If I had to design a training program for installers, what would that program look like?

Sunrise over the Sierra mountains, taken from the middle of California’s central valley.

If I had to design a training program for installers, what would that program look like? 

Most of my time is spent observing the same thing, over and over again. And then again.  Truth be told, while there’s plenty that can go wrong with any flooring project, most projects fail by a repeat of the more mundane items – bad floor preparation, not enough glue, too much glue, lack of necessary expansion space, failure to acclimate and an ignorance of the manufacturers printed installation instructions (which are almost always attached to the product packaging!).  Even with manufacturers written installation instructions easily at hand, they are seldom read or followed. 

Many people comment to me that I “must have seen it all!” when in reality, no, I haven’t. What I have seen is the same thing, over and over again. 

A cursory glance at my list of mundane problems requiring inspection reveals a stark reality: the list is dominated by installation items and every one of those items were hidden in plain sight - they easily could/should have been recognized, but they weren’t.  Why not? 

I believe that many installers, especially on the residential and main street commercial side of the business, do not recognize these items as potential problems.  Simply put, they do not understand the repercussions that any of these items will have on the acceptance and the performance of the floor being installed. 

Here’s an example.  Floor flatness is critical for the success of a floating floor (all floors, really, but let’s keep this focused for now) but most installers do not understand the relationship between the “click” edge profile fasteners and the damage that deflection by a non-flat floor can cause. 

And then there’s hubris, the characteristic of excessive confidence or arrogance, which leads a person to believe that they can do no wrong (“I’ve been installing for 20 years”).   

I know what you’re thinking, so please stop, right now!  I am not blaming the installer for all the problems in the world, much less the floor covering industry.  What I am saying is the installation community has a systemic problem that will not easily be remedied by keeping one’s head buried in the sand.  And the installation community fails itself by not recognizing and addressing these issues.   

I’m not saying there is no one else to blame.  On the contrary, there are many more parties to blame: consumers shopping price alone – naively believing that quality isn’t sacrificed by the person offering the lowest price (cheap labor isn’t quality and quality labor isn’t cheap); retailers marketing on price alone so they pay labor as little as possible to remain “competitive”; manufacturers and distributors that defer to their marketing departments far more than they should.  You get my drift – if we’re in the floor covering business, we have a share of the blame. 

Here in California, the installer is generally hired by the retailer as a 1099 employee – he/she is a subcontractor that “works for themselves” (wink wink).  In reality, this subcontractor is expected to tow-the-line just as a fulltime employee would, without the horrendous burden of receiving any employee benefits. This saves the employer boatloads of money while shifting the burden of employee benefits onto the installer. 

But lest I get too far along in my rant, let me return to my original idea: what would I teach an installer?

Change Your Mindset

Huh?  I’m going to start off my training session with a bunch of trades people by getting all touchy-feely on them? Yes, I am. 

You are not an installer, you are a professional, a skilled trades person and it’s about time you started acting and thinking like one.  Because if you don’t, none of the rest of what I have to say will mean anything to you. 

Read the instructions.

Almost all product these days is delivered with specific installation instructions attached.  Read and understand those instructions before starting the installation.  Even if it’s a product you’re used/installed hundreds of times before, read the instructions – products change, instructions change and if your last review of the instructions was 5 years ago, you’re probably working with outdated information. 

If instructions are not attached, call the manufacturer or the distributor and ask for a copy of the installation instructions.  They may not have a copy, so now what?! 

Be intimately familiar with the industry trades associations generic product installation instructions.  The National Wood Floor Association (NWFA), the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), The North American Laminate Floor Association (NALFA), The Tile Council of North America (TCNA), and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) all publish basic installation guidance that you can rely on.  

And then save the copy of the instructions that you read and place that copy into your job file. 

Create and maintain a job file.

What is a job file, really, but a permanent record of everything that happened on any given job.  At the most rudimentary, the file should contain copies of the product data sheets of all products used and installed on the job, copies of the manufacturer’s installation instructions, copies of the workorder (what the dealer assigned you to do), some photos of the job space and pictures of the meters that document moisture and ambient conditions.  If you don’t want to save copies of “documents”, take photos of the documents and then save all the photos in a digital folder named “Smith Job” or ‘123 Main Street” or something.  All this information will fit nicely into a file folder or a digital file that should be saved.  I recommend saving job files for a minimum of 5 years. 

If you are a 1099 employee/contractor, as is most often the case in California, this is your responsibility, as a responsible businessperson and a professional.  Do not rely on someone else – your future may one day be at stake and if you ever need to defend yourself, this is how you start.  

Moisture meters and temperature/humidity meters

Truth be told, most installers either do not own any electronic meter or do not bother to use it.  Why?  Because they do not understand the necessity of checking subfloor moisture content, installed product moisture content (especially wood), or ambient conditions. 

I’ve been on many jobs where I’ve asked the installer whether he checked the moisture condition of the slab prior to the installation and he states yes but is unable to tell me what kind of meter he used.  When I ask to see the meter, he tells me he left it at home OR he pulls out a meter, a nice expensive meter, that he’s owned for a number of years, but which looks like it’s never been used. 

Let’s learn about the different types of meters (pin versus pinless) and how they are to be used.  Let’s record the interior temperature and relative humidity before we start the project and let’s right the information down – or even better, take a picture of the meter data and include the picture in the job file. 

Every installer should have (and use daily) these meters:               

·         An impedance meter, calibrated for use on concrete.

·         A pin meter, calibrated for use on wood (wood subfloors and hardwood).

·         A non-contact infrared thermometer for measuring surface temperature.

·         A temperature/relative humidity meter for measuring interior ambient conditions. 

And each of these meters should be used on a daily basis.  The more you use a meter, the more valuable the information becomes.  As an example, let’s say you check the moisture content of concrete using your brand-new impedance meter.  The meter returns a value of 4.  Well what the hell does that mean? 

Now, it’s a year later, you’ve used the meter often, and 4 is a value that you get all the time.  Now, with experience, this meter is telling you that 4 is pretty common, meaning it’s probably average, meaning you probably do not have a moisture condition that’s going to get you in trouble.  But what if, on one job, the meter gives you a value of 6 (remember, you’re used to a value of 4). Now, you need to tell someone higher up on the food chain that there may be an issue and further investigation is necessary.   

Subfloor Flatness 

Subfloor flatness is becoming more and more critical given the onslaught of newer installation procedures:  floating floors, the use or pressure sensitive adhesives, Velcro and adhesive dot installs, these are all viable installation methods and they all require a flat subfloor.  Add to the new installation methods the prevalence of different formats (tiles and planks) and the floor covering installation world becomes rife with pitfalls not really an issue just 15 years ago!  Flat has been redefined and it’s the installers job to understand that.   

Most manufacturers have settled on a maximum deviation from flatness not to exceed 3/16ths of an inch in 10-0, or 1/8th of an inch in 6 feet.  On the residential side, it is often easier to use the 6-foot straightedge given the smallness of the rooms but on the commercial side, a 10-foot straightedge is necessary. 

The straightedge rests on the floor and any gaps beneath the straightedge are measured using a ruler, a taper gauge or sometimes a shim of a set thickness.  The spot lower than 3/16ths of an inch are marked. 

When joint lines skew or product does not fit net, most want to blame the manufacturer but, in all honesty, it’s usually a subfloor flatness issue.  

Ever installer should own (and use on every job)

·         A 10-foot straightedge AND a 6-foot straightedge.

o   An aluminum alloy concrete screed works perfectly, available at most concrete supply houses

·         A taper gauge, the absolute easiest way to measure the gap beneath the straightedge.

I am happy to discuss any of this with anyone, at any time.  Feel free to call or email me, my contact information is listed in the Contact section of this web site.