It’s Worth the Drive to L.A. to Get Good Deal on Floor Coverings

As any homeowner knows, new flooring is one of the costlier expenditures, whether it’s carpeting, wood, vinyl, sisal or any of the new laminated products. Certainly it’s worth a trip over the hill to track down a good value.

Larry Lester, who started his business as a young immigrant from Czechoslovakia, is a flooring retailer who has been in business in Los Angeles for 42 years. Lester is still at the helm of his West L.A. establishment, although son Neil is gradually taking over for his father.

Larry Lester’s ability to negotiate a good deal with manufacturers enables him to offer a good price to the consumer as well as making a small profit himself. Whenever possible, Lester will deal with local manufacturers, cutting down shipping costs. The fact that Lester owns the building he occupies also helps contain costs.

A nylon plush pile that retails for $30 a yard sells here for $14, including installation and padding. The popular sisal varieties run $26 per yard installed, where many other sources charge $40; the Seagrass type is $24 installed. If you’re into wool, there’s one well-known brand that retails for $140 per yard; Lester cuts that way down to $53.

Basically, the cost of discontinued, mill-end or remnant carpeting is about 15% over cost. If you can’t find what you want in the hundreds of samples, there are a few books to go through, and the costs here run about 30% below retail.

* Lester’s Carpets, 7815 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 934-7282. Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All major credit cards.

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Weekend Super Sale: Starting Saturday, Home Settings Furniture Outlet is offering super prices on new, close-out and slightly distressed items. More than 2,000 lamps are selling for as low as $10; sofas and love seats, both fabric and leather, are marked as low as $350. Coffee tables, some with glass tops on metal bases and some wood, start at $35. Sale continues through Nov. 15.

Home Settings Furniture Outlet, 11846 Sherman Way, North Hollywood. (818) 982-8331.