Floor failures plague the flooring industry due to lack of regulation, installer training and contracts being awarded to the lowest bidder. By specifying the NFCA Floor Covering Reference Manual and Quality Assurance Inspection Service, building owners, consultants and general contractors are assured that national installation standards will apply, qualified installers will be on the job and warranties will be left in place.

Common examples of flooring problems.

Sub-floor Flatness issues. Between the time the main concrete is poured and when the floor coverings are installed, new concrete slabs curl and sag, resulting in the need for additional leveling work. NFCA standards state: It shall be the responsibility of the General Contractor to provide conditions acceptable for the installation of floor covering materials. This shall include the provision of floor levels, finish tolerances, and conditions in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations and minimum requirements.

Inadequate sub-floor preparation. Avoid leaving the new concrete overly polished when resilient flooring is specified. Too much power troweling can tighten (densify) the concrete surface, decreasing its' ability to release moisture, which will lead to extended slab dry times. In such a circumstance a Calcium Chloride Moisture Test could give a test result within manufacturers guide lines (3 - 5 lbs MVER), when in fact the slab, at deeper levels, is still too wet for installation. An RH, In-Situ Probe Test, taken at the same time for example, might well test too high for many flooring
products (80% +).

Inadequate Moisture Testing. ASTM concrete moisture tests are complicated, time consuming & expensive to take properly and are required for warranty purposes. NFCA specs require the General Contractor to provide and pay for such testing using a third party testing agency for a variety of reasons. Eg: a 30,000 sqft area requires 32 individual tests to meet the ASTM spec. The GC is in control of the site and can therefore clear the test area of all trades to avoid test spoiling. Also, RH In-Situ Probe tests require drilling into the subfloor which presents the risk of hitting a pipe or power cable.

Installation issues. Seam sealer (adhesive) prevents cut carpet seams from unravelling after installation and is required by NFCA and Manufacturer specs for warranty purposes. To save installation time, seam sealer is often not applied by the installer which leads to the problem shown in this image. It's easy for an inspector to check for the presence of seam sealer after installation, however, it's not easy for the installer to correct the error afterwards and yet this is one of the most common problems we experience when inspecting carpet installations.

Inadequate Moisture testing. Carpet tile, like any floor covering, requires careful attention be paid to manufacturers installation instructions. This installation failed due to a combination of errors. High alkalinity present in the concrete and incorrect product acclimation resulting in product expansion causing compression and peaking at the seams. Also the product was installed with the pattern 'in line', against manufacturers instructions which called for a 'quarter turn' style of installation. Installing carpet tiles at 90 degrees to each other helps disguise acceptable installation imperfections.

Product acclimation. 90% of Luxury Vinyl Tile/Plank installation failures are the result of installing product that is too cold. Proper storage and conditioning of new LVT/P to site conditions (the area of installation, not a garage or a storage container on site) is often overlooked. As the packages are opened and the product installed, the individual pieces warm up and expand. Check ambient, sub-floor and product temperature before you install

Sub-floor Preparation. Leveling compounds will not bond to inadequately prepared substrates as seen in this image. NFCA standards state: 'The General Contractor shall ensure, and the flooring contractor shall verify, that all substrate surfaces required to be patched are structurally sound and are clean, dry and free from alkali, dust, dirt, adhesives, paint, varnish, solvents, oils and grease, waxes, release agents, sealers and curing and hardening compounds detrimental to the installation of patching materials to be used.

Installation issues. External flash-coved corners are stronger when fitted with a "butterfly v-plug" insert.

Installation issues. Flash cove installations require the use of a 'cove former' piece or 'fillet strip' to facilitate the transition of resilient flooring from floor to wall. Without this support strip the flooring material will tear and fail as chair legs and janitorial equipment etc. contact the transition.

Switching adhesives to save money during installation is a common cause of problems in the floor covering industry. To protect against this, adhesive manufacturers include tiny identification markers in their products called Mylar Chips, as seen in this photograph.

Sub-floor preparation. Resilient flooring, when bonded with an adhesive, follows every contour of a substrate, essentially forming a skin. Joints, cracks, depressions, protrusions, and seemingly insignificant imperfections on a substrate surface may telegraph through and become very obvious after the resilient flooring is installed particularly if the flooring has a high gloss finish.

Installation issues. Installing resilient flooring requires training, skill and experience to achieve successful results. Due to lack of training and contracts being awarded to the lowest bidder, many perfectly good flooring products do not last the test of time as they were designed to. In this case, seams were grooved too deep, too wide and too fast, resulting in weld failure.

Product acclimation. A steel container is no place to store floor coverings on site. NFCA inspectors see many product failures related to this practice. NFCA standards state: 'Sufficient secure, dry, and heated storage space shall be provided by the General Contractor or Owner. Deliver all materials to work areas when required and a minimum of 48 hours before installation to condition materials to site temperature and humidity conditions.'