Page 5 - 2017-07-CFR Volume 106 - The Difference Between Dimensional and Planar Stability - July 2017

Sometimes you’ll see the condition when you take the ma-
terial out of the box and lay it out to check it which you
should do. Take a few random pieces from several boxes,
lay them on a glass flat surface, allow them to acclimate in
a controlled space for 48 hours and examine them for any
edge, end or corner lifting. If you see any of these condi-
tions it’s inherent in the material and it’s going to occur
when installed. While doing this check for squareness,
equality of length, thickness, squareness of the cut (not
beveled) and the back to make sure it all looks the same.
Any deviation in the product indicates an issue with it during
manufacture.

Make sure you understand these products and who you’re
buying them from. Familiarize yourself with the product,
take what you hear from sales reps with a grain of salt and
follow the suppliers instructions for installation to a “T”, in-
cluding using the adhesive they tell you to so you cover
your assets if there’s a problem. Do this regardless of
whether you think there’s a problem with the product or not.

Luxury vinyl tile and plank are not new. I was selling luxury vinyl tile in 1971 when I got into the industry.
They were however much different back then – thicker, only in 12 x 12 tiles, very stable and with looks
of stone or marble and some even with carved patterns. Today’s product comes in different sizes, pat-
terns, thicknesses and qualities so it can vary greatly. Unfortunately, LVT and LVP have become so
popular so fast that everyone wants to jump on the band wagon to get a piece of the pie. Many people
don’t understand the product, the dynamics of it and frankly get a bit delusional when there’s a problem.
I’ll share something with you, again, that I learned from a very wise man and one of my mentors in the
flooring manufacturing industry years ago. He used to tell me, “either you control the product or the
product controls you.” With a lot of what we’re seeing in the market place with LVT/LVP instability is-
sues, the product is out of control.

Remember two things I keep repeating, “The flooring never lies; it will always tell you what’s wrong if
you know how to interpret what its saying.” And “words do not change the laws of physics.” We can
always determine what the problem is whether with the material, installation or something else. If you
have a flooring problem we can help you determine what went wrong, why, who is at fault and how to
resolve it. If you want to avoid a flooring problem, which is actually a better idea, we can help you with
that too.

These planks are all from the same job Ends Lifting

with varying backings in each
5 Commercial Flooring Report July 2017