Installer/Owner Responsibilities

Hardwood flooring is a product of nature and its inherent beauty stems from the fact that each piece is unique with no two pieces the same. As wood flooring is a product of nature, the installer and/or owner, have the following responsibilities:

1. Understanding how the floor will look once installed – the installer and owner must meet prior to installation to review:
   1. How was the floor chosen? Review the control samples, (the samples from which the floor was chosen), and compare to the actual flooring batch onsite prior to installation to make sure it meets the owner’s expectations as to:
      1. Grade – is it the correct grade? Also grade from batch to batch may vary slightly so make sure the owner is happy with this batch of flooring you are about to install.
      2. Color/Graining - do certain dark/light pieces or wild grained need to be graded out to meet the owner’s expectations?
      3. Color Variation, Batch to Batch – inspect the production run of flooring you received and make sure it meets your expectations. Wood from different locales can have varying colors and grains and differ from the samples from which the floor was chosen. Tint colors may also vary slightly batch to batch. Make sure the owner will be happy with the batch they received
      4. Color Change - do they understand how the wood will change color over time? The owner may have chosen their floor from samples that have aged so they need to understand in advance of installation the color change to be expected in this wood.

   Congratulations! You have now made sure that the owner will not be disappointed once the flooring is installed and they see it for the first time!! Wood Flooring International cannot be responsible for visual issues once the flooring is installed.
   

2. Installer responsibilities during installation:
   1. Receive the floor & make sure it is as ordered and meets the owner’s expectations.
   2. Test the subfloor and relative humidity on site to make sure the flooring will perform satisfactorily on this installation.
   3. Follow the installation Instructions.
   4. Grade out any pieces with visible defects and stop the installation should a reoccurring problem be found, (over the 5% allowed by industry practices). DO NOT INSTALL pieces with visible defects.
3. Keep a Permanent Job Record – use Wood Flooring International’s Permanent Job Record to record this on.
4. Make sure the owner understands that wood and water, (as well as wood and overly dry conditions), do not mix as wood flooring is a natural material and will shrink/cup/move when over-dried and will expand, delaminate, warp and buckle/cup when over-wetted.
5. Make sure the owner understands how to maintain the floor. Give them a copy of Wood Flooring International’s Maintenance Instructions and Flooring Warranty.