Northern Lights Design

    Our Process

    How a Project Works, Step by Step

    Eight stages from first conversation to warranty follow-up — with honest timing, a clear split of who owns what, and no ambiguity about installation.

    01

    Consultation

    Owned by: Northern Lights DesignTiming: We follow up as quickly as we can after your inquiry

    We learn the project: rooms, rough square footage, timeline, target budget, and any known problems — a damp basement, a radiant slab, a pet, a rental turnover schedule.

    More details

    No obligation.

    What to bring

    What to bring

    • •Rough measurements or a floor plan
    • •Photos of the space
    • •A cabinet door, paint chip, or inspiration image
    • •Your target budget range
    02

    Material Selection

    Owned by: You + our expert team membersTiming: One or two showroom visits

    We narrow to two or three product lines that fit the room's moisture, traffic, and light — not a catalog dump.

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    You'll see full-size racks, slabs, and tile boards in Lakeside, or trade samples and LVP in Kalispell.

    What to bring

    What to bring

    • •Time to compare in person
    • •Any samples you've already collected
    03

    Samples at Home

    Owned by: YouTiming: A few days

    Flathead Valley winter light is low, cool, and snow-reflected.

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    It changes how oak tone, grout color, and quartz veining read. Live with the finalists in the actual room before deciding.

    What to bring

    What to bring

    • •Patience — this step prevents the most expensive kind of regret
    04

    Written Materials Quote

    Owned by: Northern Lights DesignTiming: 1–3 business days after selection

    Itemized: field material, waste allowance, trim and transitions, underlayment or setting materials, freight, and delivery.

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    Installation labor is not included and is quoted separately by your installer, so you always know which number is whose.

    What to bring

    What to bring

    • •Final measurements from your installer, if available
    05

    Lead-Time Confirmation & Order

    Owned by: Northern Lights DesignTiming: Confirmed in writing before you commit

    We verify current availability before the order is placed.

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    In-stock product can move in days; standard orders typically run 1–3 weeks; slab, imported tile, and special-order hardwood can run 4–8 weeks or longer. Your installer schedules against the confirmed date, not an optimistic one.

    What to bring

    What to bring

    • •A deposit for special-order items
    06

    Staging & Delivery

    Owned by: Northern Lights DesignTiming: Scheduled to your installer's readiness
    Material is received and staged at our Columbia Falls warehouse, inspected, then delivered when the trade is actually ready — not stacked in an unconditioned house for a month.
    What to bring

    What to bring

    • •A confirmed install date and site access
    07

    Installation

    Owned by: Your independent installerTiming: Varies by scope

    Northern Lights Design is a specialty materials supplier — we don't perform installation.

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    You hire your installer directly, and we're glad to refer qualified independent professionals we've worked alongside in the Flathead Valley. We stay available to your installer for product questions throughout.

    What to bring

    What to bring

    • •Acclimation time for wood products, per the manufacturer
    08

    Warranty & Follow-Up

    Owned by: Manufacturer, installer, and usTiming: Ongoing

    Product defects are covered by the manufacturer's warranty, which we help you register and pursue.

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    Workmanship is covered by your installer. We keep your order record so a future repair or addition can be matched to the original dye lot and product line.

    What to bring

    What to bring

    • •Your order paperwork and any leftover attic stock
    Who Does What

    A Clear Split of Responsibility

    Northern Lights Design is a specialty materials supplier — we don't perform installation or fabrication. Here's exactly where each party's responsibility begins and ends.

    Northern Lights Design

    Responsibilities
    • •Product selection guidance
    • •Finish coordination across categories
    • •Sourcing and ordering
    • •Lead-time confirmation
    • •Freight and warehouse staging
    • •Local delivery coordination
    • •Manufacturer warranty support

    Your installer

    Responsibilities
    • •Site measurement
    • •Subfloor evaluation and preparation
    • •Demolition and disposal
    • •Acclimation handling
    • •Installation labor
    • •Workmanship warranty

    You

    Responsibilities
    • •Selecting and contracting your installer
    • •Approving the final material selection
    • •Confirming quantities against your installer's measurements
    • •Scheduling site access

    For the full warranty breakdown between manufacturer, supplier, and installer, see our warranty page.

    Start Where You Fit

    The process above applies to every project, but the first conversation differs by audience. Homeowners start with a design and materials consultation. Builders and designers start with our builder and designer resources. Commercial buyers start with a specification and lead-time review.

    Common Questions

    Process Questions, Answered FAQ

    No. Northern Lights Design is a specialty materials supplier — we don't perform installation. We provide product selection, design guidance, sourcing, ordering, and delivery coordination. Installation is completed by qualified independent professionals you hire directly, and we're happy to refer installers we've worked alongside across Northwest Montana.

    Yes. The initial design and materials consultation carries no obligation. We'd rather spend an hour making sure a product fits your room than sell you something that fails in two winters.

    Measurement is your installer's responsibility, because the person cutting the material should own the quantity. We'll work from your installer's measurements — or from your rough numbers for a preliminary budget — and we always build in a waste allowance appropriate to the product and layout.

    In: field material, waste allowance, trim and transitions, underlayment or setting materials, freight, and delivery. Not in: installation labor, subfloor preparation, demolition, disposal, and fabrication. Those come from your installer or fabricator so you can see exactly which costs belong to which party.

    For an in-stock product with a decisive homeowner, consultation to delivery can happen inside two weeks. A whole-home package with slab counters and special-order tile more commonly runs 6–10 weeks from first consultation to final delivery. Lead time on the material, not our process, is almost always the long pole.

    It depends on what went wrong. Manufacturing defects — finish failure, delamination, dye-lot variation outside tolerance — fall to the manufacturer, and we help you document and pursue the claim. Installation problems such as inadequate expansion gaps, improper acclimation, or subfloor preparation fall to your installer. Our warranty page explains the division in more detail.

    A member of our team contacts you by phone or email, usually within one business day, to confirm scope and schedule a showroom visit at Lakeside or Kalispell. Bring rough measurements, photos, a cabinet door or paint chip, and a target budget range — that first meeting accomplishes far more when we can compare materials in context.
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