The first thing people get wrong when reading empire today reviews is treating the company like a flooring product. It is not. Empire Today is a national flooring retailer and installation service, so your experience depends on three moving parts: the salesperson, the material you choose, and the local crew doing the work. Those pieces can line up nicely, or they can wobble like a loose transition strip.
I spent 18 years installing hardwood, tile, carpet, and luxury vinyl in houses where the owners cared about the final result and the invoice. My short opinion is this: Empire can be convenient, especially when you want an in-home estimate and a quick path from selection to installation. Convenience is not the same thing as the lowest price or the best installation. You still need to inspect the details.
What Empire Today actually sells
Empire Today typically sells flooring materials with professional installation, including carpet, hardwood, laminate, luxury vinyl, and tile. The company is known for bringing samples to the home, measuring the space, and presenting a project price rather than sending you to compare dozens of boxes in a warehouse aisle.
That approach works well for a homeowner who does not want to haul samples around or figure out how many cartons are needed. It also makes the quote easier to understand at first glance. You are usually discussing removal, installation, trim, transitions, and cleanup together instead of collecting five separate numbers.
The catch is that a bundled quote can hide the cost of each component. A homeowner may hear a total of $6,500 and have no clear idea whether $1,200 is removal, $2,000 is labor, or $3,300 is material. Ask for that breakdown. A credible salesperson should be able to explain what is included, what is excluded, and what happens if the subfloor needs repair.
What positive Empire Today reviews usually mention
The favorable side of empire today reviews tends to center on convenience. A representative comes to the house, measures the rooms, and lets you see samples under your own lighting. That is better than choosing a floor under bright store lights and discovering at home that the gray plank looks blue beside your cabinets.
Customers also commonly value speed. If you are trying to finish a basement before family arrives or replace stained carpet before listing a house, a company that coordinates material and labor can save several phone calls. Carpet projects are often especially straightforward because the existing material can be removed, the pad replaced, and the new carpet installed in a short window.
A strong experience also depends on the installer. Good crews protect baseboards, make clean cuts around door jambs, vacuum the work area, and explain how to care for the new surface. On a typical 800-square-foot vinyl project, those details are more noticeable than the sales pitch. A floor that lies flat and finishes cleanly will make you happier five years from now than a slightly cheaper floor with sloppy transitions.
Where complaints usually come from
The negative side of empire today reviews often involves communication, price expectations, scheduling, or workmanship. None of those problems are unique to one national flooring company, but they are exactly why you should read the contract instead of relying on a verbal promise.
Installation problems usually show up at the edges. Look for gaps at door casings, uneven transitions between flooring types, visible seams, loose stair nosings, and baseboards that were removed carelessly. With floating luxury vinyl, the subfloor must be reasonably flat. If the crew installs over humps and dips, the planks can move, separate, or make a clicking sound. No brand name fixes poor preparation.
Price is another common surprise. A quote that sounds like $4 per square foot may not include demolition, furniture moving, floor leveling, new quarter-round, stair work, or disposal. For a 1,000-square-foot job, those additions can shift the final bill by $500 to $2,500. Empire Today reviews are useful for spotting repeated themes, but they cannot tell you whether your specific hallway has three layers of old flooring underneath.
How to evaluate your quote before signing
Start by writing down the exact product name, collection, thickness, wear layer if it is vinyl, and finish type. “Waterproof flooring” is a broad sales phrase, not a complete specification. Ask whether the flooring is floating, glue-down, or nail-down, because that affects preparation, repair, and future replacement.
Next, ask these questions in plain language:
- Is furniture moving included, and what furniture must I remove?
- Is old flooring removal included, including staples, tack strips, adhesive, and disposal?
- How much subfloor repair or leveling is included before extra charges apply?
- Are baseboards removed and reinstalled, or will new trim be installed?
- Are transitions included at every doorway?
- Who handles damage discovered after installation?
- What does the product warranty cover, and what does the labor warranty cover?
Take photographs of the existing floor before the crew arrives. Photograph door jambs, stairs, walls, and any damaged subfloor. This is not being difficult; it is simply establishing the starting condition. Also get the cancellation terms and payment schedule in writing. Do not make the final payment until you have walked the entire job in daylight.
Empire compared with hiring a local flooring contractor
A national provider can be the cleaner choice when you want one company to manage measurement, materials, scheduling, and installation. That is valuable for carpet or a basic bedroom project. Financing options, appointment availability, and a single point of contact can also make the process less tiring.
A reputable local contractor can be stronger when the job involves an old house, stairs, hardwood refinishing, tile layout, or serious subfloor repair. I have seen projects where the material was fine but the crew lacked the patience to flatten the floor properly. An experienced local installer may spend an extra day on preparation and save you from replacing a failed installation later.
Get at least two comparable estimates. Do not compare only the bottom-line number. Compare product grade, removal, preparation, trim, transitions, warranty terms, and installer experience. A $1,000 difference on a $7,000 project is not automatically a bargain if one quote leaves you responsible for leveling and disposal.
My practical take after reading the fine print
The useful lesson behind empire today reviews is not that every project succeeds or every project fails. It is that flooring is a field job, not a catalog purchase. The same material can look excellent after careful preparation and disappointing after a rushed installation.
I would consider Empire for a straightforward carpet, laminate, or vinyl project when the written scope is detailed and the local installation team answers questions directly. I would slow down for complicated stairs, historic hardwood, tile over questionable concrete, or any room with moisture problems. Those jobs deserve a site inspection focused on causes, not just a sales appointment focused on samples.
Before committing, compare the quote with one independent flooring estimate. Check the material specifications, confirm the preparation allowance, and walk the finished job before releasing the final payment. That small amount of work can expose a $900 add-on before it becomes a $2,000 argument.
Empire Today reviews can help you build questions, but they cannot inspect your subfloor or choose the right transition for your doorway. Make the decision from the written scope and the installer’s plan, not from a five-star headline. Floors take a beating every day. Do not let them beat your budget too.
TL;DR: Empire Today can be convenient for a clearly defined flooring job, but compare the complete scope with a local installer before you sign.
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