222                 November 16, 2011
CONTRACT    

Oak hardwood floors will provide following services on the house at:
14 Main Street in Honolulu, HI

1.        Provide and install hardwood floor.
2.        Comply with general contractor’s jobsite safety and behavioral policies.
3.        Finish the job in a timely manner.

In consideration of the performance of these services, oak hardwood floor will charge you:
$2100

It will be paid in the installments .The first installment shall be $100 upon signing of
a contract next payment of $1000 when I deliver the wood. Remaining installments as the
project progress.
Contractor signature
Client signature

This is an hardwood floor estimate that contain everything important.
1.    Name of the business and address.
2.    License number (remember check the status)
3.    What services will be provided.
4.    How much will this cost and very important part, how will you pay for it.
5.    Print it and have it ready to sign if you accept the terms.

You can always make changes and ask the floor contractor if he accepts the new conditions.

Ask about references and call the previous clients, make sure to ask about the skills of the workers, if they were on time if the contractor was on the job site if not if he was available on the phone. This is important to hire floor contractor that is on the job site most of the time or readily available on the phone.

Here is the short checklist of the important things before you hire hardwood floor contractor.
1.Check the license status of the color contractor.
2.Ask about insurance.
3.Call references.
4.Check the estimate very well both sign it.