RaceDeck flooring Advise needed

[RaceDeck1]

Greetings...

I was very excited about RaceDeck flooring but disclaimers that should have been made on their webpage (but were not) led to disappointment. Here's the story:

I designed a floor for a two-car garage with the following specifications:

Garage: 18' wide X 21' deep

Main tile choice: RaceDeck Diamond tiles in alloy.

Custom colors: Twenty-one (21) tiles using Pantone Process Blue, twenty-one (21) tiles using Pantone 655, and twenty-one (21) tiles using Pantone 1788. I wanted the three colors to go up the middle of the floor in order to create the effect of two alloy-colored "stalls," one on each side of the 3-colored stripes from the custom colors above.

Unfortunately, Ashley Winn, the sales representative for my area (Minnesota), told me after the fact that the minimum square footage for custom colors is 700 square-feet! That's practically a four-car garage, folks! According to Miss Winn, Racedeck would be required to purchase a minimum of 50 pounds (!) of each custom color even though my small requirement of 21 tiles (of each color) would use only 1 pound, respectively. While I certainly understand custom colors cost more is there no way for Racedeck to work with the dye manufacturers to purchase reasonable amounts to make this happen?

Quite frankly, I was very disappointed that I designed my garage and was told it can't be done due to too few tiles in the custom colors I chose. As far as I'm concerned, Racedeck's webpage fails to provide ANY disclaimer regarding custom colors and their availability being predicated upon unreasonable purchase minimums.

Incidentally, I asked Miss Winn to forward my issue on to Mr. Moller so their webpage could (and should!) be changed but I never heard back. Meanwhile, Racedeck's webpage continues to make a somewhat misleading claim that "We offer flooring in...literally millions of custom colors" when it SHOULD say something to the effect of "...and literally millions of custom colors with a greater-than-700 square-foot minimum purchase required." Had it done so, I still would have been disappointed but at least I would been informed of such requirements before I wasted my time and effort designing a garage that would never be.

Mr. Moller? I've done a significant amount of research on modular flooring and truly believe Racedeck to be the best. Can you help make my floor a reality?

Ok...well there are quite a few questions and explanations within your post, but I will try to answer some of your questions and comments.
First , Thank you for considering RaceDeck!

As you may know, RaceDeck manufactures all of our products right here in the USA, all under one roof ( ours) in Salt Lake City. As simple as it may appear to make modular flooring, there is a tremendous amount steps that go into the final finished products. I will try to explain a bit better than Ashley on custom colors, custom logos and even custom designs. We currently offer over 14 colors which is sold to about 99% of our residential customers. For commercial customers we do a lot of custom colors ( Kawasaki, KTM, Dodge, Harley, and so on) all of whom order 1000,s in each

Ashley was right in that when we purchase our spec color, the smallest amount is a 'test' size of 50-100 lbs depending on the color and spec. That is far more than is needed for 700 tiles, but we absorb the cost ( color is just part of the material to make the flooring).Just to change the molds on machines for color we lose hundreds of tiles in the change over process, again we absorb this cost on 700 or more. For us to absorb a cost of the excess custom color, change out the prior color, run 50 tiles and then change out the color again, add labor, we would be close to $25 a foot .
You are also right that we do not have every detail of how to order custom colors, custom logos and custom designs on our site...there are just so many variables that it would over load the site and take from the function & design.On our floor designer within the site it shows only the stock colors. Typically anything custom requires a call to us about what is needed.
We do however mention to call, email or even live chat with all questions. I will take a look over the site again and we may make some sort of mention to call for details, but this is the first time that I know of where this has come up...but I am glad you brought to our attention.



If you must have that exact color pantone, I can work out an estimate for you, but it will be a bit pricey. I would love to be able to figure something out for you...

 

[DeputyRob]

Fair enough, Mr. Moller. Where do we start?

 

[bobmoney]

I am interested in using those same 3 colors up the middle of my garage. That would be 18 tiles of each of those colors. I thought that Royal blue, Royal purple, and Red would be a close match. Are those colors that different from the custom colors? I am doing those colors for the M stripes which BMW uses on their M cars.

 

[DeputyRob]

I am interested in using those same 3 colors up the middle of my garage. That would be 18 tiles of each of those colors. I thought that Royal blue, Royal purple, and Red would be a close match. Are those colors that different from the custom colors? I am doing those colors for the M stripes which BMW uses on their M cars.

Hi Bob...

Yes...the three stripes are indeed "based upon" the colors used in the original ///M logo. I say "based upon" because I made a move away from purple, a color I simply don't like to look at. Incidentally, BMW seems to have moved away from Pantone 268 (the plum-colored middle stripe) as well, and now uses a color closer to midnight blue--at least in the ads you see in Roundel and other printed publications.

See below for color swatches. Note, however, that I calibrate my monitor several times a week to maintain accurate color renditions. What you see and what I see, therefore, may be very different.

Jorgen...what Pantone (or Hex) values are your standard "blue," "purple," and "red" tiles? Knowing those values will allow me to create swatches of my own to see how they'd look.

 

[bobmoney]

Jorgen,
I'm interested in your reply to DeputyRob also. I have received a sample of the alloy tile, but now I don't know what to do about the colors. Please reply.
Thanks, Bob

 

[RaceDeck1]

Hi
When you call us, you can request a color sample kit which are smaller pieces with each color. Free!
As I mentioned above, there is no extra charge for custom colors on orders of more than 700 sqft ( unless of course it is a really exotic color where the pigments are much higher costs). If you must have a smaller amount in a custom color we really have to prorate it. But for 10-50 sqft it will be very expensive ( unless of course we just happen to have an overrun it on the shelf).
The dark blue and red above really looks close to what we have...in most cases, the must have exact pantone matches are for commercial accounts ( ex Harley-Davidson) that order a tremendous amount of flooring.

 

[Rocket1]

I have received excellent service from RaceDeck so far. I emailed last week for a quote and received a quick response. I also received the samples yesterday which I thought was very quick.

Right now I'm looking at this for my display for the car shows I do through out the year. Once I get the last details worked out I think I will be ordering.

 

[RaceDeck1]

Happy to hear that!

 

[Snap50]

What happens at the overhead doors?

 

[DeputyRob]

I would love to be able to figure something out for you...

Really? So no follow-up whatsoever--from you OR your company--is this "love [to figure out something]" you speak of? Meanwhile, Racedeck's webpage continues to display the misleading claim of the availability of "millions of custom colors." That claim is actually not true, folks, and it would take a webmaster all of three seconds to change the page's verbiage (i.e., to add "Minimum square footage requirements are applicable. Call us for more information" or something similar) to reflect the minimum square footage requirements.

 

[q20v]

DeputyRob, get over it.

 

[firebird1999us]

DeputyRob, get over it.

Really...Jesus, I wouldn't call him either

 

[DeputyRob]

OK, then. Done. All I tried to do was promote factual representations of product offerings so consumers--that's everyone, not just me--know what to expect.

Sorry I was such a pain to everyone.

 

[q20v]

We forgive you, and thanks for the heads up!

 

[subaru]

They are telling the truth. There are literally millons of custom colors. What about that is a lie ? You go to get a paint job for your car.. do you honestly think the painter is going to charge you the same amount of money as a non custom color ? They have to mix the custom color which takes time, clean out the custom color since no one else will probly get the same color you request, ect. You seriously need to relax. They are not deceiving any one. You call and receive a quote. If you do not like the quote say no thanks and move on.

 

[RaceDeck1]

DeputyBob-

I am not sure what you were expecting from us? I did reply in an email to you back on 1-10-10 ( below is a copy).
Yes we do custom colors and there are millions to choose from, but obviously with anything that is custom there is a cost. I also do not list the cost of any product in an Ad. If you had inquired, we would have right away told you that 'yes we can' manufacture a custom color but there are some requirements. Just as if we had to ship a product to remote location, did a custom logo, etc...there are added costs.
I am sorry my response below on 1-10 was not clear enough on what we can do. In a nutshell, yes we can do a custom color run for 25 sqft of flooring but you are looking at custom price of at least $20-25 a foot for an order that size ...if you went with over 700 feet there would be no extra charge.


<<<email sent through GJ on 1-10-10>>
Ok...well there are quite a few questions and explanations within your post, but I will try to answer some of your questions and comments.
First , Thank you for considering RaceDeck!

As you may know, RaceDeck manufactures all of our products right here in the USA, all under one roof ( ours) in Salt Lake City. As simple as it may appear to make modular flooring, there is a tremendous amount steps that go into the final finished products. I will try to explain a bit better than Ashley on custom colors, custom logos and even custom designs. We currently offer over 14 colors which is sold to about 99% of our residential customers. For commercial customers we do a lot of custom colors ( Kawasaki, KTM, Dodge, Harley, and so on) all of whom order 1000,s in each

Ashley was right in that when we purchase our spec color, the smallest amount is a 'test' size of 50-100 lbs depending on the color and spec. That is far more than is needed for 700 tiles, but we absorb the cost ( color is just part of the material to make the flooring).Just to change the molds on machines for color we lose hundreds of tiles in the change over process, again we absorb this cost on 700 or more. For us to absorb a cost of the excess custom color, change out the prior color, run 50 tiles and then change out the color again, add labor, we would be close to $25 a foot .
You are also right that we do not have every detail of how to order custom colors, custom logos and custom designs on our site...there are just so many variables that it would over load the site and take from the function & design.On our floor designer within the site it shows only the stock colors. Typically anything custom requires a call to us about what is needed.
We do however mention to call, email or even live chat with all questions. I will take a look over the site again and we may make some sort of mention to call for details, but this is the first time that I know of where this has come up...but I am glad you brought to our attention.



If you must have that exact color pantone, I can work out an estimate for you, but it will be a bit pricey. I would love to be able to figure something out for you...

 

[dpantle]

I just installed RaceDeck in my garage, and it truly looks and feels great. I was concerned about having a "floating" floor, as I have a room in my house which has laminate floating floor, I hate the feel of that floor, and need to replace with glued on wood flooring.

Anyway, the floating RaceDeck in my garage really feels great, and looks fantastic! One of the better home investments I've ever made! It was really easy on the website to design and purchase as well!

I too have an application in mind which would require custom colors, but understand that this forum is really not the place to inquire. Why would anyone have an issue with extra cost and lack of disclaimer about that is beyond me too. I just assume this would be the case. Obviously this would require at least a phone call, and it seems that the poster did that. Looks like he just has a problem with the answer to me...

 

[DeputyRob]

I Obviously this would require at least a phone call, and it seems that the poster did that. Looks like he just has a problem with the answer to me...

I don't have a problem with the answer. I'm not stupid and know that anything that has to be custom made to user specifications means additional costs for materials, re-tooling, etc. That's not the issue if you took the time to read my posts. My "beef" is the website's failure to provide what I consider to be simple disclaimers for those customers who are considering custom colors. I mean, if the webpage shows custom colors then why not spell out what's involved? Again...read the webpage and you'll see it would take very little time and very little effort to provide pertinent information to clarify what's involved to avoid confusion. A month later and it's still not fixed.

And one last issue to address: Yes, Mr. Moller replied to my original query with an informative post on what's involved when customers opt for custom colors. I was ignorant to a process Mr. Moller knows intimately and he clarified why there are additional costs. Great...no problem. Mr. Moller then concluded by saying he'd "love" to help me with my project and I've not seen any effort since. Far as I'm concerned, this forum is made up of enthusiasts who enjoy the process and camaraderie of building a garage worth showing the world, however "odd" that might seem to some. While to most folks a garage is little more than a place to park a car or store whatever junk they don't have the heart (or effort) to throw out, we're all here because it isn't "just" a garage. It's our home away from home.

I guess I'm of the "old school" way of thinking, when businesses and their owners made an honest effort to show the masses why their wares were worth peddling; they took an active interest because happy customers spreading the word was the only way to get the job done. Times have changed, of course, and businesses now take a hands-off approach by building a flashy webpage to do the talking. I can't say one is better than the other as each "style" has its plusses and minuses, but if you're going to take the latter approach (i.e., a flashy webpage), is it too much to ask to make sure the product descriptions and pertinent disclaimers are clear?

With all of this said, I apologize to Mr. Moller and the members of the forum for whatever consternation I've created by opening my big mouth.

 

[dpantle]

Yeah OK...

 

[Hellcat6]

Yeah, I don't get it either. So you call and find out some more information than what is posted on the web site. Big deal. You expect them to put every possible detail that someone would ask about on a web site? How you figure this is a question of honesty eludes me. Where else can you find the president of a fairly large company ready to talk to you personally and frequently posting to a forum for even more interaction.

You will find many loyal RaceDeck owners here who think you are out in left field on this one. And we are not loyal becaues we work for the company or are related by marriage. We spent our hard earned dollars on a product that we know and use daily with great customer support. Hope you don't take it personally but questions of honesty will get little traction here, our collective experience says differently.

 

[Kent Skinner]

What's the rough cost of RD per square foot?

How would it work in a trailer with ETrack on the floor? I have a 16' x 7' enclosed car hauler, and I've considered putting something down on the floor. The Etrack runs about a foot from the wall, from front to read, as well as a strip across the back.

About how much per square foot does it weigh?

Thanks,
Kent

 

[rustbucket49]

i wanted the logo that is in my avatar. colours could be reversed. ie blue where white is . so with the tuff shield it would actually be incoporated into the tile.

Why would you waste your money getting a logo of a Nittany Lion ???

 

[MikeinLA]

I have an attached condo garage and frequently run out to the garage in socks or bare feet. Can anyone tell me how the Diamond plate style feels on bare feet? It looks a bit "pointy" and I'm thinking maybe I should go with the circle one, but I like the Diamond plate look. Any opinions welcome, thanks.

Mike

 

[q20v]

I've done it, it feels fine! Barely feel the diamonds at all.
Temperature wise it's a lot more comfortable to walk on than bare concrete.

 

[Arachnotron]

I have an attached condo garage and frequently run out to the garage in socks or bare feet. Can anyone tell me how the Diamond plate style feels on bare feet? It looks a bit "pointy" and I'm thinking maybe I should go with the circle one, but I like the Diamond plate look. Any opinions welcome, thanks.

Mike

I'd say its not an issue. They are not pointy at all. Racedeck does send out free samples, so you could try it before you buy it.