FLOORING FINISH STANDARDS
Finished flooring work is subject to the same phenomena during construction of a home that applies to drywall and plaster, namely shrinkage and warpage of the surface to which it is applied, settling of the home, expansion and contraction of the subsurface to which it is applied with moisture and temperature variations. Most of the problems which occur affecting flooring are a result of these natural phenomena occurring during the stabilization of the home during the initial warranty period and are mirrored in the floor coverings.
Resilient flooring is a manufactured bought as a finished product, either in the form of squares or sheet goods, which is applied by the appropriate trade, predominantly with mastic directly over the surface prepared to accept it.
The following finished flooring standards are contained separately in this section:
1. Carpeting
2. Ceramic or Quarry Tile
3. Resilient Flooring
4. Wood Flooring
Common Defects or Problems: Carpeting
- Open carpet seams
- Carpeting becomes loose, seams separate or stretching occurs
- Spots on carpet, minor fading
Common Defects or Problems: Ceramic or Quarry Tile
- Cracks appear in grouting of ceramic tile joints or at junctions with other materials such as a bathtub
- Ceramic tile cracks or become uncemented
- Ceramic tile grout discolors
- Mildew forms on tile or grout
- Color variations in tile
- Tile style or pattern no longer available when repair called for
- Floors squeak
Common Defects or Problems: Resilient Flooring
- Nail pops appear on the surface of resilient flooring
- Seams or ridges appear in the resilient flooring due to subfloor irregularities
- Resilient flooring lifts, bubbles, or becomes unglued at joint
- Shrinkage gaps show in resilient flooring
- Flooring discoloration
- Fading of color of resilient flooring
- Heel marks, burns, scratches, scuffs and indentations on resilient flooring
- Wear on surface or loss of sheen on resilient flooring
Common Defects or Problems: Wood Flooring
- Gaps in wood floor
- Wearing of finish on wood floor
- Finish is uneven on wood floors
- Cupping of hardwood floors.
- Dents in wood floors
- Fading of wood floors
- Floors squeak
CARPETING STANDARDS
Carpet installation may often be contracted assumed by the owners or may be done by the builder as an allowance item. A standard carpet installation will use seaming techniques to join the material and these seams will will use seaming techniques to join the material and these seams will be somewhat visible. Carpeting is subject to normal manufacturing tolerance and most particularly to lot variations affecting color, texture and pattern.
From time to time, patterns are discontinued, which makes it impossible to exactly duplicate the material; hence it is recommended that the owner save any scrap material from the carpet installation for any future repairs that may be required because of burns, spots, etc.
(1) – 1. Common Defect or Problem – Open carpet seams
Performance Standard – Carpet seams will show. However, no visible gap is acceptable.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Builder will correct any open gaps.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(1) – 2. Common Defect or Problem – Carpeting becomes loose, seams separate or stretching occurs.
Performance Standard – Wall to wall carpeting, installed as the primary floor covering, when stretched and secured properly, shall not come up, become loose, or separate from its point of attachment.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Builder will re-stretch or re-secure carpeting as needed, if original installation was performed by the builder.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(1) – 3. Common Defect or Problem – Spots on carpet, minor fading.
Performance Standard – Exposure to light may cause spots on carpet and/or minor fading. Spots, if noted prior to occupancy in writing, would be the builder’s responsibility.
Builder Repair Responsibility – None, unless noted prior to occupancy in writing. Builder would then clean or repair.
Craig’s Comments: None.
CERAMIC AND QUARRY STANDARDS
Ceramic or quarry tile is also used as a finished flooring surface and in some counter and wall applications. Hard tile is supplied as a finished product and is subject to lot variations. The tiles may be attached to the subfloor, finish floor, or wall surface with mastic (glue) or directly set into a mud base (special concrete mix). After the tile is set, grout is applied to fill the joints
Grouting will be affected by the natural settling and shrinkage of the home. Re-grouting will be required by the homeowner as normal maintenance throughout the life of the home. With colored grout, it is virtually impossible to match colors should a repair of grout be desired.
Ceramic tile installation may be performed as an allowance item. Installation and tile costs may vary with tile size, shapes and patterns selected by the homeowner. In all cases of finished floor covering materials, the owner is advised to follow the manufacturer’s suggested recommendations for maintenance and cleaning.
Narrow tipped or stiletto high heels will damage ceramic and quarry tile flooring and would not be the builder’s responsibility for repair. Because of this and the wear and tear caused by normal use of the floor, no reasonable repair can be expected to restore perfectly the flooring to a new, unused condition.
(2) – 1. Common Defect or Problem – Cracks appear in grouting of ceramic tile joints or at junctions with other materials such as a bathtub.
Performance Standard – Cracks at the joints of ceramic tile are commonly due to the settling process, especially between the horizontal and vertical surfaces or the butting of dissimilar materials. As such, they require repointing.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Ceramic tile should be repointed when necessary, only once during the warranty period, preferably near the end of the warranty period. After one repointing, it becomes an item of owner’s maintenance.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(2) – 2. Common Defect or Problem – Ceramic tile cracks or become uncemented.
Performance Standard – Tile should not crack or become loose during warranty period under normal wear. It should be noted that ceramic tile can crack if something is dropped on the floor and type of cracking is not warranted.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Replace any cracked tiles and recement any loose tiles, unless the defects were caused by owner’s negligence. (Owner is cautioned that there may be a color mismatch if no extra tiles are available).
Craig’s Comments: None.
(2) – 3. Common Defect or Problem – Ceramic tile grout discolors.
Performance Standard – Normal efflorescence is a condition, which can be cleaned with a special solution or will disappear in time. Grout is porous and can be sealed by the homeowner to prevent dirt penetration.
Builder Repair Responsibility – None
Craig’s Comments: None.
(2) – 4. Common Defect or Problem – Mildew forms on tile or grout.
Performance Standard – This is a homeowner’s maintenance responsibility.
Builder Repair Responsibility – None
Craig’s Comments: None.
(2) – 5. Common Defect or Problem – Color variations in tile.
Performance Standard – Color variations are inherent in all ceramic glazes fixed clay products.
Builder Repair Responsibility – None
Craig’s Comments: None.
(2) – 6. Common Defect or Problem – Tile style or pattern no longer available when repair called for.
Performance Standard – None
Builder Repair Responsibility – Unless owner will accept a repair with as closely matching materials as is currently available or correction by some other means, builder should credit the owner 1 ½ times the cost to repair if the material were available. This would be 1 ½ time the minimum service charge, plus the additional hourly charge and material cost estimate.
Craig’s comments: None.
(2) – 7. Common Defect or Problem – Floors squeak.
Performance Standard – Floor squeaks are common to new construction and a squeak-proof floor cannot be guaranteed.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Builder should try to minimize the floor squeaks and must correct if caused by a construction defect. It should be noted that second floor repair would be a surface nailing in carpeted areas and impossible in vinyl or ceramic areas.
Craig’s Comments: While a 100% squeak-proof floor may be difficult to obtain or guarantee, many steps can be taken to virtually eliminate squeaks.
- Sheathing and underlayment should be fastened to joists per code and manufacturer specs.
- Construction adhesive should be applied to the top of each joist, per manufacturer specs.
- Screws can be used to attach the sheathing rather than nails.
- Engineered floor joists or trusses can be used rather than dimensional lumber.
- If diagonal metal bracing is used between joists, the bracing should be installed so as to not rub against each other.
RESILIENT FLOORING STANDARDS
Resilient flooring includes inlaid, roto-vinyl, seamless sheet vinyl, and resilient vinyl composition tile. All resilient flooring is subject to normal manufacturing tolerances and most particularly to dye lot variation affecting color, texture, and pattern. From time to time, patterns are taken off the market, which makes it impossible to exactly duplicate a material when none is available. The most common problem occurring when partial replacement is called for in repair is the inability to match closely in color due to variation from dye lot to dye lot.
In the replacement or correction of resilient flooring, the owner must be prepared to accept a variation in dye lot, when the pattern is still in existence and is cautioned that a seam may show. When a repair is made, the smallest possible area should be repaired. Although the builder will attempt to match colors as closely as possible, the owner should note that the wax or vinyl dressing build-up on the existing areas, light variations, atmospheric conditions and other chemical reactions will produce a color variation, even within within the same dye lot.
The owner can minimize this variation by removing any build-up and thoroughly cleaning the floor according to the flooring manufacturer’s recommendations. Likewise, the color variations will become less noticeable with subsequent dressings and use of the floor. The nature of resilient flooring makes possible permanent deformation of the surface when subject to high loads which can be exerted by furniture with improper floor protectors or no protectors at all.
Manufacturer recommended protectors are a necessity. The protectors must rest flat on the floor, not at an angle. The maximum surface load per square inch must not exceed 75lbs. Narrow tipped or stiletto high heels will damage vinyl tile and all sheet vinyl flooring and would not be the builder’s responsibility for repair. Because of this and the wear and tear caused by normal use of resilient flooring, no reasonable repair can be expected to restore perfectly the resilient flooring to a new, unused condition.
Resilient flooring is a manufactured product bought as a finished product, either in the form of squares or sheet goods, which is applied by the appropriate trade, predominantly with mastic directly over the surface prepared to accept it.
(3) – 1. Common Defect or Problem – Nail pops appear on the surface of resilient flooring.Performance Standard – All nail pops should be repaired.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Correct all nail pops which have not broken the surface of the goods by driving the nails back into place. Replace any areas where the nail pop has broken the surface. Replace sheet goods in the minimum area where the joint will not be readily noticeable where the nail pop broke the surface.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(3) – 2. Common Defect or Problem – Seams or ridges appear in the resilient flooring due to subfloor irregularities.Performance Standard – In the natural settling and shrinkage process, some mismatch of the subfloor may exhibit and mirror itself as ridges or depressions showing on the surface goods. This can be minimized by the customer in his selection of an embossed pattern in a darker color. In particular, lighter solid colors and/or smooth vinyl surfaces mirror any minor variations of the subsurfaces to which they are applied and emphasize this ridging. If the ridge or depression effect exceeds 1/8 ” and cannot be corrected from below, the resilient floor must be corrected. The ridge measurements should be made by measuring the gap created when a 6″straight edge is placed tightly 3″ on each side of the defect and the gap measured between the floor and the straight edge at the other end.
Builder Repair Responsibility – If ridge exceeds standard, builder to remove the sheet goods in the minimum area where the joint will not be readily visible when repaired, re-nail the sub flooring, sand smooth and/or fill gap and replace the sheet goods. Owner should note that there may be a mismatch in materials due to time difference or dye lot variations. If the material is unavailable due to discontinuation, unless the owner will accept a repair with as closely matching materials as is currently available or correction by some other means, builder should credit the owner 1 ½ times the cost to repair if the material were available. This would be 1 ½ times the minimum service charge, plus the additional hourly labor charge and material cost need to make the repair.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(3) – 3. Common Defect or Problem – Resilient flooring lifts, bubbles, or becomes unglued at joint.Performance Standard – Resilient flooring should not loosen during the normal warranty period unless caused by the owner’s negligence or excessive use of water.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Providing edges are still intact, re-secure the material. If not replace the minimum area as per standard #2.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(3) – 4. Common Defect or Problem – Shrinkage gaps show in resilient flooring.Performance Standard – Gaps shall not exceed 1/16″ in width in vinyl to vinyl joints. However, where dissimilar materials abutt, larger gaps may appear.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Correct to meet standard.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(3) – 5. Common Defect or Problem – Flooring discoloration.Performance Standard – Certain conditions and substance such as heat, oil, fertilizers, asphalt from driveways and driveway sealers with an asphalt or coal tar base, and some carpet dyes can cause permanent stains especially in traffic areas. The owners are also cautioned that the use of certain latex or rubber back throw rugs can cause discoloration of the resilient flooring due to a chemical reaction that occurs.
Builder Repair Responsibility – This is not a manufacturing defect nor the builder’s responsibility, but is the owner’s responsibility to protect these areas with doormats or proper rugs at each entrance. There are certain instances in which discoloration may be warranted by the manufacturer. Owner should contact the manufacturer for a determination under their warranty.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(3) – 6. Common Defect or Problem – Fading of color of resilient flooring.Performance Standard – Exposures to excessive direct sunlight through glass sliding doors, for example, can cause fading or discoloration.
Builder Repair Responsibility – This is not a manufacturing defect nor the builder’s responsibility, but is the owner’s responsibility to protect these areas by the use of drapes or blinds during times of direct sunlight exposure. Resilient flooring is no different in this instance than any drapes, furniture or carpeting in the home.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(3) – 7. Common Defect or Problem – Heel marks, burns, scratches, scuffs and indentations on resilient flooring.Performance Standard – All of the above items are caused by the owner use and abuse.
Builder Repair Responsibility – None, unless problems are relayed to the builder in writing prior to occupancy or noted during walk-through. If builder is notified prior to occupancy or at walk-through, it is builder’s responsibility to repair. If it occurs after that time, it is the responsibility of the homeowner.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(3) – 8. Common Defect or Problem – Wear on surface or loss of sheen on resilient flooring.Performance Standard – Depending on the type of product, owner to refer to manufacturer’s warranty.
Builder Repair Responsibility – None
Craig’s Comments: None.
(3) – 9. Common Defect or Problem – Floors squeak.Performance Standard – Floor squeaks are common to new construction and a squeak-proof cannot be guaranteed.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Builder should try to minimize the floor squeaks and must correct if caused by a construction defect. It should be noted that second floor repair would be surface nailing in carpeted areas and impossible in vinyl and ceramic areas.
Craig’s Comments: While a 100% squeak-proof floor may be difficult to obtain or guarantee, many steps can be taken to virtually eliminate squeaks.
- Sheathing and underlayment should be fastened to joists per code and manufacturer specs.
- Construction adhesive should be applied to the top of each joist, per manufacturer specs.
- Screws can be used to attach the sheathing rather than nails.
- Engineered floor joists or trusses can be used rather than dimensional lumber.
- If diagonal metal bracing is used between joists, the bracing should be installed so as to not rub against each other.
WOOD FLOORING STANDARDS
Wood flooring, as a finished surface, is applied directly over the subfloor. Wood flooring, while predominantly hardwood, may occasionally be softwood. Hardwood is generally preferred because of its better wearing qualities and the resistance to abrasions. Wood floorings may be either pre-finished or job-finished. All wood floors are subject to shrinkage, as a natural occurrence. Both stains and sealers on job-finished floors may require maintenance different from that of pre-finished floors. It should be noted that due to climate and humidity changes, wood floors may be subject to gapping.
(4) – 1. Common Defect or Problem – Gaps in wood floor.Performance Standard – It must be understood that gapping is a normal occurrence during the heating season. Repairs should then be made during the summer so a proper correction can be made because warm, humid weather will cause the floor to expand. Gaps in excess of 1/8″ in summer are to be corrected.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Builder to repair gaps in excess of 1/8″
Craig’s Comments: None.
(4) – 2. Common Defect or Problem – Wearing of finish on wood floor.Performance Standard – Elements of nature, moisture, and driveway materials may cause the finish on wood floors to wear faster. The homeowner should maintain their flooring to prevent this condition.
Builder Repair Responsibility – None
Craig’s Comments: None.
(4) – 3. Common Defect or Problem – Finish is uneven on wood floors.Performance Standard – Slight variations may appear in the finish, but must not be readily visible.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Builder to repair/replace if visibly uneven.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(4) – 4. Common Defect or Problem – Cupping of hardwood floors.Performance Standard – Cups in strip hardwood floorboards shall not exceed 1/16 inch in height in a 3-inch maximum span measured perpendicular to the long axis of the board.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Builder to repair or replace any boards that have cupped in excess of the performance standard on hardwood floors. The Builder is not responsible for cupping caused by moisture beyond the control of the Builder. There is no warranty for cupping on a pine or soft wood floor.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(4) – 5. Common Defect or Problem – Dents in wood floors.Performance Standard – This is a normal occurrence in wood floors due to high heels, etc., and must be noted to builder in writing at preoccupancy inspection.
Builder Repair Responsibility – None, unless noted in writing prior to occupancy, then builder to repair.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(4) – 6. Common Defect or Problem – Fading of wood floors.Performance Standard – Exposures to excessive direct sunlight through glass sliding doors, for example, can cause fading or discoloration.
Builder Repair Responsibility – This is not a manufacturing defect nor the builder’s responsibility, but is the owner’s responsibility to protect these areas by the use of drapes or blinds during times of direct sunlight exposure. This is no different than other fabrics such as furniture or carpeting in the home.
Craig’s Comments: None.
(4) – 7. Common Defect or Problem – Floors squeak.Performance Standard – Floor squeaks are common to new construction and a squeak-proof floor cannot be guaranteed.
Builder Repair Responsibility – Builder should try to minimize the floor squeaks and must correct if caused by a construction defect. It should be noted that second floor repair would be a surface nailing in carpeted areas and impossible in vinyl or ceramic areas.
Craig’s Comments: While a 100% squeak-proof floor may be difficult to obtain or guarantee, many steps can be taken to virtually eliminate squeaks.
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- Sheathing and underlayment should be fastened to joists per code and manufacturer specs.
- Construction adhesive should be applied to the top of each joist, per manufacturer specs.
- Screws can be used to attach the sheathing rather than nails.
- Engineered floor joists or trusses can be used rather than dimensional lumber.
- If diagonal metal bracing is used between joists, the bracing should be installed so as to not rub against each other.
