Page 5 - 2017-06-CFR Volume 105 - Update - What to Include in a Flooring Specification - June 2017

me, unless you want to get to know your attorneys better
than you do. Why the “no weekends or third shift state-
ment?”

This is from experience of having requested this in a
spec, only to have 2,300 yards of carpet made with a
blatantly obvious streak three feet in from one side that
was made on a Sunday. The carpet had to be relegated
to seconds, could only be sold at a distressed price,
wasted the manufacturer’s money and put them under
severe pressure to remake the same product in short
order to meet the project deadline or be subjected to fur-
ther damages. Now you may not want to put the time of
production in your spec but you can use language, such
as the last two sentences which will tighten up the quali-
ty control aspect of the spec. And also be leery of any-
one telling you something that sounds too good to be
true about a product as it likely is too good to be true.
You’re better off talking to your local professional floor-
ing contractor than a manufacturer’s rep to find out
about the correct products to use.

MANUFACTURERS QUALIFICATIONS:

Floor covering manufacturer must have at least 10 years of experience in the production of the type of
flooring material specified (carpet tile, broadloom carpet and any and all hard surface flooring material
and cove base as well as ancillary products), be financially sound, have technical support for their prod-
ucts and the installation of them and be capable of producing and delivering the product on time and
without defects of any kind. Flooring product manufacturer will have a technical installation representa-
tive available and on the job site at the inception of the installation to insure there are no conditions
which will compromise the installation of the material and that the material is being installed according to
industry standards, practices and manufacturers guidelines. The manufacturer’s technical representa-
tive (not a sales representative) will document and confirm that the substrate, material and installation
are in compliance with manufacturer’s guidelines and accepted industry standards and practices.

The previous paragraph is again, something that most never see in a specification and there is no rea-
son it can’t be included. Many manufacturers don’t have technical people but they have access to them
and good ones at that. So you want to make sure you cover the manufacturer’s qualifications so that
you can avoid product and installation problems. Even when there are technical people on site there
have been situations where there have been problems. This may prompt the involvement of a third par-
ty expert being written into this part of the spec. Also of great importance is the financial strength of the
manufacturer of any of the products you’re dealing with. Many products on the market which claim to be
the answer to any problems you may encounter have nothing behind them should there be a problem.
You’ll be left on a lurch by someone who’s making stuff in their garage telling you they have a magic bul-
let. Know this, there is no magic bullet from anyone with any product that guarantees you may not have
a problem. When it comes to hard surface flooring not every manufacturer makes their own product in
fact only a hand full do and this presents a problem as quality control and product integrity become a
concern.

5 Commercial Flooring Report June 2017