These Terms & Conditions apply to the supply and installation of flooring by Deben Carpets & Flooring (Deben Floors Ltd). Your quotation, order confirmation and these Terms & Conditions together form the basis of our agreement with you.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions affects your statutory rights.
Before Your Installation
Please ensure that the areas in which we are working are reasonably accessible and ready for installation on the agreed fitting date.
Unless furniture moving has been agreed with us in advance, rooms should be cleared of furniture and personal belongings before our fitters arrive. If furniture moving is required and has not previously been agreed, an additional charge may apply.
Where we have agreed to move furniture, please ensure that cupboards, wardrobes, drawers and other items are emptied beforehand.
Electrical, gas and water-connected appliances and white goods must be safely disconnected and removed before our arrival unless we have specifically agreed otherwise.
Please also ensure that our fitters have reasonable access to the property and, where possible, suitable parking close to the working area.
Uplift & Disposal
Where our uplift and disposal service has been included, we will uplift and dispose of the agreed existing floor coverings together with normal installation offcuts and packaging from your new flooring.
Where uplift and disposal has not been included, the existing flooring should be removed and the area made ready before our fitters arrive.
Our standard disposal service does not include hazardous or contaminated materials, including materials suspected of containing asbestos. If we identify or suspect hazardous material, work may need to stop until it has been assessed and, where necessary, safely removed by a suitably qualified contractor.
Subfloors & Floor Preparation
Our quotations are based on the condition of the subfloor that is reasonably visible and accessible at the time of our survey.
The full condition of a subfloor cannot always be established until existing floor coverings have been removed. Issues such as excessive moisture, weak or contaminated screeds, loose flooring, damaged boards, failed levelling compounds or other hidden defects may therefore only become apparent once work has commenced.
Where additional preparation is found to be necessary, we will explain the issue and any additional cost before carrying out significant additional work wherever reasonably practicable.
Floor preparation carried out by builders, other contractors or the customer must be suitable for the flooring system being installed. This includes appropriate preparation, priming, curing and moisture control where required.
We cannot accept responsibility for failure of the finished flooring caused by defective or unsuitable preparation carried out by others where that defect was not reasonably apparent to us before installation.
New screeds, levelling compounds and other subfloor materials must be sufficiently dry and cured before flooring is installed.
Where moisture testing or specialist preparation is required, this will either be included within your quotation or discussed separately.
Measurements, Quantities & Material Allowances
Flooring quantities are calculated allowing for room dimensions, product widths, joins, pattern matching, installation direction and a reasonable amount of fitting waste.
The quantity ordered may therefore be greater than the exact floor area of the room.
Patterned flooring, stair installations, unusual room shapes and products supplied in fixed widths may require a greater allowance for waste.
Product Appearance & Samples
Samples are intended to provide a representative indication of colour, texture and appearance. Minor variations between samples and the finished product can occur.
Different manufacturing batches may also vary slightly in shade or appearance.
Natural products, including timber and wool flooring, will naturally contain variations in colour, grain, texture and character. These variations form part of the appearance of the product and are not normally considered defects.
We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that material used within the same installation is suitably matched.
Carpet Installations
Pile Reversal
Some carpets can experience pile reversal, sometimes known as shading or watermarking. This can cause areas of carpet to appear lighter or darker depending on the direction of the pile and the way light falls across it.
Pile reversal does not normally affect the durability or performance of the carpet and is not generally regarded as a manufacturing defect.
Pole Marks
Carpet is commonly transported tightly rolled around a pole or tube. This can occasionally leave a temporary compression line close to the edge of a cut.
These marks normally reduce and disappear through normal use and vacuuming. Please contact us if you would like advice.
Joins
Where the size or shape of a room means that a carpet join is necessary, we will position it as discreetly and appropriately as reasonably possible.
A professionally made join may still remain visible, particularly with certain carpet styles, lighting conditions and pile directions. A visible join is not in itself evidence of defective installation.
Sheet Vinyl & LVT
Vinyl and LVT flooring can be damaged by dragging heavy furniture, appliances or sharp objects across the surface. Appropriate protection should be used when moving these items.
Where sheet vinyl requires a seam because of the size or shape of the area, the seam may remain visible even when correctly installed.
Please follow the relevant manufacturer’s cleaning and maintenance guidance to help protect the flooring.
Wood Flooring
Wood is a natural material and can vary in colour, grain, knots and general character.
Exposure to daylight and UV can alter the appearance of timber over time. Some woods become lighter while others may naturally darken.
Natural movement caused by changes in temperature and humidity can also occur and appropriate environmental conditions should be maintained within the property.
Sunlight & Colour Changes
Most floor coverings may experience some degree of fading or colour change when exposed to sunlight and UV over time.
The extent of this varies between products and environments and is not normally considered a product defect.
Furniture, rugs and other items can also cause different areas of the floor to age at different rates.
Underfloor Heating
Our suitable wood and LVT flooring products can be installed over compatible underfloor heating systems provided that the manufacturer’s installation requirements are followed.
All underfloor heating and associated services must have been fully tested and commissioned before flooring installation begins.
The system must be switched off and the floor allowed to cool sufficiently before installation.
Following installation, the heating should be brought back into operation gradually rather than immediately being set to a high temperature. Unless the flooring manufacturer’s instructions specify otherwise, the temperature should generally be increased by no more than approximately 1°C per day.
The maximum floor surface temperature beneath the flooring must not exceed 27°C unless the particular flooring manufacturer expressly permits otherwise.
Failure to operate the underfloor heating system in accordance with the flooring manufacturer’s requirements may affect the flooring and any applicable manufacturer’s warranty.
Doors, Fire Doors & Kitchen Plinths
Changes in floor height following installation can occasionally mean that internal doors require trimming.
Door trimming is not included within our standard fitting charge unless specifically stated within your quotation.
It is not always possible to establish during the initial survey whether a door will require adjustment.
We do not trim fire doors. Alterations to fire doors must be carried out by a suitably competent person and, where required, arrangements should be made before installation.
Where a fire door needs to be removed before flooring installation and this cannot appropriately be undertaken by our fitter, the customer will need to arrange this beforehand.
Kitchen plinths, kickboards and similar fittings may also require adjustment following installation. Unless specifically stated otherwise, alteration of these items is not included within our standard fitting charge.
Decorating & Other Finishes
Our fitters will carry out installation with reasonable care and skill.
Flooring installation is, however, physical work involving large and sometimes heavy materials close to skirting boards, walls, architraves and other finishes. Minor marking can occasionally occur despite reasonable care being taken.
Recently painted or wallpapered surfaces are particularly vulnerable. We recommend allowing at least two weeks for newly decorated surfaces to cure before flooring installation, and longer where recommended by the paint or wallpaper manufacturer.
We do not undertake decorating or making good unless specifically agreed.
Nothing in this section excludes our responsibility where damage has been caused because reasonable care and skill was not exercised.
Installation Dates
Installation dates and anticipated arrival times are arranged in good faith.
Because flooring installation can be affected by conditions discovered on previous jobs, traffic, supplier delays and unforeseen site conditions, exact arrival times and completion times cannot always be guaranteed.
If circumstances outside our reasonable control materially affect an installation date, we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible and arrange an alternative.
Other Trades
Where possible, flooring installation should be scheduled after messy building or decorating works have been completed.
We cannot accept responsibility for damage to flooring caused after installation by builders, decorators, other trades, furniture movers or other third parties.
If other works are continuing after our installation, the flooring should be suitably protected.
Payment & Ownership
Payment terms will be shown on your quotation, invoice or order confirmation.
Goods remain the property of Deben Floors Ltd until payment has been received in full, to the extent permitted by law.
Any outstanding balance should be paid in accordance with the payment terms agreed when the order is placed.
Cancellations
Any statutory cancellation rights that apply to your order are unaffected by these Terms & Conditions.
Different cancellation rights may apply depending on whether an order is placed in our showroom, remotely, or during a visit to your home.
Where applicable, consumers entering into distance or off-premises contracts may have statutory cancellation rights. Certain genuinely personalised or made-to-specification goods may be excluded from those cancellation rights.
Where a customer cancels an order when there is no statutory right to cancel, we may recover reasonable costs and losses already incurred as a result of the order, including goods which have already been specially ordered or prepared where appropriate.
Any cancellation charge will be reasonable and assessed according to the circumstances of the order rather than being intended as a penalty.
Completion, Inspection & Concerns
We encourage customers to inspect their new flooring following completion and to raise any immediate concerns with the fitter wherever possible. This often allows straightforward issues to be dealt with quickly.
If you notice a concern after installation, please contact us as soon as reasonably practicable so that we can investigate it.
Where appropriate, we must be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect an alleged defect or installation issue and, where we are responsible, to put matters right.
Raising a concern after the fitter has left does not by itself affect your statutory rights.
Care & Maintenance
All floor coverings require appropriate care and maintenance.
Please follow the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning, maintenance and environmental guidance for your particular flooring.
Damage resulting from inappropriate cleaning products, excessive moisture, dragging furniture, unsuitable equipment or a failure to follow manufacturer care guidance may not be covered by the product manufacturer’s warranty.
If you are unsure how to care for your flooring, please contact us and we will be happy to advise.
Your Statutory Rights
Nothing within these Terms & Conditions is intended to restrict or exclude any rights you have under applicable consumer law.