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Economy Product Flooring |
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The Internet is a great source for flooring products but you should always be aware of exactly what it is you are buying. There have been a number of websites selling EP (Economy Product) flooring which is actually not a first grade product and therefore purchasing it has inherent risks associated. Generally EP Products are easily identified and sold openly as exactly what they are, seconds. However, these products (thinly disguised) appear to be being sold under newly created "Brand" names which is a way of creating the impression that the product is first grade. To identify these products take a close look at the product description and compare it to the description of the product you suspect it was manufactured to be before it was declared second grade (EP). We are in no way suggesting, or implying, that the original manufacturer is party to this rebranding exercise or even knows it is happening. We are simply saying that we believe there are resellers who are doing this and duping their customers. Some even offer a guarantee, but if you believe the product is a rebrand off an EP floor you should scrutinise the guarantee to satisfy yourself that it has any value in real terms. See what it says about covering your costs for installing a substandard floor if it needs to be replaced or large scale remedial work needs to be undertaken. Also look at the installation instructions to see what they say about looking for defective boards during installation and ensure you understand the implications of missing these defects and how effective this makes the warranty being offered. Lastly, will you be able to cope with the nuisance and disturbance refiting or remedial works this will cause.
How does Economy Product come to be?
Rather than dispose of the effected product, they are re-classified as "Character Grade" or EP (Economy Product) and whilst this only applies to a very small number of boards in any particular milling, it does apply to 100% of the EP flooring in each pack. If it didn't it would not be EP product. When you buy EP Flooring you are definitely buying defects within the floor.
People openly selling such product even recommend that you get your fitter to glance over each board before installing it to ensure the flaws are not so great that they will compromise your satisfaction. It can be a costly mistake to miss a defect when it's in the middle of your floor. Why take the risk? Buy first class products
Here is the real definition of "Economy Product" Flooring; here we aim to give you the full details.
Below are the characteristics in the flooring that determine it to be an "Economy Product" : - a product has too many knots for its grading - a product has knots larger than the specific grading allows - a product has more filler than the specific grading allows - the product has lacquer variation, perhaps a foreign body (splinter, wood chip) has been lacquered then removed from the board upon inspection. |