If you’re in the market for new floors, you’ve probably come across two big names: Next Day Floors and Empire Flooring. Both companies offer a wide selection of carpeting, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and tile at affordable prices.
But which one should you choose for your home flooring project?
In this detailed comparison guide, we’ll examine the key differences between Next Day Floors and Empire Flooring to help you make an informed decision.
We’ll cover quality of products, customer service, installation, warranties, and prices. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of each company.
A Brief Comparison Table
| Category | Next Day Floors | Empire Flooring |
| Product Selection | Wide selection of all major flooring types | More limited selection focused on carpeting & laminate |
| Brands | Top brands like Shaw, Armstrong, Stainmaster | In-house brands plus some major brands |
| Quality | Similar quality levels | Similar quality levels |
| Pricing | Everyday low prices with frequent sales | Lower regular prices but less discounts |
| Warranties | Lifetime installation warranties | Manufacturer warranties only |
| Customer Service | Free design help, samples, robust support | Help available in showrooms or by phone |
| Installation | Vetted professional installers | Network of independent installers |
| Showrooms | None, online only | 19 showroom locations |
| Financing | Not offered | Interest-free financing available |
Overview of Next Day Floors
Founded in 1996, Next Day Floors is one of the nation’s leading online flooring retailers. They offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee and free shipping on all sample orders.
Next Day Floors provides versatile flooring options like waterproof vinyl plank, hardwood, laminate, carpeting, porcelain tile, and more. Their flooring comes from top brands like Shaw Floors, Coretec, Dream Weaver Carpet, and Stainmaster Carpet.
Next Day Floors has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and largely positive customer reviews online. They have a user-friendly website that makes it easy to view products, order free samples, and purchase flooring. Installation services are also available through their network of professional installers.
Key Features:
- Wide selection of all major flooring types
- Free shipping on floor samples
- Satisfaction guarantee
- Top flooring brands like Shaw and Stainmaster
- Professional installation services available
Overview of Empire Flooring
Established in 1996, Empire Flooring provides quality discount carpeting, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and tile flooring. They offer exclusive brands like Empire Hardwood Flooring and Empire Carpet along with major brands like Armstrong Flooring and Mannington Mills. Customers can buy online or visit one of Empire’s showrooms in 19 states.
Empire Flooring promises low warehouse prices along with excellent customer service. All Empire products come with manufacturer warranties. Empire also offers financing options to help budget for your new floors. Professional installation is available, often at a lower price point than competitors.
Key Features:
- Discount pricing on exclusive & major brands
- 19 showroom locations across the U.S.
- Manufacturer warranties on all products
- Financing options available
- Affordable professional installation
Key Differences Between Next Day Floors And Empire Flooring
Now, let’s take a close look at how Next Day Floors and Empire Flooring stack up across some of the most popular flooring categories:
- Carpeting
Both companies offer a wide variety of residential carpeting in various colors, textures, and pile heights.
Prices range from around $0.99/sq. ft. for low-end carpeting up to $6/sq. ft. for premium plush styles.
Empire Carpet is Empire’s in-house brand made from quality fibers like Triexta and SmartStrand.
Next Day Floors carries brands like Dream Weaver and Phenix for mid-range options. For best selection of top national brands like Shaw and Stainmaster, Next Day has the edge.
Carpeting Winner: Next Day Floors
- Hardwood Flooring
For traditional hardwood flooring, Empire has a great selection of oak, maple, cherry, and exotic species across different plank widths and grades. Their Empire Hardwood brand focuses on durable finishes and lasting beauty at an affordable price point.
Next Day Floors also covers all the popular wood species and has a broader range of distressed, handscraped, and wire-brushed hardwood looks. When it comes to quality and selection, it’s a close match but Next Day Floors gets the win for hardwood flooring.
- Vinyl Flooring
Both retailers offer luxury vinyl plank (LVP), luxury vinyl tile (LVT), and sheet vinyl flooring. Empire focuses more on LVT while Next Day has a huge selection of waterproof vinyl plank flooring.
For modern vinyl looks replicating wood or stone, Next Day Floors has the larger selection from Coretec, Tic Tac Toe, and other brands. Next Day also offers unique vinyl options like vinyl sheet flooring. For overall vinyl selection and technology, Next Day Floors is the winner.
- Laminate Flooring
Laminate remains popular for its affordable pricing and durability. Empire Flooring and Next Day Floors have budget-friendly options starting around $0.79/sq. ft. Their mid-range and premium laminate is comparable across similar wood looks and styles. Both also offer waterproof laminate options.
When it comes to brand selection, Next Day Floors again comes out slightly ahead with major brands like Shaw and Armstrong. So for laminate flooring, Next Day Floors wins for its broader brand selection.
- Tile Flooring
Tile flooring comes in many materials like porcelain, ceramic, granite, marble, and more. Empire Flooring has an emphasis on budget-priced ceramic tile while also offering some porcelain and granite options.
Next Day Floors covers all the bases with a huge range of ceramic, porcelain, marble looks, and natural stone. For contemporary large tile formats, Next Day has better selection. So Next Day Floors provides the best overall tile selection.
- Customer Service and Installation Experience
Beyond just product selection, the overall buying experience is also an important consideration when choosing between flooring retailers.
Next Day Floors and Empire Flooring both aim to provide excellent customer service throughout the shopping and installation process. Next Day Floors offers free design services via video chat along with free samples shipped to your door.
Their website has a wealth of flooring buying guides and FAQs. Empire Flooring’s showrooms provide an opportunity to see products in person and talk to sales associates. Their website also has a detailed flooring education section.
For installation, you can hire Next Day Floors’ professional installers who are thoroughly vetted and background checked for quality assurance. Empire Flooring also arranges installation through a network of qualified independent installers.
Pricing is affordable with Empire but Next Day includes installation warranties. With more robust warranties and support, Next Day Floors rates higher for total customer service experience.
- Cost and Budget
When it comes to average pricing, Empire Flooring positions itself as a discount warehouse store while Next Day Floors focuses on providing everyday low prices. However, both offer frequent sales and specials that allow you to save significantly.
Installing new floors throughout a whole house can cost several thousand dollars or more. To save money, Empire Flooring offers attractive financing options to pay over time interest-free. Next Day Floors has a price match guarantee if you find the same flooring cheaper elsewhere.
For affordable financing and lowest base prices on products like carpeting and laminate, Empire Flooring usually comes out a bit cheaper. But Next Day Floors makes up for it with price matching and occasional bigger discounts.
- Warranties
The warranties provided by each company offer peace of mind that your flooring purchase is protected.
Next Day Floors provides lifetime installation warranties on labor when you use their installers. You’ll also get the standard product warranties from brands like Shaw Floors that cover defects. Empire Flooring offers manufacturer’s warranties on all flooring but does not have their own installation warranties.
For the most thorough coverage on both products and installation, Next Day Floors provides better warranties.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Empire Flooring is still active and operating today after over 25 years in business. They continue to provide quality discount flooring to customers nationwide. While they’ve closed some showroom locations over the years, Empire Flooring still has 19 showrooms open across the U.S. along with their website.
Some of Empire Flooring’s biggest competitors include: Lumber Liquidators, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Costco, Menards, Carpet One Floor & Home, Next Day Floors, etc.
National Floors Direct is another discount flooring retailer that competes directly with Empire. They offer a good selection of carpeting, vinyl, laminate, hardwood, and tile at everyday low prices.
If you’re installing new floors with Empire Flooring’s services, they can replace damaged or unsound subflooring for an additional cost if needed. Empire’s installers will inspect the subfloors and determine if replacement is recommended. Replacing sections of subfloor costs around $4-8 per square foot depending on material. A full subfloor replacement costs $8-12 per square foot.
Final Verdict
Let’s summarize the key finding from our comparisons:
- Selection: Next Day Floors has wider choices across all flooring types
- Quality: Similar quality across both brands’ products
- Service: Next Day Floors offers better support and design help
- Installation: Next Day Floors provides installation warranties
- Price: Empire Flooring has cheaper average prices but less sales
- Warranties: Next Day Floors has lifetime installation warranties
While Empire Flooring beats Next Day Floors on everyday low pricing for budget buyers, Next Day Floors ultimately comes out ahead with better selection, service, warranties, and installation support.
Next Day Floors is ideal for shoppers who want one-stop access to all flooring types from leading brands along with design guidance and installation warranties. Empire Flooring is a great choice for bargain hunters focused just on carpeting or laminate flooring.