The pros at Guhde Flooring America have what it takes to guide contractors, DIYers and homeowners toward design solutions that work
By Patricia Nugent
Guhde Flooring America has earned a reputation as one of the area’s premier resources for transforming homes by offering a wide selection of flooring, cabinetry and counters installed by a seasoned team of craftspeople. But they are also known as a best place in town where local contractors send their clients for selections and do-it-yourselfers let their design imagination run wild.
I popped into the showroom on a rainy Tuesday morning and found Sales Manager Shawn Rosa meeting with a husband and wife to go over tile selection for their new master bathroom.
The couple thought they were just there to choose tiles, but found themselves dealing with many other considerations, like tile grout color, orientation of niches, drain selection and whether or not they wanted a corner bench.
“Working with so many contractors over the years, it’s nice to have built enough trust that they feel confident in telling their clients to call and make an appointment with us,” Shawn says. “One of the reasons we aligned ourselves with the nationwide buying power of Flooring America is to be able to offer the widest selection of products at different price points. Some clients are nervous at the prospect of looking at so many samples, but we guide them toward cohesive combinations. After all these years, we have a good handle on what works together and what doesn’t.”
Having a kitchen and bath design center within their showroom also lets people visualize what the products will look like in an actual-sized environment.
According to Office Manager Monica Guhde-Rosa, many contractors and do-it-yourselfers find out about Guhde in the first place because it’s one of the area’s few preferred certified retailers of Schluter products.
“Most of the higher-end shower renovations involve the more modern-looking linear shower drain, and Schluter is the best in performance and looks,” she says. “Since we’ve installed so many ourselves, it’s a natural progression for us to advise others.”
No Job Too Big or Too Small
In this age of YouTube how-to videos for literally anything you would want to install, Monica and Shawn say they’ve seen an up-tick in DIY customers, and that’s fine with them.
“There are lots of less complicated jobs, such as installing a floating click-in flooring, that any handy person can do well and easily,” she says. “But other projects, like laying carpet, are best left up to the professionals.”
Whatever the job, they say they are always on hand to educate people about products and installation.
“This is our profession, where we really shine,” says Shawn. “We love it when people want to pick our brains or bounce ideas off of us. There’s no job too big or small for us to help people with. In these house-bound days of Covid, we’ve been super busy with customers who are tired of looking at their environment and want to replace everyday things like backsplashes. We also work with local builders to do whole-house selections.”
Building relationships with customers has always been part of the Guhde business model. It’s served the family well since opening back in 1957 and looks like it has no sign of changing.
Guhde Flooring America is located at 1880 Mentor Avenue in Painesville Township. Hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Call 440-639-1990 or visit GuhdeFlooringAmerica.com.