{"citations":{"source_mix":{"company_owned":15,"independent":21,"unclear":2},"sources_referenced_by_questions":0,"support_mix":{"direct":31,"partial":5},"total_sources":38,"unique_domain_count":16},"claims":[{"claim_id":"claim-001","confidence":"verified","observed_at":"2026-10-02","platform_support":["anthropic","deepseek","google","grok","kimi","openai","perplexity"],"predicate":"platforms_analyzed","qualifier":"valid included platform responses","subject":"Best Hardwood Flooring Installation Companies","unit":"platforms","value":7},{"claim_id":"claim-002","confidence":"verified","observed_at":"2026-10-02","platform_support":["grok","perplexity"],"predicate":"final_consensus_rank","qualifier":"hardwood floor installation","subject":"National Floors Direct","unit":"rank","value":9},{"claim_id":"claim-003","confidence":"verified","observed_at":"2026-10-02","platform_support":["grok","perplexity"],"predicate":"platform_mentions","qualifier":"out of 7","subject":"National Floors Direct","unit":"platforms","value":2},{"claim_id":"claim-004","confidence":"verified","observed_at":"2026-10-02","platform_support":["anthropic"],"predicate":"fit_rating_count","qualifier":"good","subject":"National Floors Direct","unit":"platforms","value":1},{"claim_id":"claim-005","confidence":"verified","observed_at":"2026-10-02","platform_support":["openai","grok","perplexity","google"],"predicate":"fit_rating_count","qualifier":"mixed","subject":"National Floors Direct","unit":"platforms","value":4},{"claim_id":"claim-006","confidence":"verified","observed_at":"2026-10-02","platform_support":["deepseek","kimi"],"predicate":"fit_rating_count","qualifier":"uncertain","subject":"National Floors Direct","unit":"platforms","value":2}],"content_scope":"aggregated facts, computed metrics, and retrieval summaries","entities":[{"average_rank":5.5,"best_rank":4,"entity_id":"entity-001","entity_type":"company","final_rank":9,"name":"National Floors Direct","platform_mentions":2,"platform_share":0.2857142857142857}],"identity":{"dataset_url":"https://homeimprovementconsensusindex.com/datasets/flooring-installation/hardwood-floor-installation/national-floors-direct.json","page_url":"https://homeimprovementconsensusindex.com/flooring-installation/hardwood-floor-installation/national-floors-direct","report_type":"fit_review","study_id":"HICI-STUDY-297A44265290","title":"National Floors Direct Review for hardwood floor installation"},"limitations":["Use the run researchdate as the study date. Platform-reported dates are provenance metadata and do not independently prove freshness.","All included platforms evaluated fit, but platformmentions counts only platforms that named the entity during ranking discovery.","Do not resolve conflicting product names, pricing, or capabilities by guessing; describe the conflict and tell buyers what to verify.","The supplied URLs were collected from platform responses and were not independently validated by the writer stage.","Platform-reported research dates differ from the authoritative run date; disclose this as a methodology limitation.","The deterministic identity audit contains qualification notes that must be disclosed where relevant.","Citations are platform-reported evidence, not independently verified facts. No-search model claims require explicit verification before being described as current facts."],"methodology":{"fit_rating_contract":["strong","good","mixed","weak","uncertain"],"included_valid_platform_count":7,"maximum_finalists":10,"minimum_mentions":2,"name":"Home Improvement Consensus Index cross-platform AI consensus analysis","platforms_included":["anthropic","deepseek","google","grok","kimi","openai","perplexity"],"platforms_queried":["openai","anthropic","deepseek","grok","perplexity","kimi","google"],"stages":["ranking_discovery","fit_assessment","normalization","editorial_synthesis"],"version":"alias-table-1"},"provenance":{"generated_at":"2026-10-02 08:58:20.156421+00","research_date":"2026-10-02","source_snapshot_sha256":"6a4ba6c2afe1a4a36d6099591d96816f803008f0f52c34d11a2cabf713725ac4","verification_scope":"public_verification"},"ranking":{"candidates_evaluated":35,"qualified_finalists":9,"ranking_unit":"Flooring retailer, manufacturer, or installation contractor"},"schema_version":4,"summary":"National Floors Direct is a mixed fit for hardwood floor installation. Two of seven platforms named it during the ranking stage, at an average listed rank of 5.5 (best rank 4). Its strongest reason to consider it is a single-vendor hardwood service that states it performs moisture testing, acclimation, and subfloor preparation, backed by an advertised lifetime installation guarantee . The main limitation is verification: no public itemized hardwood pricing, unclear site-finishing capability, and materially conflicting review evidence, including regulatory records . Buyers should require a…","target_buyer":"A homeowner laying solid or engineered hardwood across main living areas and comparing installers on subfloor prep and finish.","topic":{"base_category":"Flooring Installation","category_criteria":["subfloor preparation","acclimatisation practice","site finishing quality","material range and quality","subfloor preparation","installation craftsmanship","lead time","price transparency","wear and finish warranty","customer review strength"],"geography":"United States","slug":"best-hardwood-flooring-installation-companies","title":"Best Hardwood Flooring Installation Companies","use_case":"hardwood floor installation"}}