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Most wood flooring contractors cringe at the thought of dealing with an angry customer callback. Phone calls from irate customers aren't just annoying, they are harmful to a business. Regardless of who is at fault, the time that you or your employees spend fielding complaint calls or going back to a job site to fix a problem is time taken away from servicing current clients and developing new business. Callbacks not only bite into your profit margin, they take their toll on employee morale.
Everyone in the company, from the installer to the salesperson, has a role in reducing your callback rate. The more you know about your product and the causes of callbacks in your business, the better you are able to educate your employees and customers. Here are seven common customer complaints and what you can do to fix them and prevent them from happening again.
1) Gaps Between Boards
Gaps between boards are a common customer complaint, especially with the wide flooring that is currently in fashion. Gaps occur when the flooring loses moisture and the boards shrink. Some gaps are normal and appear seasonally during periods of low humidity—usually in the winter. If the homeowner has only recently started to notice the gaps, or if they appear to be worsening, check the humidity level in the home, and make sure that the HVAC is running and that the proper humidity level is set for the outside temperature.
Educating the customer up front about the product helps reduce complaints about seasonal gaps. During the product selection process, let the customer know that the wide-plank solid flooring can have wide seasonal gaps between the boards— 1/32 of an inch up to 1/4 of an inch. Light-colored flooring and square-edged floors also tend to show gaps more than dark, beveled-edge flooring. Also make sure that the homeowner regularly monitors the indoor climate—relative humidity should fall between 30 and 50 percent, and the temperature should be between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Assure the homeowner that normal gaps will disappear once conditions return to normal.
Abnormal gaps are more severe, and they remain in the floor after seasonal fluctuations in humidity. Abnormal gaps can occur for a variety of reasons, including having excessive moisture in the subfloor or flooring during installation that later dries out, or using an improper nailing schedule. In order to fix the problem, the cause of the gaps needs to be remedied. Check that indoor humidity levels are within the normal range and the source of excessive moisture has been eliminated. Small gaps up to 3/32 of an inch can be filled with a wood filler and refinished. Large gaps can be repaired with a "Dutchman," or sliver of matching wood between the gaps, followed by a sand and recoat. If the gaps are extensive and don't change with increased humidity levels, the only option is to replace the floor.
Preventing abnormal gaps in the floor involves a thorough check of the flooring and job site before installation. Check that there are no sources of excessive moisture, and take several moisture readings of the subfloor and bundles of wood to ensure that the wood is properly acclimated. For solid strip flooring, the moisture content of the wood and subfloor should be within 4 percentage points of each other. Know what the average moisture content is in your area, and make sure the wood maintains that average moisture content during seasonal extremes of high or low relative humidity. Also, check for sources of hot spots in the subfloor such as poorly insulated hot water pipes and radiant heat systems. Make sure you use a proper vapor barrier on the subfloor, such as 15-pound asphalt felt paper over joists or 6-mil poly over concrete.
Installation methods can vary by product and manufacturer. Follow the recommended nailing schedule and use the proper fasteners to ensure the boards fit together tightly. Taking the time to follow proper installation guidelines helps ensure that you won't be called back to fix gaps later.
2) Cupped Floors
The opposite of gaps, cupping is caused by the flooring gaining moisture and expanding, creating raised edges and lower centers on the boards. Similar to gaps, this customer complaint is caused by excessive moisture, usually in the subfloor. Appliance leaks, seepage from outside, wet basements or crawlspaces, poor ventilation and improper installation techniques are other possible causes of cupped floors.
In many cases, a cupped floor will flatten out once moisture levels have returned to normal. Emphasize to the homeowner that it could take weeks or even months for the floors to flatten. In severe cases, resanding the floor will correct the problem. Before you attempt to resand an angry homeowner's cupped floor, be sure that the source of moisture has been removed and that the cupping is a permanent condition. If you sand a cupped floor flat before it has completely dried, it will crown and create yet another callback. Take several moisture readings on and around the floor and at different depths in the boards. If there is more than 1 percent moisture difference between the bottom and the surface of the boards, the floor probably needs further drying.
Following proper installation methods for the product and your area helps prevent cupping. Making sure job-site conditions are ready for installation—wet trades are out, HVAC is running, subfloor is at an acceptable moisture content— prevents problems later. If you live in an area that has large fluctuations in temperature and humidity, it's even more critical that job-site conditions are normal for the area. For example, if you install a floor in the Midwest in the middle of winter when humidity levels are low and you install the boards tight without expansion space, chances are the homeowner will be calling you in the summer complaining of a cupped floor.
3) Bubbles, Grit or Scratches in the Finish
Large picture windows and bright track lights prevalent in many of today's homes magnify finish irregularities for a discerning homeowner. Having your finish job in the spotlight means homeowners are able to spot mistakes and call you on it. Remember, the industry standard is that floors should be inspected from a standing position under normal lighting. A customer on his hands and knees showing you the problem when the light hits it from a certain angle is considered unreasonable. The most common flaws are debris or scratches in the finish, bubbles and peeling. In most cases, a screen and recoat will correct the problem. If the problem is isolated, you may be able to do a spot finish repair.
Most of these finish mistakes are the result of rushing the finishing process. If you aren't willing to take the time to do a careful finishing job, you'll likely make a return trip to the job site to fix your sloppy work. The best way to avoid contamination or grit in the finish is to practice cleanliness. This means thoroughly cleaning all buckets and applicators, vacuuming and tacking before applying the finish and keeping yourself and the work area clean. Many manufacturers recommend straining the finish. To avoid scratches, make sure you let each coat of finish dry before the next coat of finish is applied. Then, let the homeowner know when it is safe to move furniture and rugs onto the floor.
Dried bubbles in the finish can be caused by overworking the finish during the application, drying the finish too quickly, having hot or cool spots on the floor or applying finish in a low room temperature.
Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for mixing, applying and drying the finish between coats. Most manufacturers recommend having the HVAC system off during application and turned back on once the finish has set.
Finish delaminating from the surface creates a peeling effect. This lack of adhesion can be caused by inadequately removing contaminants or old finish, not allowing enough dry time between coats, not properly tacking or abrading between coats or using stains and finishes that are not compatible. Don't cut corners by skipping steps between coats or attempt to be your own finish chemist by mixing products that aren't compatible. A phone call to the finish manufacturer could save you a resand and refinish.
4) Machine Marks on the Floor
Just as large windows and bright lights highlight finish problems, they also showcase sanding mistakes. Unevenness in the floor caused by drum marks, chatter and wave marks can catch the homeowner's eye, especially after the final coat of finish is applied. There are several causes for sanding imperfections, including not following the proper grit sequence, not fixing subfloor problems, sanding at the wrong angle, using equipment that is worn or out of balance, or having an over- or under-powered electrical source.
To fix the problems, in most cases, the floor needs to be sanded to bare wood using a buffer and a hard plate to blend in the scratches and imperfections. Work right to left in the direction of the grain, slightly overlapping your last pass. In more severe cases, you'll need to do a total resand starting with the big machine. With the big machine, first sand the floor at a 7-degree angle, then repeat going in a straight line.
Sanding mishaps can be prevented by taking the time to train your crew on correct sanding techniques. A quality check should always be performed before finish is applied. Another important preventive measure is having your equipment serviced regularly. Have a technician check the wheels, belts, bearings, drum and rollers, and replace worn parts. Check with the manufacturer for proper storage and care of your machine. Also, before you begin work, use a voltmeter to check that you have 220-volt electrical service.
5) Floor Squeaks
If the customer complains of squeaks on a recently installed floor, chances are there was an error with the installation allowing movement in the subfloor or flooring. There could be many causes. Improper subfloor material such as particleboard won't have the necessary holding power, allowing the floor to move. The wrong fastener schedule—either too few or too many—can cause a loose floor. Applying the wrong type or amount of adhesive could cause the same problem. If the subfloor wasn't flat before the flooring was installed, there could be high or low spots in the flooring, which could also create the noise. Occasionally, a manufacturing defect in the flooring is the culprit.
Depending on the severity of the squeaks, you may be able to fix the problem spots by fastening the loose boards from below through the subfloor or on the surface by applying facenails, screws or plugs. There are also adhesive kits available that allow you to drill a hole and inject adhesive into the floor. Keep in mind when repairing boards on the surface that the customer may not want a blemish in the floor, especially if it's in a prominent area. If the squeaks are prevalent throughout, a complete tearout and possible subfloor repair is the only solution.
Following NWFA's Installation Guidelines and the manufacturer's recommendations is the best way to prevent a noisy floor. Check that the subfloor is flat—within 1/4 of an inch over a 10-foot span or 3/16 of an inch over a 6-foot span for installations using mechanical fasteners more than 1 1/2 inch, or 3/16 of an inch over a 10-foot span or 1/8 of an inch over a 6-foot span for glue-down installations and when using mechanical fasteners less than 1 1/2 inch. Also check for weak spots in the subfloor, and use the proper fasteners, trowel or adhesive for the flooring you're installing. If there are manufacturing defects, find them before you install the flooring by carefully inspecting the product.
6) Some Boards Don't Match
Just as you should inspect the product for defects, you should also make sure that it is the color and grade the customer anticipated. A homeowner who just paid a substantial amount of money to have a floor a certain color or grade doesn't want to have an oddball piece of flooring that's darker than the rest of the floor or riddled with knots, even if it is technically acceptable in that grade. As the contractor, you are the final inspector of the flooring. It sounds simple enough, but you can save yourself the hassle of having to do board replacements by carefully racking out the floor and weeding out boards that look out of place. Either discard these boards or install them in a less conspicuous area, such as a closet. Occasionally, a flaw appears after the seal coat is applied. It's easier to repair the board right away rather than having to make a return trip to an angry customer's house after the final coat is applied. Have a sample of the flooring ready for the customer to approve, and make sure your flooring matches that sample.
7) Wrong Color or Sheen
Similar to the problem above, this callback is also about not meeting the customer's expectations. If the stain color or finish isn't what the homeowner wanted, you'll likely have to resand and reapply the correct color stain or screen and recoat the floor and apply a new coat of finish. Have the customer approve stain and finish samples. It's a good idea to have the customer approve the stain color on a portion of the real floor under the real lighting conditions and sign off on her choice before proceeding with the rest of the job.
Step back from the job and put yourself in the homeowner's shoes. Inspect your work from the customer's point of view. If you notice any flaws, chances are they won't make it past a discerning homeowner. Educate your crew on proper jobsite procedures, and make quality and customer satisfaction a top priority in your business. Resist the temptation to rush a job to please an impatient customer or general contractor. In the end, you'll be remembered not by how quickly you did the job, but the quality of your work. Taking the time to correct problems and doing the job right the first time will save you time, headaches and money.
Sources for this article included John Blesing, Blesing's Flooring; Richard Conway, All Wood Floorcraft; Frank Kroupa and Rusty Swindoll, NWFA; John Lessick, Apex Wood Floors Inc.; and Mickey Moore, NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association.
Handling the Unhappy Customer
No contractor likes to hear an angry customer on the other end of the line, but sometimes those calls are inevitable. Here are a few tips to help prevent the complaint call from escalating into an ugly shouting match.
1. Listen. Before you jump to conclusions or start pleading your case, listen to what the customer has to say. Sometimes an angry caller just needs to vent. When the customer is finished talking, then address the situation.
This also prevents you from blurting out the first thought that comes to your mind—a thought that will likely offend the customer.
2. Be objective. Take your emotions out of it, and don't take the complaint personally. Mistakes do happen, and until you know all of the facts, it may be difficult to determine who's at fault.
3. Be sympathetic. Put yourself in the customer's shoes. Treat the customer as you would like to be treated in the same situation. Reassure the angry caller that you will inspect the floor and do everything you can to remedy the situation.
4. Keep documentation. Record the time and date of the call, the details of the complaint and your plan of action. Make sure you have the customer's correct name and address, a list of products and procedures used on the job, and the names of the crew members who worked on the job.
5. Be prompt. Don't put the customer off. Address the problem as soon as possible. The sooner you inspect the floor and see the problem firsthand, the sooner you'll know how to resolve the situation. — C.L.