One of the best ways of finding professional LVT fitters and installers is through dedicated online directories. The reason is that these websites have often done a lot of the heavy lifting for you, including basic vetting, identity verification, ratings based on customer reviews and pictures of their past work. Moreover, these directories make it easy for customers to leave detailed and verified reviews, allowing you to effectively get free references on the fitters before you bring them out to your property.

1. Checkatrade – one of the largest directories in the UK connecting homeowners with approved local tradespeople. It is extremely easy to use. All you have to do is type in the service you are looking for, eg “LVT floor fitting” and your postcode, and it will list fitters in your local area ranked in order of fitters with the highest ratings.
2. Rated People – this works slightly differently to Checkatrade. After answering a few questions and giving some detailed narrative on the job you want, your project is “posted” to the site, where interested tradespeople can get in touch if they match your requirements. So, unlike Checkatrade where you can choose who to get in contact with, in this case, tradespeople contact you, and it will be down to you to do the vetting, including asking for reviews and testimonials.
3. Mybuilder – works in a similar fashion to Rated People. Your job is posted to the site and tradespeople reach out to you. Once you are happy with a fitter’s credentials, you can shortlist them and decide to potentially work with them.It goes without saying that these online directories may do some of the vetting for you, but you should always do your own vetting, asking for references and testimonials, to ensure you end up with a tradesperson who has the right credentials.

Social media, particularly the likes of Facebook, are full of local groups, who’s members typically live within the same area. Common issues are shared, concerns are raised, and at times, members will get recommendation from other members on tradespeople they have used who did a good job.

These groups are therefore another good place to look for local hard flooring fitters. What’s better is that it is much easier to interact with the member of the group who is recommending a tradesperson, unlike the online directories where you have to take customer reviews and testimonials at face value.

It goes without saying that direct recommendations from friends and family will always be useful. It is highly likely that someone in your immediate network has had the flooring in their property changed in the past few years, and this can be a first port of call when trying to find a fitter.

So, you have trawled through the various directories, local facebook groups and sent out messages to friends and family. You have ended up with a shortlist of fitters. When deciding on who to select from the shortlist, what questions should you ask, and what should you generally look out for?

1) It may sound obvious, but asking whether they have specifically fitted SPC click LVT before. Whilst the fitting process for laminate may be similar, it is not identical, and it goes without saying that fitting glue down LVT requires a completely different skillset and tools
2) Examples of previous work – ask for examples of previous work, and if possible, whether you are able to reach out that fitter’s previous clients to get direct testimonials.
3) Whether they provide a warranty on their fitting. This is different to the warranty on the LVT planks themselves, as this only covers defects in the actual product itself, not the scenario that planks are damaged as part of the fitting process
4) Can they provide a clear, fixed quote, so that if the fitting process takes longer than they expected, they don’t reserve the right to charge you more than their initial quote

If possible, it is always best to try to secure multiple quotes, as this will allow you to understand what the “market rate” for the fitting is. This will also allow you to potentially choose a fitter who is more expensive than others, but with the confidence that they have better credentials. You should attempt to secure 3 quotes at the very minimum before making a decision on who to proceed with.

Fitter Vetting Checklist:
 
☐ Experienced with SPC Click LVT
☐ Previous Photos/Examples of work
☐ Willing to provide a warranty on their fitting
☐ Will provide a fixed, written quote
☐ Receive a minimum of 3 quotes for comparison

Finally, you have not only ordered your LVT planks, but have also decided on a fitter. But, before you rush to book them in for a specific date, wait for your LVT planks to arrive!Why, you may ask, especially if the LVT provider has promised a specific delivery date.Delays in delivery of your products do happen. The delay may be the fault of the pallet delivery firm, or the late despatch of your products by the LVT provider. It may even be, whilst unlikely, the case that on the day an attempted delivery is made of your LVT, you are not present in your property.

And if your products are delayed, and your fitter turns up on the day you booked them in for, they may charge you for their time even though they will have to come back when the products do arrive.So, its imperative that you only book your fitter in after your LVT has arrived, avoiding any issues with your fitter and the risk of having to pay them extra if they have been booked in before the LVT arrives