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Q: What do I need to know about the warranties offered on factory finished wood flooring?
A: Prefinished floor warranties vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, each one specifically detailing correct installation and maintenance procedures for its products. It is vital to the success of your business that you read the warranty for each type of floor you install and pass the maintenance information on to your customer. As a contractor, a good practice is to send the warranty card, including the maintenance recommendations, along with your invoice.
As part of the warranty, manufacturers provide the recommended installation procedures with regard to such things as subfloors and environmental conditions on the job site.
Two important facts to keep in mind are:
1) Applying additional finish to a factory-finished floor automatically voids most prefinished floor warranties
2) Some cleaning products used by consumers may void the warranty.
A typical "25-year warranty" covers most manufacturing defects and any premature wear under conditions set by each specific manufacturer. Damage from scratching, high heels, pets, heavy objects and relative humidity are not covered inmost warranties being offered.
As manufacturers, we know we are dealing with a natural product. And with respect for this, cupping, warping and buckling are warranted when the installation and maintenance were followed according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Each warranty combines preventive care with quality assurance to give you the best milled and most stable product for your installation.
With new finishing technologies being developed every year, warranties become more important to your record keeping. You will be challenged to know each of the products you install—from engineered to solid strip—and the specifics of their warranties. Your distributors are a great source for information, and manufacturers rely on them to explain the procedures and policies to you.
Read the warranty before you install the product, and make sure it's suitable for your application. For example, does the warranty cover residential and/or commercial installations? It's an uncomfortable situation if you install a prefinished floor in a retail store, for example, and the customer later realizes the installation made the warranty null and void. In addition to that, be sure you pass on the recommended cleaning procedures to the owner, the maintenance company (if possible) and the specifier. This extra effort helps ensure that the customers are satisfied.
When there is a problem, follow the claim procedure, which should be described on the warranty card. Timing is everything in solving these issues, and sometimes all it takes is a simple phone call. To start, call the business where you bought the floor. Be prepared with the purchase date, product name/code and details about the claim. Some companies require a manufacturer form filled out with accompanying samples of the complaint. This information is important to us as manufacturers so that our labs can test the material in question.
The first step in avoiding claims is to follow the recommendations for correct installation. After that, preventive maintenance is the best way to keep the floor in top condition. These five easy-to follow procedures prolong the life of the finish:
- Clean up after spills and spots immediately
- Vacuum/sweep floors regularly
- Use manufacturers' recommended cleaners developed for factory-finished floors, and follow the application directions
- Put floor protectors, such as felt pads, under all furniture
- Keep relative humidity of the home between 40 to 60 percent throughout the year.
Although today's aluminum-oxide finishes are extremely strong, they will eventually show wear, especially after several years of children, pet sand heavy traffic. There are methods and products to repair, recoat or refinish these floors to restore a like-new appearance. There are a number of methods using both waterborne and solvent-based finishes—as always, the first step is to determine what the manufacturer recommends.
As manufacturers, we take pride in our quality, just as you take pride in your craftsmanship. That's why we put so much effort into researching the right conditions and procedures for installing our products. These directions are included with every box of factory-finished flooring you receive. If you don't have the directions, you can usually print them off the manufacturers' Web sites. It's a cliché, but true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.