With more than 50 years in the hardwood business, I have been in the very familiar position of having to tell the general contractor or homeowner that their site isn’t ready to receive flooring material, let alone for it to be installed. These demands happened to a lesser degree in the first half of my career when most hardwood jobs were site-finished floors. At that time, the builders and homeowners seemed to accept (generally) that the floor should be one of the last surfaces to be installed. Staining and finishing never worked well with other trades on-site. The advances in factory-finished and engineered flooring have shifted the building industry into expecting flooring to be installed when they decide. Does “Don’t worry, we’ll cover it” and “it will be fine” sound familiar?
As a hardwood inspector and technical services director for Galleher LLC, I’ve seen numerous floors that were covered for extensive periods of time, only to discover damage when the protection was removed. Many of those requiring full replacement. When a floor is installed weeks and months in advance, the probability of it being damaged increases exponentially. Possible damage can range from dents and scratches, surface burnishing, dry cupping, overheating (radiant heating), and embedded construction and drywall dust, to name a few. The unfortunate part of this scenario is the retailer or installer may be held responsible for the damage. It’s not uncommon for blame to be placed on the flooring when damage is discovered. It’s baffling when a costly hardwood floor is treated slightly better than a plywood subfloor.
Even with the advances in finishes and the construction of engineered wood flooring, our industry still requires flooring to be delivered only after occupancy-ready conditions have been established. When bending to these schedule demands, the responsibility will fall on the flooring professional, as you are the expert. Painting, cement, or stucco contractors don’t work in poor weather conditions just because the general contractor demanded it. We have to be the experts and professionals they’ve hired and push back against these schedule demands.
Useful Tip From an Inspector:
The requirements for proper site conditions and installation schedules should be discussed at the point of sale. Virtually every wood flooring manufacturer has identical requirements on how they expect their products to be handled. Every specifier, contractor, or end-user should have complete instructions and product requirements emailed in their contract. Email the instructions so you have documentation that your customer received the information.
The requirements for proper site conditions and installation schedules should be discussed at the point of sale. Virtually every wood flooring manufacturer has identical requirements on how they expect their products to be handled. Most of these requirements fall in line with the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA)’s technical publications, Moisture and Wood and Wood Flooring Installation Guidelines. Many manufacturers cite the NWFA as their source for handling and installing their products. However, you may find instructions specific to a mill that will take precedence over other guidelines.
Advances in Wood Flooring Technology
Our industry has made advances in terminology, technology, testing equipment, and a greater understanding of wood through science. We have great tools that can be used to support us during the discussions about improper site conditions and early installation. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-capable moisture meters, hygrometers, concrete testing, and data loggers are necessary equipment in today’s industry.
Access to information and the ability to create documents and files is incredible. In a matter of minutes, complete instructions and specifications can be sent anywhere in the world. Every specifier, contractor, or end-user should have complete instructions and product requirements emailed in their contract. Even with a cash-and-carry sale, fair or not, a retailer will be held responsible for properly handling the products they sell. If an issue arises, the retailer will be the first to be notified. You’ll probably hear something like, “but no one told me” or “I relied on you to tell me.” Email the instructions so you have documentation that your customer received the information.
Our industry has made advances in terminology, technology, testing equipment, and a greater understanding of wood through science. We have great tools that can be used to support us during the discussions about improper site conditions and early installation. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-capable moisture meters, hygrometers, concrete testing, and data loggers are necessary equipment in today’s industry. We don’t have to rely on experience; we have these advances at our fingertips. I’ll leave you with a few terms I use that may help you in future discussions with the “take no for an answer” general contractor or homeowner. These terms are as follows:
- occupancy-ready conditions
- proper climate control
- manufacturer requirements
- equilibrium moisture content (EMC)
- relative humidity
- site conditions
- wet trades
- data logger
- wood moisture content
- operational HVAC
- best practices
- proper acclimation
- wood moisture baseline
- before, during, and after installation
- conditions in your region
Are you interested in becoming an NWFA Certified Inspector? Learn more about the program.
Contact Kjell Nymark at 314.288.5848 or kjell.nymark@nwfa.org or Katie Norton at 636.736.5227 or katherine.norton@nwfa.org.
Hopefully, when using the information and tools at our disposal, we can slow these demands and take back control of a schedule proven to be the best practice for our industry.
For additional information, check out the NWFA’s Technical Guidelines at nwfa.org/technical-guidelines/.
Carl Mattingly is a hardwood inspector and technical services director for Galleher LLC in Concord, California. In the hardwood industry for 52 years, he has been an NWFA Certified Wood Flooring Inspector since 2009. Contact him at cmattingly@galleher.com.
