Questions to Ask a Flooring Contractor Before You Sign
The best questions to ask a flooring contractor cover six things: license and insurance, how they will test and prep the subfloor, what the written estimate includes, how extra work gets approved, how payments are scheduled, and who stands behind the warranty. A contractor who answers these clearly and in writing is usually a safe bet. One who dodges them is telling you something.
This guide is written for California homeowners, property managers and general contractors who plan to hire a pro, not do the work themselves. Where a rule is specific to California, we say so.
TL;DR
Verify the license yourself with the state board, and ask for a certificate of insurance sent by the insurer or agent, not a photocopy from the contractor.
Ask how they test moisture and flatness before installing. Most flooring failures start below the surface.
Get scope, waste factor, furniture moving and haul-away in writing, and require written change orders for any extra work.
In California, a down payment cannot exceed $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less, and later payments must track completed work.
Ask for references from jobs at least two years old, and ask who handles warranty calls.
Table of Contents
Start with license, bond and insurance
These are the cheapest questions to ask and the most expensive ones to skip.
Are you licensed for this trade in California? In California, a contractor’s license is required for projects of $1,000 or more in total labor and materials, and for any job that needs workers or permits, regardless of price. That threshold rose from $500 on January 1, 2025. Almost every real flooring job clears it. Ask for the license number and look it up on the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) site rather than trusting a business card. Check that the status is active and that the classification fits the work. A license on inactive status means the holder may not bid or contract for work.
Are you bonded, and do you carry workers’ compensation? An active California license requires a current contractor’s bond and workers’ compensation coverage where the licensee has employees. Ask whether the crew on your job are employees or subcontractors, and who insures them.
Can my insurer or I receive a certificate of insurance directly? Municipal guidance advises homeowners to request certificates of insurance sent directly from the contractor’s insurance agent. That guide comes from a Texas city, so treat the specific coverage limits as a reference point, not a California rule. The habit applies anywhere: a certificate that comes from the agent can’t be altered by the contractor. If you are a property manager, ask to be named as an additional insured.
Did you pull permits where they are needed? Flooring alone rarely needs one. Shower builds, bathroom remodels, stair and banister work often do. Ask who pulls the permit and who is present for the inspection.
A note on storm chasers
After fires, floods or storms, out-of-area crews often arrive with high-pressure pitches. FEMA and city guidance warns about this pattern: unlicensed sellers, no knowledge of local codes, and trouble later with insurance claims or resale. If you are hiring after water damage, slow down for one afternoon and verify the license first. Our guide on the first 24 to 48 hours with water-damaged hardwood explains what truly can’t wait and what can.
Ask how they will prepare the subfloor
If you remember one section, make it this one. The material is rarely the problem. The subfloor is.
How will you test moisture before installing? A good answer names a method and a number. For concrete, in-situ relative humidity probes under ASTM F2170 are the standard way to establish a baseline. For wood, the National Wood Flooring Association installation guidelines call for checking the moisture difference between subfloor and flooring (no more than 4% for strips under 3 inches wide, 2% for wider boards) and for keeping the interior at roughly 35 to 65% relative humidity and 60 to 80°F. If a contractor says they “just eyeball it,” move on. Research on California concrete work points the same way: high RH moisture is a leading cause of flooring system failure.
How will you check that the floor is flat? Uneven concrete shows up later as hollow spots, gapped planks or cracked tile. Ask what tolerance they work to and whether leveling is in the estimate or an add-on. Our post on pouring self-leveling concrete before luxury vinyl plank shows why this step pays for itself.
Will you follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions exactly? The NWFA guidelines are clear that manufacturer instructions govern: the adhesive trowel notch, the moisture protocol and the fastener schedule. Skipping them can void the material warranty, however good the floor looks on day one. Ask the contractor to confirm in writing that they will follow them.
How long will the material acclimate, and where? For wood, the guidelines describe verifying acclimation by checking a representative sample, about 40 boards per 1,000 square feet. Ask who does that check and what reading they need before they start.
If a floor has already failed, measuring moisture first is also how a good contractor diagnoses buckling.
Ask what the estimate includes
Two bids for the same room can differ by thousands of dollars because they describe different jobs. Put them side by side and ask these questions of each.
Question | What a solid answer sounds like |
What is the exact scope, room by room? | A written list with square footage, product name, model and color |
What waste factor did you use? | A stated percentage, typically 5 to 10% |
Is furniture moving, appliance disconnection and haul-away included? | Yes or no for each, as separate lines |
What prep is included? | Moisture testing, leveling, demolition, transitions, baseboards |
What is the schedule? | Start date, duration, and what could delay it |
Who is on site each day? | A named lead, and whether subcontractors are used |
The waste factor and the extra-work threshold should be defined in the contract, and furniture moving, appliance disconnection and haul-away should never be assumed to be included. They are often separate line items.
One more question worth asking: what do you not do? A contractor willing to say “we don’t install that product” or “we’d refer you elsewhere for that” is often more trustworthy than one who says yes to everything, according to the same checklist.
While you are asking about hidden fees, the same mindset applies to any home service call. This list of questions before booking appliance repair shows how a few direct questions surface charges that don’t appear in a first quote, and the same approach works when you have the flooring contractor in your kitchen or laundry room.
Ask how extra work gets approved
Surprises usually arrive as rotted subfloor, a slab crack or a wall that isn’t plumb. The question is not whether they will happen. It is who decides what happens next.
What is your change order process? The protection to insist on is simple: no additional charge without your prior written approval. The change order should state the added work, the cost and any schedule effect, and both parties should sign it. We cover the mechanics in how contractor change orders work and how to handle them.
What counts as extra? Ask for the threshold in advance. For example: rot found under the old floor, leveling beyond a stated depth, or damaged framing. Agree on a unit price for the likely items so you are not negotiating under pressure with half your floor torn up.
Ask how and when you pay
Payment terms are where homeowners get hurt most often, so it is worth knowing the California rules before the contractor hands you a contract.
What is the down payment? For a California home improvement contract, the down payment cannot be more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, and that page notes there are no exceptions for special-order materials. The CSLB also says payments cannot exceed the value of the work performed, and the contract needs a detailed written payment schedule.
When is the final payment due? Tie it to completion, not to a calendar date. Local guidance generally advises withholding a final amount, commonly at least 10%, until the work is finished to your satisfaction and any required inspection has passed. That is a common practice, not a legal requirement in every place, so write it into the contract.
Will I get lien releases? Ask whether the contractor will provide releases as you pay, so unpaid suppliers can’t come after your property. If you are weighing the whole contract, this walkthrough on planning and hiring plumbing work is a useful model for reading scope, schedule and payment terms line by line, which matters just as much when your project includes a bathroom.
Ask for proof of past work
Can I speak with customers from jobs at least two years old? New installations always look good. A two-year-old job tells you whether seams held, planks gapped through a dry California summer and a damp winter, and whether the contractor came back when something went wrong, as this checklist suggests. The Better Business Bureau also recommends asking for recent local references and contacting them.
When you call, ask references:
Did the crew show up on the agreed days?
Was the final price the quoted price, and were change orders clear?
How was the cleanup?
Did anything fail, and how fast was it fixed?
Can I see a job like mine? Epoxy, tile, hardwood refinishing and a shower build each fail in different ways. A contractor strong in one is not automatically strong in another. Ask for photos and references from your exact type of project.
Ask about warranty in two parts
There are two warranties on a flooring job and they are easy to confuse.
The manufacturer’s warranty covers the material, and it can be voided by poor installation.
The installer’s warranty covers the workmanship.
Ask for both in writing. How long does the workmanship warranty last? What does it exclude? Who do you call, and how fast do they respond? And ask what could void the manufacturer’s coverage, so you aren’t surprised later by moisture, cleaning products or furniture.
Questions by project type
Some questions only matter for certain jobs.
Hardwood refinishing. Ask about the method (sanding and recoating versus a screen and recoat), how many coats, the finish product, dust control and drying time before furniture goes back. Our breakdown of hardwood refinishing cost by method gives the ranges to compare against your bids.
Epoxy floors. Ask how they grind the concrete, how they test moisture, what the system is (primer, body coat, topcoat) and how it will handle hot tires if it’s a garage. See six epoxy floor designs and the prep behind them and the hot tire pickup water test.
Tile and showers. Ask about waterproofing method, slope to the drain, substrate and how long the cure is before the shower is used. Ask whether the plumber and the tile setter are coordinated or whether you are expected to schedule both.
Property managers and general contractors. Ask about turnaround between tenants, working in occupied buildings, and invoicing per unit or per phase.
Our perspective
We get one comment more than any other from customers after a project: nobody had explained what was going to happen. The fix is not complicated. Explain the prep before the finish. Say what is and isn’t in the estimate. Tell the customer when we find something unexpected, and put the change in writing before we do the work.
We would rather you ask us the hard questions on this page than find the answers after the contract is signed. If we are not the right fit for a product or a job, we will tell you so, and that is part of being transparent about the work. Our consultations are built around your floor, your budget and your timeline, and we offer bundling for projects that combine services, such as leveling, tile and a bathroom remodel.
— Jacob
Hiring Darling Flooring
We handle epoxy coatings, tile installation, hardwood refinishing, deck coatings, shower builds, staircase remodeling and banister installation, floor leveling and crack repair, and complete bathroom remodels for homeowners, property managers and contractors in California. Look over our full list of services, or start with the type of work you need: tile installs or hardwood refinishing. Bring this list to the consultation and ask us every question on it. We also donate 10% of our epoxy coating revenue to Doctors Without Borders. You can reach us through thedarlingflooring.com.
A printable checklist
Before signing, you should be able to tick every line:
License number checked on the CSLB site, status active, classification matches
Certificate of insurance received from the insurer or agent
Written scope with product, square footage and waste factor
Moisture and flatness testing described, with the method named
Manufacturer instructions to be followed, stated in the contract
Furniture, disconnects and haul-away marked included or excluded
Change orders required in writing before extra work
Down payment within the California limit, later payments tied to work completed
Final payment tied to completion and sign-off
Two references from jobs at least two years old
Workmanship warranty in writing, plus the manufacturer’s warranty
FAQ
What is the first question to ask a flooring contractor?
Ask for the license number and verify it on the state board’s website. In California, the license, bond and workers’ compensation status are all public, and checking takes a few minutes. Do it before you discuss price.
How much can a contractor ask for upfront in California?
For a home improvement contract, the down payment is capped at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Later payments should not exceed the value of the work completed. If someone asks for more, treat it as a warning sign.
Should I buy the flooring myself or let the contractor supply it?
Either can work, but the choice affects the warranty and the waste factor. If you supply the material, ask who is responsible if it arrives damaged or runs short. If the contractor supplies it, the contract should name the exact product and the quantity.
Why does the subfloor matter so much?
Moisture and unevenness in the subfloor are among the most common reasons floors fail, and installers who skip testing can void the manufacturer’s warranty. Ask how they test and what readings they require before starting.
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