“Give an example of a customer evaluating the finish using a direct light source. How do you respond to this type of evaluation?”
Lenny Hall – Endurance Floor Company
If a client sees something in the floor, whether in the wood surface like a stray scratch, or finish coating like a bit of grit, AND it’s seen under scrutinizing conditions of a direct light source such as a glare from floor to ceiling windows, focused high hat lighting, or even them using a flashlight or bending down really close to the floor, I remind them that this is a handmade product to be observed while standing and without the previously mentioned focus lighting. I also remind them handmade products can have rare and small imperfections but not to the point that they will be detrimental to the overall aesthetic or detrimental to the floor’s performance. If it is something very small, and quickly repaired or moved, we just fix it. We have many interim checks so that this situation rarely happens to us.
Mike Somodean – MSCS Inc.
I had an experience with this a long time ago and it taught me to pay extra attention to the high traffic and high interest areas of the job. We will assess the jobsite for back light that reflects on the floor, whether it’s the windows, a door, or recess lights. We take extra steps and slow it down to the point where we do not leave anything that might invite questions. I’m not saying we are perfect, but I’ve learned to manage expectations and then make sure we take steps that will yield a final product that meets those desired outcomes. On top of that, I do have several paragraphs in my contract that address the fact that our work will meet or exceed the NWFA guidelines. Then, if it comes to that, I can easily send a reference to the NWFA guidelines for inspecting the floor.
Ideally, the final walk through would just be casual, looking around. I can usually foresee if it’s the type of customer that’s really going to be getting down on the floor to check things out and saying something along the lines of, ‘when I look at the floor standing at my counter at 4:27 in the afternoon on a sunny day…’ We take a lot of pride in our work, but I’m very big on setting the right expectations beforehand instead of offering explanations after the fact.
Scott Taylor – NWFA Certified Wood Flooring Inspector
I explain to them that in order for an inspector to examine what we would refer to as an irregularity, we have to establish what the industry allows for irregularities and those have to be judged from a standing position. I have the homeowner give me an area they find to be objectionable and I set up my camera on a tripod that is at about their height. I set my camera up, I take a picture of the objectionable finish or sanding mark. Next, I will close the shades if they have them or cover the window because I think low lying light is one of the biggest magnifiers of any finish issue.
I try to explain to every homeowner that it’s very challenging when you have this light sweeping across a floor where the contractor applied the finish and then had to leave the jobsite. If there was dust falling or other things out of his/her control, it may have magnified while they were gone. I tell the homeowner it would be very similar to putting a spotlight at the bottom of a wall and turning it on, as the amount of imperfections you would see would be drastically different. So, I walk them through what is acceptable by the industry and show them how I determine it. A lot of times, it’s not just finish; it’s the sanding imperfections.
I take a picture with the direct/sweeping light source, then remove the direct/sweeping light source and take a second picture from the exact same spot, then compare the two pictures in the report. I’ll show where the irregularity is if the direct light source is removed and that it’s no longer visible. According to industry guidelines this would be considered an acceptable finish application.