When using self-leveling products like these, installers need to also address moving joints and cracks present in the substrate to avoid the transference of cracks in the finish. Installers must evaluate and isolate the area around walls, columns, penetrations, and other building elements where movement may be anticipated.
While these installation techniques and services are handled by trained floorcovering experts with the installation subcontractor, it is important for architects, specifiers, designers, and all contractors to be in the loop in the process since testing and mitigation may affect installation timelines and project completion dates. Specifiers might only be in charge of “what is required,” but boots on the ground are in charge of “how to get it done.”
By working together, contractors, architects, designers, specifiers, installation subcontractors, and other subcontractors can make the job run more efficiently. For example, if there is an existing subfloor in another part of the space, how long does patching take to dry while a new slab is curing somewhere else? How long will the surface prep really take across multiple spaces? If there are new slabs and existing floors, can the general contractor work with the flooring installation subcontractor to stagger the installation?
“Working smarter together is the answer to this challenge,” concluded Rhode. “Floor preparation and moisture testing education should be common practice across the AECO industry; the more educated architects, specifiers, and contractors there are, the fewer flooring failures we will see in the future.”
Knowledge is power
This discussion demonstrates a gap between architects specifiers, contractors, and floorcovering installation subcontractors. Together, their work can yield notable success. Working apart is a recipe for failure. Moisture testing and concrete slab performance may not be part of the interior work and the specification process, yet these subjects directly affect the performance of specified floorcovering products.
This is where education, training, and certification comes into play. There are organizations which offer comprehensive floor covering training to flooring professionals, who can, in turn, educate architects, designers, and specifiers to better understand moisture testing and floor prep.
Again, knowledge is power, and with the right tools and understanding, architects and specifiers can guide this process and ensure that their designs in the built environment will last for years to come.
John T. McGrath, Jr. is the executive director of the International Standards and Training Alliance (INSTALL), an industry-endorsed floorcovering installation training and certification program. McGrath has helped to increase installation standards and expectations in the flooring industry by playing a leading role in facilitating communication and cooperation among mills, manufacturers, specifiers, contractors, and installers. All these groups regularly come together to review and revise the INSTALL curriculum and certification standards. McGrath was a significant contributor in creating the ANSI S600 Carpet Installation Standards and has served as a returning judge in the Starnet Awards, the Canadian Apprenticeship Contest, and the Schonox Worst Subfloor in North America Contest.
