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Empire Today

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5.0

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: August 5th, 2025

Empire Today® is a flooring and carpet installation company headquartered in Northlake, Illinois. Since its founding in 1959, Empire® has built a reputation for convenience, quality, and customer service. What sets the company apart is its in-home shopping experience and a wide range of products that cater to both residential and commercial customers — Empire offers carpet, laminate, hardwood, vinyl, and tile flooring options.

Empire is known for its fast and efficient next-day* installation service. This offering is perfect for customers needing quick renovations. Empire's ability to rapidly deploy skilled, professional installers ensures that your flooring project is completed without significant delays, providing convenience and immediate satisfaction.

Empire has won numerous awards, including a Stevies' "Company of the Year–Consumer Products" bronze winner (2016) and a Better Business Bureau Torch award for marketplace and business ethics (2015). 

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The Good

  • Competitive Pricing
  • Wide Range of Carpet and Flooring Options
  • Next-Day Installations
  • Free In-Home Estimates

Competitive Pricing

Empire Today's pricing includes both materials and installation. An Empire sales consultant will work with you to tailor your flooring project to your specific budget constraints and the company often runs promotions to help you save more on your flooring investment.

Wide Range of Carpet and Flooring Options

Empire Today offers a comprehensive selection of carpet and flooring options, each designed to meet different needs and styles. Here is a breakdown of what the company offers:

Carpet

Empire Today offers a range of carpet types including the following:

  • Berber — durable, low‑profile, easy‑to‑maintain (ideal for high traffic)
  • Plush — soft nylon fibers, stain and odor resistance (R2X®), excellent for homes with pets
  • Frieze — casual, textured fiber that hides footprints and adds a relaxed aesthetic
  • Pattern — elegant, upscale designs offering visual interest
  • Indoor-Outdoor — tough and resistant to weather, suitable for patios and transition spaces
  • Commercial-Grade — built for heavy use; uses textured loop and solution-dyed yarns to resist matting and discoloration

Wood-Look Flooring

Empire Today offers a range of wood-look flooring that mimics real wood without the added cost and maintenance. Many Empire wood-look flooring options are scratch-, fade-, stain-, mold-, mildew-resistant, waterproof or water‑resistant, and non‑slip. 

Empire Today offers the following wood-look flooring options:

  • Engineered hardwood
  • Solid hardwood
  • WhisperHOME®
  • Wood laminate
  • Vinyl plank
  • Sheet vinyl
  • Luxury vinyl tile
  • Porcelain/Ceramic tile

Vinyl Flooring

Empire Today offers a range of vinyl flooring options including the following:

  • Vinyl plank — wood-like aesthetics, fully waterproof via Empire’s exclusive Aqua Defense®; noise-reducing and warm underfoot
  • Sheet vinyl — seamless coverage, affordable and low-maintenance; available in wood or stone looks
  • Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) — mimics stone or ceramic tile with enhanced durability

Specialty and Exclusive Products

Empire Today offers a range of specialty and exclusive flooring products including the following:

  • Aqua Defense® (LVP) — Empire-exclusive fully-waterproof flooring system; ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, basements
  • Fresh Haven® carpet — odor-neutralizing and pet-friendly, great for active households
  • R2X® Performance Fibers — enhance R2X-treated carpets like Fundamental Plush with stain resistance and odor reduction

Next-Day Installations

Empire Today sets itself apart by offering next-day* installation services, allowing customers the option to complete their flooring project(s) faster. After you place your order, Empire can schedule your installation as soon as the next day with no long lead times.

It's important to note that Empire Today's next-day installation service is only available for in-stock carpet and flooring, and only in select areas — this service is not available nationwide.

Free In-Home Estimates

Empire Today’s free in‑home estimate (also called the “Shop‑at‑Home” service) is designed to make flooring shopping easy, personalized, and pressure‑free — here’s a quick breakdown of how the process works:

  1. Schedule your in-home estimate — book a time online or by phone; you'll receive a 2-hour appointment window
  2. Shop-at-home with an Empire flooring consultant — your consultant will arrive with a wide range of flooring samples and provide guidance on material performance and care
  3. Measure and inspect existing flooring — your consultant will measure rooms and assess existing flooring, subfloor, trim, etc.
  4. Receive and all-inclusive price quote — during your in-home estimate, you'll receive a realistic price quote covering materials, installation, old-floor removal and more with no hidden fees
  5. Decide to move forward and schedule your installation — if you decide to move forward with an Empire flooring installation, you'll pay a deposit and schedule the installation

Empire's free in-home estimate gives you a full showroom experience at home — with expert advice, exact measurements, transparent pricing, and flexible scheduling. It’s a streamlined, low-pressure way to start a flooring project — ideal if you want clarity, convenience, and a fast path to installation.

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The Bad

  • Limited Lifetime Warranties

Limited Lifetime Warranties 

Empire Today offers lifetime warranties on some of their flooring products, but not all. A lot of their products will jump down to 10- or 20-year warranties, which may not be what you are looking for. Before committing to Empire Today, check out the warranties section on their website and see what kind of warranties your favorite products have. 

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The Bottom Line

Empire Today stands out in the flooring industry with its highly convenient in-home shopping experience, wide product selection, and fast next-day* installation service for in-stock items. Unlike traditional flooring retailers, Empire brings the showroom to the customer’s home, allowing for personalized consultation, exact measurements, and same-day all-inclusive quotes without hidden fees. This Shop-at-Home approach, combined with the ability to install floors as soon as the next day, positions Empire as a go-to choice for customers seeking speed, convenience, and customization.

The company offers a broad range of carpet and flooring options — including Berber, plush, and commercial-grade carpets, as well as hardwood, laminate, vinyl plank, and tile — with features like waterproofing, stain resistance, and pet-friendly technology. Exclusive offerings like Aqua Defense® vinyl flooring and Fresh Haven® carpet provide added performance and value. Empire also backs many of its products with limited lifetime warranties, and its in-home consultants tailor solutions to meet both style preferences and budget. Award-winning service, clear pricing, and a commitment to quick, quality installation make Empire Today a distinctive leader in the flooring space.

*Next-Day Installation only available on in-stock carpet and flooring styles only in select areas. Excludes floor prep.

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Star Rating

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4.0

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54 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

61%

4 grade

11%

3 grade

7%

2 grade

4%

1 grade

17%

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Holly C.

Buyer Beware. This is a dishonest company that is selling an inferior product. I paid $7,500 for carpeting that doesn't match the sample that I picked out. The installers were awful. They left a huge mess of carpet fibers all over my lawn, put heavy furniture back in the wrong places, walked on my new carpet with wet boots, and there are seams in the middle of rooms and the hallway. It looks like they used remnants instead of room size carpet rolls. Empire's customer service is awful. I have left dozens of messages and nobody calls me back. I bought the protection plan, which is useless since it is nearly impossible to communicate with a supervisor who could actually approve service. Do not use Empire Today, they are the worst.

11 months ago

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vanessa belenger Columbus, OH

To say I am disappointed with the overall customer service is an understatement ! Nearly a year ago I purchased flooring and installation for 3 rooms. One of the flooring's I chose was based on the information I was given, which was that this particular flooring could be installed on the stairs at an additional cost which I agreed to pay. Two days later the floors were installed apart from the stairs as the installers advised that it was not possible to install this flooring on stairs. I called Empire immediately and for a few weeks they tried to resolve the issue, but after that I only heard from them when I reached out to them. Finally we agreed I would get a refund for the stairs. That was the end of October. Surprise, surprise I then heard nothing, they didn't even respond to my emails. Finally I paid someone to come out to sort my stairs to match my floors. I reached out again to Empire and someone did contact me offering less money than originally agreed. I explained it was less than originally agreed and far less than it had cost me to correct their incompetence. Well guess what I am still waiting for them to get back to me !!! If you want a company that stands by what they say and have exceptional customer service DO NOT USE EMPIRE!

5 years ago

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Della Gardner Pacoima, CA

We had new laminate laid with a new subfloor by empire February 2021 after fighting with empire for eight months they sent a contractor to reinstall the laminate flooring they ripped everything up and now empire refuses to do the subfloor the way it was supposed to be done in the first place we already paid Empire to do the subfloor their contractors used cardboard to level out

3 years ago

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James Harrison Fayetteville, NC

I call Empire and made an appointment for them come out and measure and let me chose from their flooring it was scheduled for two weeks later. I received confirmation and several e-mails come the day for appointment no empire, no call no nothing. I call them they tell me I was not on their schedule so who sent the, e-mails and the confirmation a little birdie! I waited on them for two weeks for nothing I must assume it was my zip code?

4 years ago

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Karla Harris Markham, IL

Customer service is terrible. They sent their installers out to install but do not give them enough carpet to complete the installation and will not start the install until they are paid in full. Empire tired to put me off in completing my carpet installation but I was insistent with their unprofessional customer service that my carpet installation be completed on the same day as scheduled. I will never do business with this incompetent, unprofessional company.

1 year ago

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Sonia Hilinski

sales was great. Installers not the best, Argued on how I wanted my stair runner installed to accommodate the trim being installed on the downstairs landing. The installers wanted the “easy” way out. It was done to my specs but man did they have a lot to say about me in spanish thinking i didn’t understand.

2 years ago

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Kimberly Felker Chicago, IL

I got carpet installed and I called because there’s install issues of buckles and raised carpeting in both rooms, they said it was warranty protected when I purchased but wanted me to pay 400.00 to fix the buckles in the carpet from an improper installation . So I still have a bumpy carpet to trip over

2 years ago

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Michael Blitz Hicksville, NY

1. Installer never showed up. 2. Price I was quoted had hidden costs. 3. My neighbor had Empire install flooring in 3 rooms, paid more than originally quoted, and the results look unprofessional.

1 year ago

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D B Indianapolis, IN

They are very expensive and the offers are not the same as on tv commercials!! Very misleading

2 years ago