Acorn Flooring 6-Month Worry-Free Return Policy

We’re committed to ensuring you have complete peace of mind when you purchase our flooring. We’re so confident that you’ll love your new flooring, that we provide a 6-Month Worry-Free Return Policy.

If you receive your order and decide to return your floor, we will arrange to have any unopened boxes picked up and returned. If returned within 6-Months, you will receive a complete refund on your order, less the cost to ship the product back.

Please note that your original order received a heavily discounted flat-rate shipping charge, which is not the actual cost of shipping. For your return, you may use your own shipping provider, or we can arrange return shipping using our freight provider.

To process a return, or if you have any questions, please contact us.

 

*Our 6-Month Worry-Free Return Policy does not extend to gift cards, Custom Orders, Container Orders, special orders, or clearance items for full or partial order returns. (added clearance and special orders) All returns are subject to the Terms of Sale.

Non-Acorn Flooring - Sales Policy - Terms & Conditions

NOTE: Product colors may vary from screen monitor (monitor & device settings, flooring direction, room lighting, installation area colors, etc. might affect how color shades appear).

Shade difference compared to online images is not considered a defect, we highly recommend buyers order samples to see the actual color of the product before ordering.  we may not have samples available for clearance/final sale items. Most samples are shipped from the manufacturer's facility and sample availability is not guaranteed and is limited to each manufacturer's sample policies. Any return due to shade difference is considered a standard return, please see the " Returns & Order Cancellations" section for more details.  

 

We reserve the right to refuse or cancel an order for any reason including limitations on quantities available for purchase, inaccuracies, or errors in product or pricing information, or problems identified by our credit and fraud avoidance department.

Seller shall not be responsible for any incidental damage of any nature whatsoever. Purchaser acknowledges and accepts this provision of the sales policy.

If purchaser does not notify the seller in writing within three (3) days of delivery of any problem with the product, then it shall be conclusively presumed that the product was received in good condition. In case of damaged goods due to freight line rules & tariff you must keep damaged goods until claim is settled.

 

Attention: INSPECT CONDITION AND NUMBER OF PIECES BEFORE ACCEPTING FROM FREIGHT LINE. MAKE ANY NECESSARY NOTATIONS ON THE PROOF OF DELIVERY. All returns must be approved by the claims department and are subject to a minimum 25% restock and handling fee (charged by the manufacturers and exact percentage vary). There will be no returns on Saturdays! Note: We do not take back overbought seconds, tavern, clearance or cabin grade material. Any carpet cuts under 50 linear feet cannot be returned to the mill (so no return on these products). All hard surface returns must be 150 square feet in the original factory sealed package. Special order vinyl cuts cannot be returned. Carpet or vinyl cuts made from mitkof online flooring instock goods cannot be returned. 

Forfeiture of deposit: Deposits on custom and made to order goods are non-refundable. 

Goods delivered by common carriers or sent by parcel post, purchaser must inspect condition and number of pieces and make notation before accepting delivery from freight line. Purchaser is responsible when no notations are made or if goods are shipped freight collect.

The purchaser agrees to pay all bank charges or collection fees incurred by the seller in reference to any returned check regardless of the reason the check is returned unpaid.

Order & Delivery Time:

We always try to provide most accurate lead and delivery time, but these are just estimates not guaranteed. Especially custom made order or backorder dates can be changed without any notice by the manufacturer. Majority of the freight lines also does not offer time guaranteed delivery service.

Deposits & Forfeiture of Deposit:

Any deposit paid by the purchaser at the time of the purchase shall become the property of the seller. Deposits paid for goods including, but not limited to, carpet, tile and hardwood, shall be forfeited in the event the remaining purchase is canceled. After 60 days Deposit shall become the property of the seller. No deposit will be refunded for cuts made from our inventory or for special ordered goods.

Shipping and Incidental Damages:

Seller shall not be responsible for any incidental damage of any nature whatsoever. Purchaser acknowledges and accepts this provision of the sales policy.

If purchaser does not notify the seller in writing within three (3) days of delivery of any problem with the product, then it shall be conclusively presumed that the product was received in good condition.

Goods delivered by common carriers or sent by parcel post, purchaser must inspect condition and number of pieces and make notation before accepting delivery from freight line. Purchaser is responsible when no notations are made or if goods are shipped freight collect.

INSPECT MATERIALS:

Style and color should be verified by the purchaser prior to cutting or installing it (manufacturer's do not accept any claim or return under any circumstances if flooring is installed or cut). Claims for visible defects, including color or style, will not be honored after materials have been cut or laid. Please make sure to inspect your flooring before installation.  

Returns & Order Cancellations:

All approved Returns may be exchanged for store credit (store credit' if unused' will expire one (1) year from the date issued to the customer account) or refund (please see below for more details about return and/or return limitations below). 

We accept returns within 30 days of the product shipping date (some limitations apply, please see details below). No unauthorized returns will be accepted, so the buyer needs to first start a standard return process (a standard return is a return of a product that is not related to damage, defect, or warranty claim). Most manufacturers charge restocking fees and a minimum 25% restock fee applies to most standard returns (restocking fees vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and it can be more than 25%, we highly encourage buyers to ask in advance). The buyer is responsible for making return arrangements, and expenses related to return shipping and shipping fee paid with the original order is non-refundable on standard returns. Also, most manufacturers do not accept returns for custom or specialty orders products (including custom rugs), cut carpets, and orders less than 5 boxes of any hard surface. Return is not accepted for custom products that the manufacturer does not accept returns, final sale, tavern, cabin, or second quality products can't be returned.

We can try to cancel (or change) any order before it is shipped from our location, but if any fees occur, such as delivery fees or restocking fees charged by the manufacturer, these fees would be deducted from the canceled (or changed) order.

All approved returns (including claimed material) must be shipped back in "freight ready condition," which includes bundling with ties or rope and wrapping with saran wrap before the material can be picked up.

The purchaser agrees that the jurisdiction and venue for any action arising from transaction shall be in Petersburg burough Petersburg Alaska The purchaser agrees that if it is necessary for the seller to bring legal action in order to enforce payment of any amounts due the purchaser shall also be responsible for all reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses incurred by the Seller.

Policy on Tavern Grade or Cabin Grade Hardwood

We do not accept returns on Tavern or Cabin grade hardwood for excess overage.

The standard waste of tavern grade or cabin grade of 10% is simply a benchmark. The product specifications may be more or less restrictive. Higher quality (and higher cost) floors may have an allowance of now more than 5% defects in the box. On the other hand, lower quality (and lower cost) floors may have as many as 20% or more defects in the box without being considered defective overall…It all depends on the product specification and grade standard for the individual floor.

Hardwood floors are produced according to a “Product Specification”. This specification defines every aspect of the product from its species to its dimensions, profile, finish, gloss level, etc. Part of this specification also lays out a description of the grading standards for each product or SKU. These grade standards fall into two primary categories: “Natural Character” and “Milling/Manufacturing Characteristics”. Natural Character is defined as characteristics inherent in the wood itself. Examples include mineral streaks, color variation in the wood, knots, bark pockets, unusual grain patterns (e.g. “birds-eye or “curly” grain), etc. Milling and Manufacturing Characteristics include variation or inconsistencies in finish or gloss level including rough finish, finish thickness and “orange peel”. It also includes variations and/or inconsistencies in width, thickness, bevels, edge and end profiles, etc.

Note that we are using the term “characteristics” in this description, not “defects”. In today’s world of hardwood flooring, the definition of a “defect” is not what it was years ago. In the past, most hardwood floors were judged based on standard industry grading rules that came from the unfinished solid hardwood flooring market. These definitions (e.g. Select & Better, # 1 Common, #2 Common, etc.) defined what was allowed in each “grade”.

For instance, the Select grade had much more restrictive definition of allowable mineral streaks, knots, and other natural character that did the #2 Common. The Select grade may allow no knots larger than 1/8” whereas under the standard for #2 Common, knots up to ¾” in size may be allowable. Note that the result was a grading system that allowed for less character and fewer manufacturing “defects” such as uneven profile milling, edge or end breakage, evenness or nicks, dents and dings in the face of the boards, etc. as you went from the #2 Common grade up to Select grade. In other words, all floors were judged on the same basis and the system was based on “cleaner” grading as you went up the scale.

This grading method made perfect sense in a hardwood flooring market made up primarily of standard solid oak hardwood floors. However, in today’s hardwood flooring market, the sheer number and variety of types of floors and choices of species, specialty visuals and distressing techniques makes this grading process much more difficult.

As an example, today we offer a variety of “Country Natural” products in species such as Maple, Hickory and Cherry. We also offer a variety of distressed and hand-scrapped floors. Under the old grading rules and definitions of “defects”, many of the characteristics intentionally built into these floors- physical distressing, color variation, open knots, uneven edge and end profiles- would be considered defects. However, based on how these floors are designed and marketed today, many consumers may say that a floor is “defective” if it did NOT have enough of these characteristics.

In summary, the old definitions of defects (whether in Natural or Milling and Manufacturing Characteristics) no longer apply across the board. What is a defect in one product may be a required characteristic in another.

With that said, however, this does not mean that grading rules and specific definitions of defects do not exist or apply. In fact, in today’s competitive hardwood flooring market, these specifications and adherence to them are what define product quality and takes them very seriously. The key to understanding product quality is not in applying a standard definitions to all products. Rather it is in understanding and applying the correct definitions for what is a “characteristic” that is part of the product specification and what is truly a “defect”.

"Defects" Defined

With all of the preceding as background, we can now define the term defective. A product contains a defect, or is “defective”, when it does not meet the production specifications and grade standards that apply to it. That is the actual definition of a “defect”.

It is very important to note, however, that this definition also extends to the floor as a whole. We define product quality and quality standards in terms of defects on a board-by-board basis AND in the overall collection of boards that make up a floor. In other words, the product specifications define what is allowed on any individual board as well as the % of defects in the overall floor. Although an individual board may have a “defect” per the product specification, the overall floor may not be considered “defective” for purposes of judging product quality or claims unless the total % of defective boards exceeds some maximum limit. For practical purposes, because each floor is a different size overall (i.e. number of sq. ft.), this definition may also be applied to the % of defects in a carton of flooring.

In the market today, the industry standard, or benchmark, is to allow “a maximum of 10% defects in the carton”. This definition (or standard) was developed with the understanding that during the installation process, the installer would be cutting boards as starter pieces or to install around fixtures, cabinetry, door openings, etc. It was what is known as a “cutting allowance”. It also took into account that some product may be installed in locations that are out of sight such as closets or where fixed appliances may be located. In the process of installing the floor, it is expected that the installer will inspect the floor before beginning and throughout the installation process. Any defective boards should be ear-marked for cutting as starter boards or for other uses where these defects will not be seen on the installed floor. In general, the amount of waste (or cutting) in a professionally-installed floor is around 10%, hence the 10% benchmark.

However, it is important to note that this is 10% is simply a benchmark. The product specifications may be more or less restrictive. Higher quality (and higher cost) floors may have an allowance of now more than 5% defects in the box. On the other hand, lower quality (and lower cost) floors may have as many as 20% or more defects in the box without being considered defective overall…It all depends on the product specification and grade standard for the individual floor.

1st Quality, Off-goods and Mill-Run

Based on the preceding definition of “defect”, we can now move on to define two important terms: 1st Quality Products and Off-goods [1]

Although the product specifications and process of grading floors may be relatively complex, the definitions of 1st Quality and Off-goods are not. In the simplest terms, a 1st Quality floor is one that meets or exceeds the product specifications and grade standards for that product. An off-goods product is one that falls below the grade standard for that product. In other words, Off-goods includes ANY and ONLY product that does not meet the 1st Quality grade standard. This applies both to the individual boards as well as to the floor as a whole.

During the production and manufacturing process for hardwood floors, the product goes through a variety of steps that turn it from raw lumber into a finished product. At each stage of the process, manufactures have quality checks that are in place to review and grade the floor against the defined product specification. During each of these checks, the product is examined for any characteristics that are not within the standards. If the product is outside these standards, it is sorted out and “down-graded” into the Off-goods category. These individual pieces are collectively boxed and then sold as Off-goods.

Generally speaking, the manufacturing process and our quality inspection and grading systems result in approximately 8-12% of the total production output being sold as Off-goods. .

As a reminder, when thinking about the terms 1st Quality and Off-goods it is important to remember our earlier definition of defects. Although an individual board may contain one or more “defects”, the floor may still be well within the grade standard for 1st Quality if the overall % of defects in the carton is under the maximum allowed for that product. However, all the material (i.e. each individual board) in an Off-goods carton should exhibit one or more “defects”- whether natural character or as a result of milling and manufacturing.

One last term that we want to define in this section is “Mill-run”. Mill-run products refer to those that are manufactured using a particular product specification but for which the Off-goods product is not sorted or down-graded into a separate category. In other words, a mill-run grade standard allows all material (1st Quality and Off-goods) in the carton. Normally there are limits placed on the % of off-goods that may be included in the carton, most commonly 20%.

It may be useful to think of these grade standards in terms of a product grade and specification matrix.

What Is Not Covered By These Warranties?

The Timberland Collection or Tavern Grade / Cabin Grade (both standard off-goods and Value Grade products) is intended to be an economy grade of flooring. This means that the minimum standard for acceptance per our grading rules is that the floor must be “installable” and “serviceable”. In other words, it must be able to be fit together and be secured to the sub-floor using the recommended installation methods for that type of flooring. In the case of Engineered flooring, this also means that the floor will not delaminate within the warranty period.

As an economy grade of flooring, this product will contain a variety of characteristics which are either naturally occurring within the wood itself or the result of milling, manufacturing, grading or finishing processes. These characteristics are not considered defects under the grading standards for the “Timberland Collection” and may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Variation or inconsistencies in stain color or color variation within the wood itself including mineral streaks and other discoloration of the wood. This includes variation or differences between the color of the floor and any samples, displays, photographs, literature, etc. of the floor seen prior to or after purchase.

Variation or inconsistencies in the wood including knots, minor dents, checks, worm holes, bark pockets, etc. Wood filler or putty is permitted and may be used throughout the product to correct any of these characteristics or inconsistencies.

Variation on inconsistencies in finish or gloss level including rough finish, finish thickness, “orange peel”, etc.

Variation and/or inconsistencies in width, thickness, bevels, edge and end profiles, etc.

Variations and/or inconsistencies in tongue and groove width and thickness.

Out-of-square ends

Edge, end or corner breakage or chipping

Bent, warped, crooked or bowed boards

Any other physical or visual variation or characteristic which does not prevent the install ability or serviceability of the floor.

Cartons containing a significant number of “shorts”, or boards at the lower-end of the length specifications for that product (e.g. 8” in the case of most ¾” and 5/16” solid products and all engineered products). It may even contain pieces that are shorter than that minimum length.

[1] Note: The term “Off-goods” is the generic term used to describe the products that do not meet the 1st Quality grade standards. However, you may hear other terms used to reference these products. “Seconds” is another common overall term. In the hardwood flooring industry, the terms “Cabin” and “Tavern” grade are also used. Cabin typically refers to the engineered hardwood floors in the off-goods category. Tavern typically refers to solid hardwood flooring. There is no real difference between any of these grade standards and many parts of the industry may use them interchangeably to refer to off-goods.

Manufacturer Recommended Buying Policy

You as the customer are responsible for determining the amount to purchase. Manufacturers recommendation is 10 to 20%.

 

BUDGET HOTEL / MOTEL CARPET FOR GUEST ROOMS - HOSPITALITY CARPET

NOTE: Budget / Inexpensive Carpet for Guests Rooms. This carpet is manufactured with Close Out lots of yarn. MFG tolerances allow for imperfections that may or may not show in finished carpet. These imperfections are not considered seconds but are inherent to the MFG process, of this type of budget hospitality carpet.

This carpet is designed for hotel / motel guest rooms, and is not recommended for large areas with seams. MFG tolerances allow for imperfections that may or may not show in finished carpet. These imperfections are not considered seconds but are inherent to the MFG process, of this type of budget hospitality carpet. As with all patterned carpet, a perfect pattern match at seams, may not always be possible due to inherent characteristics of the manufacturing process. Reasonable pattern match may be obtained by trained, experienced professional installers. Exact pattern match cannot be guaranteed. Slight banding and shading is an inherent characteristic of all solution dyed cut pile carpets. This characteristic does not constitute a manufacturing defect and is normal according to industry standards.

Carpet should be installed in accordance with The Carpet and Rug Institute’s Standard CRI-104.

Final Sale or Clearance Products:

Final Sale or Clearance product sale is final and they can't be returned for any reason (unless it states differently at the product page). We will work with buyer on freight damage claim (refund or replacement can be only offered after claim is settled with the freight/shipping line).   

For Matching or Preexisting Flooring

There is NO guarantee that products purchased at different times will match identically to the originally purchased material. It is industry standard to change both dye-lot and surface patterns, texture and color when the original run has all been sold. It is the consumer's responsibility to provide the original dye run information from the original packaging of material to ensure the closest possible match. It is neither the fault nor responsibility of the seller if material order does not match a previously ordered product. We highly recommend getting samples from Georgia Carpet Industries or updated samples directly from the manufacturer to verify the products can coordinate and are acceptable to the consumer. In the event that samples were ordered correctly and the material does not coordinate, the seller can only file a complaint claim with the manufacturer; however, the seller is under no obligation to accept return of the material, it is at the discretion of the manufacturer to issue a Return Authorization (commonly referred to as an "RA number"). 

Additional Warranty by Seller:

Purchaser understands that there are no warranties of any kind extended by the seller with regard to this merchandise and specifically that there are no implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose made with regard to this material. (Except those warranties extended by the manufacturer)

Installation: 

It is the Purchaser’s responsibility to install this material and the seller is not responsible for the actions of any installer chosen by the Purchaser outside of our in house installation company.

Our commitment to excellence extends beyond the surface, backed by the Upper Tier LLC Lifetime Residential Installation Warranty.

Upper Tier LLC Lifetime Residential Installation Warranty: Experience the assurance of a lifetime warranty, ensuring professional installation that surpasses industry standards. If, at any point during the life of the floorcovering, the original purchaser requires service to rectify improper installation, Upper Tier Llc. will provide the necessary service at no additional charge. This warranty covers issues not stemming from improper cleaning, abuse, or structural movement or settling, or manufacturer defects.

• No Additional Charge: Enjoy the benefit of no additional charges for service during the life of your floorcovering.

• Complimentary Product: If additional product is needed for the repair and was originally purchased from Mitkof Online Flooring we will provide it.

• Owner-Occupied Residential Installations: This warranty is exclusive to owner-occupied residential installations and does not include outdoor installations.

• Non-Transferable: Please note that installation warranties are non-transferable.

However for any properties purchased for resale within 3 months of acquiring the floor covering, the new homeowner will receive all the benefits of the original installation warranty.

Five-Year Commercial Installation Warranty: Our commitment to excellence extends to commercial spaces with a Five-Year Commercial Installation Warranty. This warranty covers professional installation up to top industry standards during the first five years of the floor covering.

• No Additional Charge: If the original purchaser requires service during the initial five years due to improper installation, Upper Tier Llc. will provide the service at no additional charge.

• Complimentary Product: Similar to our residential warranty, if additional product is required for the repair and was originally purchased from Mitkof Online Flooring, we will provide it.

Additionally, Mitkof Online Flooring proudly extends the manufacturers' warranty on all our products. Each product carries its own manufacturer's warranty, ensuring that you receive the highest quality and protection against any manufacturing defects. Please refer to the specific warranty details provided by the manufacturer for each product.