When hiring a professional flooring contractor to install, maintain or repair your hardwood floors, choosing the right contractor can be the difference between a perfect finish and a floor that ends up more damaged than before. Although a homeowner may choose a contractor based on a low price, this may lead to less-than-desirable results.

Consider the following tips when hiring a hardwood flooring contractor:

Licensing, bonding and insurance: Not all states require flooring contractors to be licensed, but many do.  A valid license also means it’s more likely that your contractor is in good standing both legally and financially. Ensure your flooring contractor holds the appropriate bonding and insurance, which are important characteristics of well-qualified hardwood flooring installers. Because flooring can represent a significant investment and because maintenance requires heavy machinery that can easily damage a floor, it’s important to make sure your flooring contractor holds the proper insurance policies.

Industry accreditation: Accreditations from trade organizations can indicate that a flooring contractor is serious about his work and willing to take continuing education courses. Membership in trade organizations can often also indicate that a flooring professional is well versed in industry standards for workmanship and work site conditions, as well as trained in proper installation techniques.

Experience: Always ask a floor contractor about his or her background and experience in the field. The answer may surprise you.

References: A well-qualified flooring contractor should be able to provide references for recent customers or a portfolio of recently completed work. Don’t forget to actually call recent references to see if they were satisfied with the work and the contractor’s performance.