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Q: My crews install unfinished floors, but we're planning to start to installing prefinished floors, as well. What do we need to know?
A: With hardwood flooring sales up in all segments of the industry, from professional installation to DIY projects and from new construction to remodeling,demand is increasing dramatically for prefinished flooring. Prefinished products take many of the variables away from the job site—the sanding and finishing is done in carefully monitored conditions with state-of-the-art equipment. But even though the manufacturer takes care of the finishing, it is still the installer's responsibility to know how to install the product.
To realize the importance of this, all we have to do is look at our complaint logs. As a manufacturer,we track claims and complaints. They may include problems with milling or finish, but most times, the problems are related to installation. This also is the easiest problem to avoid.
Do you know it all?
Now think of this: Most wood flooring installer shave a background of working with unfinished flooring, where a large part of their attention is focused on sanding and finishing. If you are familiar with unfinished wood floors, you're already a step ahead. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that just because you know how to install, sand and finish a wood floor, that you already know everything there is to know about factory-finished floors.
One key difference between the products is in handling. Installers working with unfinished flooring are used to tossing it around the job site and beating it with a mallet as hard as necessary. It doesn't matter: Minor dings and scuffs will be gone once the floor is sanded. Not so with prefinished products. While the products are far from fragile,they certainly require more careful handling during installation than their unfinished counterparts. That can take some getting used to for contractors accustomed to just banging the floor in.
Along those lines, make sure that tools such as nailers don't scuff the flooring. Some contractors use a thin layer of blue tape on the nailer's base plate to help protect the flooring. Also, pay attention to where and how you handle your tools on the jobsite—laying that circular saw on the wood floor could mar the finish. Many contractors use a piece of the box the flooring came in to protect the floors when they set their tools down.
Flooring that is glued down adds another level of caution to the installation, since the most beautiful finish can be ruined by smears of adhesive on the flooring surface. If adhesive does get on the finish,immediately follow the manufacturer's directions for how to remove it without damaging the finish.
Another common mistake unfinished installers make is assuming they don't need to be as careful with job site preparation for prefinished products. For example, they may be more careless about moisture testing or other subfloor preparation. Since the floor won't be sanded, you need to be especially careful about making sure the subfloor is flat. Also, follow the manufacturer's recommendations for moisture conditions in the subfloor and on the job site.
Finally, be aware that most prefinished floors carry a warranty, but not following the manufacturer's recommendation voids that warranty. So, if you install a prefinished floor and add a topcoat of finish, for example, the warranty may no longer be valid.
Getting educated
It's one thing to talk about the differences in installation. It's another thing to actually practice with the product. The statistics indicate that less than 1 percent of all prefinished floors installed today were done by an installer with training from a factory-finished wood flooring course.
The classes that are available on factory-finished flooring are excellent. They range from one-hour seminars to four-day courses and are geared toward everyone from skilled installers to people new to wood floors. If more people took advantage of the education available, it would save us all time and money down the road. We all say that we are too busy to take the time to learn, but how much time (and money) does it take to replace a floor that was improperly installed? Flooring products and technology are always changing; therefore, the education process is never-ending. If you took a course two years ago, it doesn't mean that you are up to date with today's advancements in flooring.
Get your staff educated and make continuing education a priority. Factory-finished wood flooring courses are offered through the NWFA and by many leading manufacturers (in fact, some manufacturers are making their warranties contingent on the installer having attended their class). Think of it in the long term: Going to school or going to rip out a failed job—which is cheaper?