You did the smart thing and got three flooring bids. Now they are sitting on your kitchen table and they do not look anything alike. One is a single number scribbled on a card. One is two pages of line items. One is somewhere in between, and they are far apart on price. Which one is real? We are often the second or third bid a homeowner gets in Snohomish County, so here is how we would read the stack if it were our money.
A Complete Quote Names the Actual Product
"Luxury vinyl plank, installed" is not a product. Brand, product line, thickness, and wear layer, that is a product. Without it, a low bid can hit its number by swapping in the thinnest material that technically matches the description. If you are comparing a quote that names a specific Shaw or Mohawk line against one that just says "LVP," you are not comparing the same job. Our guide to what actually determines flooring cost explains why the material spec is the biggest lever in any bid.
Every Line of Labor Should Be Visible
Look for these items called out separately: tear-out and haul-away of the old floor, subfloor prep and leveling, moving furniture and appliances, stairs, transitions and trim, and cleanup. When a quote is silent on one of these, it usually resurfaces later as a change order. The classic is subfloor prep "to be determined," which turns into a phone call on day one asking for more money while your house is already torn apart. We wrote about why subfloor prep matters and how an honest contractor handles it: inspect first, then quote it, in writing, before anyone signs.
Verify the License. This Takes Two Minutes.
In Washington you can look up any contractor on the Department of Labor and Industries website and see their registration, bond, and insurance status. A legitimate contractor puts their license number on their website, their quote, and their truck, and will hand it over without hesitation. If someone hesitates, that is your answer. The lowest bid in the stack is sometimes low precisely because it is missing the licensing, bond, and insurance that protect you when something goes wrong.
The Warranty Belongs in Writing
Two separate warranties should be clear in any bid. The manufacturer warranty covers the product, and it usually requires installation per the manufacturer's specs, which is why certified installers matter. The workmanship warranty covers the labor, and this is where contractors differ wildly. Some offer a year. Some offer a verbal "we'll take care of you." We put a lifetime workmanship warranty in writing on every job, for as long as you own your home. Whatever the contractor promises, if it is not on paper, it does not exist.
Red Flags Worth Walking Away From
- A big deposit before anything happens. Modest scheduling deposits are normal. Most of the money upfront is not.
- Vague allowances. "Includes standard prep" with no definition of standard means the definition gets decided later, by them.
- Pressure to sign today. A real quote survives a week of thinking. Discounts that expire tonight are a sales tactic, not a price.
- No physical visit. If they priced your floor without standing on it, someone is going to be surprised, and it will not be them.
Make It Apples to Apples
Before you compare totals, line the bids up on scope: same product spec, tear-out included, prep addressed, furniture handling stated, warranty in writing, license verified. Very often the "expensive" bid and the "cheap" bid are not the same job at all, and the cheap one gets expensive exactly once: after it is too late to switch. If you want a bid built to be compared line by line, schedule a free on-site estimate. We will hand you a fully itemized written quote and we are happy to be the bid you check the others against.
