Reimagine a space within your home in time for the holidays by getting started with Guhde Flooring America

By Patricia Nugent

For anyone who has “beautifying the home” as a vague intention before the holidays roll around, kindly consider this humble little one-page story your wake-up call to stop putting it off.

According to those in the know at Guhde Flooring America, the window for starting a kitchen or bath renovation, or installing new flooring that will be finished by the holidays, is already closing.

“September is the ideal month to pull the trigger on any of these jobs,” says Monica Guhde-Rosa.

What’s a Realistic Timeline?
Let’s start with the longest part of the process: cabinetry.

Says Shawn Rosa, “It takes six to eight weeks’ delivery time, so if you order cabinetry on October 1, it should arrive by November 26, which is two days before Thanksgiving. And that’s just product delivery. We still need to get you on the installation schedule.”

Tile also takes about six to eight weeks to be delivered and installed.

“If you’re just looking to carpet your home, you’re in luck, as that only has about a three-week delivery window, and also takes the shortest amount of time to install,” explains Shawn.

What saves people time at Guhde is that everything (and everyone) you need is under one roof, from flooring to cabinetry, countertops, tile and lighting, along with the designers and installers to take care of every step of the job. Or, if you want to DIY a job, they can work with you in that capacity as well.

“We do get that customer who comes in around November and desperately wants to have something done in time for Christmas,” says Shawn. “And we’re pleased to say that within the last month, we have added a new cabinet line—Wolf Home Products—that is available to ship within one week.”

Pushing Custom to the Limit
Between the two of them, Shawn and Monica have been in the flooring and home improvement business for decades. So, when it came time for them to create an entertainment center within a recessed wall of their own home’s great room, you’d think that would be a cinch, right?

They started by sitting down with Kitchen & Bath Design Center Manager Cait Rudolph, who made sketches reflecting all the functions they were interested in.

For him: a special space for his vintage record player that slides out, and vertical storage beneath it for albums. For her: open storage for the couple’s festive collection of barware, and closed storage for other bar items, as well as countertop serving area, built-in wine bottle storage and wine refrigerator.

“Cait showed us a 3-D rendering of what we finally decided on, and we took that, along with loads of samples, home,” says Monica. “Some people like to ‘live’ with the samples for a week or two to see how they like them. And that needs to be factored into the timespan of a renovation, too.”

In the end, Monica and Shawn decided to go with Fieldstone cabinets in a bold shade of cranberry with a chocolate glaze, with trellised metal fronts to add a funky modern edge to the distressed wood.

“We love to entertain family and friends, and this will provide a focal point for the whole first floor,” she adds.

Now, if they can only order in time for the holidays…is another humble little one-page story.

Guhde Flooring America is located at 1880 Mentor Avenue in Painesville Township. Hours are Monday, 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4 p.m. Call 440-639-1990 or visit GuhdeFlooringAmerica.com.