Page 5 - 2017-08-CFR Volume 107 - ASTM Standards and Manufacturers Warranties - August 2017

What does “industry standard” actually mean?

“Industry standard" means that this is best practice across
the industry and doing this will ensure that we have the best
chance of achieving the expected outcomes. As it goes for
flooring it means the flooring will do what is expected of it
albeit with reasonable care and maintenance and proper
installation.

“Industry standard" doesn't even mean that it will work.
Many industry standards are decided by a committee, what
is known as a de jure standard. Actual practice in the field
tends to at most influence the standard; it's not usually a
straight copy. In other words, until it's been around for a
while, a standard approach is not necessarily a proven ap-
proach.

"Industry standard" doesn't mean all the significant players in the industry were involved. For various
reasons (political, technical disagreement, whatever), not everyone will want to play in standardization
efforts. It is entirely possible that a significant player will ignore or compete with the standard, which
means it's quite possible that the standard ends up going nowhere. This is not uncommon in the flooring
industry when a manufacturer may balk at what is being proposed as a standard.

The "industry standard" is almost always not the best technical solution... it's the one that could be
agreed on. In a law suit the standard is going to be what the jury or judge determine it is.

Warranties, standards and best practices aren’t
etched in stone. At best they are guidelines and
they can be disputed in the case of a claim. Don’t
be fooled or confused when you have a flooring
problem. The evidence and the facts never lie
and the product and circumstances will tell us ex-
actly what’s going on. So when you find yourself
in a situation where you question what you’re be-
ing told, call us, we can determine exactly what
went wrong and why; who’s at fault and how to fix
the situation. It may be painful but at least you’ll
have the answer. And if you want to avoid having
to deal with a situation like this which is actually a
better idea, let us help you keep out of trouble.

5 Commercial Flooring Report August 2017