At greenbuildingsupply.com you can purchase small samples of all of our products so you don’t have to guess which product works best for you. This saves time, money, and frustration.

If you’ve ever dated, you know it’s somewhat of a test. That may have been painful or enjoyable, but you learned something you would not have known otherwise. For better or for worse, it was a smart move. Likewise, test driving cars or bikes, sampling food at Costco, and trying on clothing before purchase gives you a real life experience you could not get any other way.

Since testing is a normal part of consumer behavior, why don’t we apply the same behavior when shopping for building materials? This is partly because most hardware and box stores as well as most internet retailers don’t offer samples for testing. So, we decided to change that.

Samples are available for almost all of our liquid products, flooring, roofing, and cabinetry. For some of our flooring, we offer sustainable sample box rentals which include an entire collection of colors. We offer a refund for all flooring sample returns. We re-use flooring samples to avoid adding more waste to landfills.

Researching products online is great because in minutes you can learn a lot about a product’s technical data, ingredients, safety features, application, and much more. While all that information is useful, it doesn’t provide you with a reality test.

The pictures online can look captivating, but the product may appear much different in your home with your lighting. The product may have a green label and be third-party certified yet it could still emit some odors that are offensive to you and your family. There could be hundreds of 5-star reviews, but none of them apply to your unique situation in your home, in your climate, with your construction.

We have learned that the best way to understand how a product will look, how it will perform, and how it will affect the health of you, your family, and your pets is to test a small sample first. Only through personal testing of a real sample in your own home with your lighting can you confirm that it will be pleasing to the eye, coordinate with your existing decor, perform well, and be safe for you and your family.

Our experienced customers have learned—usually the hard way—that whenever they have a new project that requires something new, it’s always safer, cheaper, and faster to test a sample first.

If you want to:

• See how something looks on your floor or wall. Test it first.
• See how you, your family, or your pets will react to a product. Test it first.
• See how well it holds up on your specific surface. Test it first.
• Avoid buying the wrong product and having to return it. Test it first.
• Avoid harm to you or your family. Test it first.
• Avoid product failure. Test it first.

When it comes to aesthetics, performance and personal health, nothing is better than testing with a small sample first. This is especially true if you are very detail oriented, have special needs, or are chemically sensitive.

Click here to see how to test for your own personal sensitivity.

Please call us at 800.405.0222 if you need more information about how to test a product. We're happy to consult on this or any other sustainability issue.

At Green Building Supply, we are passionate testers. We’ve been field testing products for more than three decades and have built our entire product line and reputation on personal testing.

Click Here for more info about how we research and test the products we sell.

 

by Green Building Supply's     
Joel Hirshberg         
©2023