Flooring installation is a service business. And, as in any service-oriented business, a dissatisfied customer will always make a call beginning with “I’m not …

              A year ago, the National Wood Flooring Association conducted its annual Industry Outlook Survey, which provides important insights about how the wood flooring …

        To understand pH and pH testing, let’s review some important definitions. pH is the measurement of acidity or alkalinity of a substance It is expressed as …

Basements and crawlspaces can have a big impact on the performance of wood flooring. Some of these spaces are finished and conditioned, while others are not. Understanding how these spaces …

        Many installers know how to heat weld vinyl proficiently, but struggle when it comes to heat welding linoleum. The reason it is such a struggle is …

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  The newly formed National Association of Floor Covering Technicians (NAFCT), announces its development of a trade association, comprised of technical flooring professionals, with a common goal to improve the …

Dealing with Concrete Joints  By Ray Thompson, Jr. One of the most perplexing segments of commercial flooring installation is how to handle joints in a concrete slab. Flooring manufacturers insist …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President Technical Standards, Training & Certification Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are all around us. They are substances formed by combining organic chemicals that are both …

The Summer edition of The Flooring Contractor is now available. Click here

By Jeffrey B. Johnson, MAPEI Floor Covering Installation Systems Business Manager Luxury vinyl tile and plank flooring covers the world for many good reasons. To start, just the simple portability …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. A growing segment for underlayment for the past four decades. It can be found in many residential and few commercial applications. My sources tell me there …

By Chris Kain, Western Area Technical Manager, H.B. Fuller Construction Products One mistake all tile installers can’t afford to make is not getting proper mortar coverage. It doesn’t matter if …

By Rich Hartman, Fishman Flooring Solutions “In life,” it has been said, “change is inevitable. In business, change is vital.” That certainly describes the flooring installation industry today. A case …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. ProInstaller magazine After a concrete slab has been tested for and met the moisture requirements it is time to begin preparing the slab to receive the …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President Technical Standards, Training & Certification One of the many benefits of wood flooring is that it can be refinished numerous times throughout its service …

By Rich Hartman, Fishman Flooring Solutions “In life,” it has been said, “change is inevitable. In business, change is vital.” That certainly describes the flooring installation industry today. A case …

By Greg Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants Steam showers and steam rooms are popular and common in exercise facilities, spas, hotels, resorts, and homes. Steam room and steam showers assemblies should …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President Technical Standards, Training & Certification Electrical hazards can be found on nearly every jobsite. Whether the hazard is posed by damaged or worn power …

Reaching the New Generation of Flooring Pros! By Chloee Lewis, CFI Build My Future: Flooring Edition, co-hosted by the Certified Flooring Installers Association (CFI), and Informa/The International Surface Event (TISE), …

The International Certified Flooring Installers Association (CFI) has released a new guide, entitled CFI Surface Prep Resource Guide. You can order this extremely useful and necessary publication here. The simple-to-understand floor …

By Gregory Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants There are four fundamental elements to understanding moisture migration: Wet moves toward dry Hot moves toward cold High Pressure moves toward low pressure Gravity …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification As a professional flooring installer, you understand sanding wood floors is not a DIY project. It requires specialized tools, each …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. One of the most perplexing segments of the commercial flooring installation is how to handle joints in a concrete slab. Flooring manufacturer’s insist flooring contractors honor …

By Danny Owens, Fishman Flooring Solutions Attention to detail in any endeavor can spell the difference between success and failure. Nowhere is that truer than in the world of carpet …

By Steve Rausch Editor’s Note: ProInstaller columnist Steve (Steven William) Rausch, 67, recently passed away on June 8. He worked tirelessly for the benefit all segments of the floor covering industry …

Industry pros share their tips on how to complete jobs quicker while boosting employee morale By John T. McGrath, Jr. In a world of tight construction timelines and even tighter …

By Arthur Mintie, LATICRETE Sr. Director, Technical Services The need for moisture protection and waterproofing has become more significant over the years as savvy construction professionals continue to recognize the …

In the Fall of 2018, STAUF USA began offering Stauf University classes — technical training, sales programs, and seminars that provide hands-on and selling skills opportunities to learn about the …

Pro tips for climbing the ladder in the floor covering industry By John T. McGrath, Jr. The North American floorcovering industry remains at a crossroad. Faced with an aging workforce …

How understanding employee types can improve your business By Steve Rausch When it comes to market share, it’s only natural to want a bigger piece. Previously, I’ve discussed methods to …

By Tom Jennings, WFCA vice president, professional development I was visiting with a flooring dealer recently who stated, “I just hate customers who complain!” Imagine his reaction when I responded, …

By Paul G. Stuart, Jr., Stuart & Associates Commercial Flooring There has been long debate over the value of being certified within flooring installers’ circles, and now with social media. …

By Robert Blochinger Note: The comments in this article are not to be interpreted as legal advice. This is a simple explanation of some clauses and what to look for …

By Bill Luallen, National Sales Director, XL North It’s important to understand the necessity, and benefits, of rendering concrete substrates porous before installing resilient flooring. Porosity of a Concrete Substrate …

By Gregory Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants Prior to replacing ceramic or stone tiles, it’s important to know why the replacement is necessary. The typical causes for replacing tiles include: They …

By Jim Walker, American Floor Covering Institute Today, we know that flooring installation is more of a recognized trade than it was before 1993. Professional installers certainly do not receive …

Supporting Professional Installers Worldwide Since 1938 By Leslie Del Pozo, QEP Director of Channel Marketing The proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” certainly holds true to ROBERTS carpet installation …

By Jerry Lee, Protect-All Flooring It’s no secret that moisture is a leading cause of flooring failures – accounting for more than $2 billion in damages annually. As the calendar moves …

By Arthur Mintie, LATICRETE Senior Director of Technical Services With today’s industry standards requiring various product performance levels to be matched based on specification demands, local codes and complexities, selecting …

By Deanna Summers, MP Global Products It is easy to believe all flooring underlayments are created equal and that simply muttering the word underlayment automatically gives the chosen material a …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. It is amazing how many times I go to look at a flooring issue at a hospital and hear the same concerns expressed by the staff. …

By Mike Pigeon, Roppe Holding Co. Within the flooring industry, there are two topics that can make or break a job: moisture and floor prep. In this article, I’ll be …

By Annika Oeing, Marketing Communications Manager, ARDEX Americas When considering the installation of a self-leveling underlayment (SLU), there are several project conditions that need to be considered to help ensure …

By Rod Sigman, Custom Building Products Does my tile or stone need to be sealed? What type of sealer should I choose? Will it make my tile or stone stain …

By Robert Varden, CFI In the last few months, I have been asked by several installers about the process using the Magnetic Building Solutions (MBS) magnetic platform for installing floors …

By Bob Blochinger Floor covering installers have an enormous opportunity to grow their presence within their community by using social media. Social media is the new tool of the trade, …

By John T. McGrath, Jr., INSTALL The key to a successful flooring installation company begins and ends with your team of installers, journeymen, estimators, contractors and support staff. No matter …

By Robert Peoples, Ph.D., Executive Director, Carpet America Recovery Effort Installers know better than anyone that carpet is heavy, takes up a lot of space and takes centuries to break …

By Arthur Mintie, LATICRETE Senior Technical Services Director The addition of an increasingly popular barrier-free shower can benefit every person in a household thanks to endless design possibilities that are …

The international standards organization, ASTM International, published its revised ASTM F2170 (Standard Test Method for Determining Relative Humidity in Concrete Floor Slabs Using in situ Probes). The updated standard reduces, …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. The metalwork on resilient flash-coved work is precise and requires a great attention to detail. There are three areas of concern that we are going to …

By Gregory Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants Thousands of slips, trips and falls occur every year causing personal injury. Many of these preventable injuries occur due to the improper installation of …

By Tom Jennings, WFCA Vice President, Professional Development Be backs. We’ve all had our share of this type of customer. One thing we know for sure is that time was …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification Most professional wood flooring installers are familiar with and employ the two most-common methods for installing wood products – nail- …

By John T. McGrath, Jr. In the world of commercial flooring installation, time equals money. Contractors around the country have seen timelines and budgets shrink in recent years. While new …

By Steve Rausch I learned to install tile back in the mid-1960s from the “best” tile installer/craftsman in Dayton, Ohio. His name was Claude and he had come to Dayton …

By Gregory Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants In urban areas, where multi-use and multi-family dwellings are abundant, sound control and sound insulation is a prominent concern to all involved. Let’s review …

By Deanna Summer, MP Global Products Radiant in floor heating is nothing new. It is probably one of the oldest known methods of heating and can be dated as far back …

By Steve Rausch Many installers seem to feel free to do anything, install anything, on any surface without considering the potential failures that more experienced installers are aware of, and …

By Jim Sullivan, Senior Territory Manager, National Flooring Equipment Caused by inhalation of silica dust on the job-site, Silicosis is a respiratory condition affecting up to 7,300 U.S. construction workers …

By Jim Walker, American Floor Covering Institute It happened again! I constantly express my opinion concerning adequate compensation for the time involved and the work required for a professional installation. …

By Sean Gerolimatos, Director of Research and Development, Schluter Systems If you’re planning on using an uncoupling membrane in your next tile installation, then here are the answers to three …

By P.J Arthur, Natural Fiber Installation Certification In the previous issue of ProInstaller magazine (July/August 2017, p. 14), I addressed the importance of knowing how the construction of woven wool …

By John T. McGrath, Jr. In our industry, a box of vinyl planks is a box of vinyl planks. A roll of carpet just takes up space. A stack of …

By P.J. Arthur, Natural Fiber Installation Certification The importance of knowing the construction of woven wool carpet is as critical as the installation itself. Understanding how to manipulate the product …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. Many installers suffer from sore backs and knees. The reason for this: failure to protect them from the stress of daily installations and lifting. When we …

So, Why Did My Heat Weld Fail? By Ray Thompson, Jr. and Tim Provence, Installation & Technical Services, Armstrong Flooring The heat welding process arrived in North America in the …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification Acclimation is one of the most critical steps to ensuring a successful wood flooring installation. The process involves allowing wood …

By Steve Taylor, Director of Technical and Architectural Marketing, Custom Building Products The wettest place on Earth is probably the typical American shower. Standard shower heads have a flow rate …

By Steve Rausch You would think after all these years of using backer boards in the tile industry installers should already know everything about them, yet, we still have plenty …

By Steve Taylor, Director of Technical and Architectural Marketing, Custom Building Products The traditional method for preparing a tiled shower ‒ a sloped mortar bed placed over a waterproof membrane …

By Larry Lyons, Amorim Cork Composites A few years back, before LVT was on the front page of every publication related to the flooring industry, we had an inquiry from …

By Deanna Summers, MP Global Products Because of concrete’s porous structure, it continually emits moisture in the form of vapors. There are several ways to tackle this issue, but many …

By John Lio, Vice President of Marketing, DriTac Flooring Products Rugworks Floorcoverings is a locally owned and operated flooring contractor based in North Carolina. Rugworks opened in 1998 with a …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. When installing resilient sheet vinyl, there are three methods you could utilize: freehand knifing; straight or direct scribing; and pattern scribing. The method you select is …

By Jim Walker, American Floor Covering Institute Business Insider Magazine reported that during interviews with Uber drivers they were told, “We are making a lot less money than Uber is …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification There are many variables that contribute to a successful wood flooring job, but some of the most important considerations occur …

By Tom Jennings, WFCA Vice President, Member Services Every dealer can offer stunning products on their sales floor. Beautiful products are never in short supply. But at day’s end, it’s …

By Steve Rausch When I starting in the flooring industry in 1974 at a full-service retail store in Cincinnati, I remember being told that there really weren’t any books or …

By Bob Blochinger The answer to increasing your profits is simple, clear and can be viewed with one word: Commitment. Whether you are an independent installer with a helper or …

      By Kelly Fuller, FCICA, Director of Education There are several excellent programs in the industry today to train flooring installers. FCICA developed the Certified Installation Manager (CIM) …

By Mike Pigeon, Roppe Holding Co. Using the correct flooring contractor is important for each flooring job. Make sure you are the selected company for each job you bid whether …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification Any installer who measures the success of his or her business by only new installations is missing a large potential …

By Bart Bettiga, National Tile Contractors Association, Executive Director In order for the tile industry to grow, installation material manufacturers must continue to develop innovative technology to support consumer demand and …

By Jim Walker It’s here: 2015! Will it be a rewarding year for flooring installation? Are you motivated? There’s a saying, “If you fail to plan; you have planned to …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. There are many ways that water vapor can be a problem. The following are solutions to help keep moisture problems away from your flooring installations. Perform …

What You Don’t Know Can Destroy Your Work By Steve Rausch When one discusses the level of difficulty and increased skill requirements in ceramic tile installations, most industry experts will …

By Tom Jennings, WFCA VP, Member Services Many flooring businesses train their internal team members a variety of ways to positively manage the customer’s first impressions. This is both logical …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Director of Education & Certification There are a lot of things that go into making a wood flooring installation successful. You need the right tools, the …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. Many installers know how to heat-weld sheet vinyl proficiently. Unfortunately, many struggle to heat-weld linoleum flooring as they try to use the same method when heat-welding …

By Robert Blochinger The match up of underlay material to the flooring product is crucial in the performance and integrity of all LVT and laminate flooring installations. The underlays for …

Get it in writing, and know what you’re getting into By Marty Murdoch, Executive Vice President, M.E. Sabosik Assoc. Inc. Let me tell you a story. A flooring contractor just spent …

By Steve Rausch As business owners, our day-to-day operations involve various factors of duties and commitments. In this article, I’d like to explore some of the issues and obstacles that …

By Tom Jennings, WFCA, VP Member Services While casually watching a car race recently, I heard three-time NASCAR champion Daryl Waltrip make the statement that “sometimes you have to slow …

By Greg Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants Tile contractors, their employees and sub-contractors are responsible for using good judgment in ensuring the substrate is properly prepared prior to proceeding with an …

Ed Braile, CFI Master-II #4 We have been receiving numerous inquiries about the installation of carpet on walls. Carpet is now being specified as a wall covering in gymnasiums, home …

  By Bruce Reeve, LEED AP The personal characteristics of true professionals are the desire to become experts in their field, maintain the highest quality of work, and continue their …

Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification Look at any statistics showing the evolution of wood flooring sales during the past few years and you will notice a …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. The success, or failure, of any installation relies heavily on how well the hidden portions of that floor have been prepped. If concerns with the underlying …

By Robert Blochinger After substrate preparation is complete, the next step is product installation. Whether the flooring type is carpet, wood, VCT, LVT, rubber, sheet goods, ceramic or porcelain tile, …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification Any flooring contractor who has been in the business for a while knows there are a multitude of issues that …

By Gregory Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants Understanding the differences and similarities between crack isolation membranes and waterproof membranes (suitable for direct bond of ceramic, glass, and stone tiles) is imperative …

  By Bart Bettiga, NTCA   In order for a tile installation to be successful, the substrate (surface that the tile will be adhered to) must be suitable and properly …

By Jim Walker, American Floor Covering Institute The topic of flooring installation almost has its own season. Every year for generations, we have the same discussion concerning the shortage of …

By Steve Rausch The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) publishes an annual Handbook containing the industry standards that helps us create, sell, and install tile and stone products properly …

INSTALL’s Latest Training & Certification Program Addresses Flooring Installation from the Bottom Up   By John T. McGrath, Director, International Standards & Training Alliance (INSTALL) Underlayment and surface preparation are …

By Tom Jennings, VP of Member Services, WFCA It’s a reality that most local, independent businesses are constantly being pressured by large mass merchants. It matters not if you’re selling …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. The heat welding process arrived in North America in the late 1980s. The main reason for the change was to ensure seam integrity and to produce …

A Review of CRI-104 Commercial Carpet Standard By Jim Walker, American Floor Covering Institute In the last issue of ProInstaller, we shared the important and critical changes to the Carpet …

By Gregory Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants   There’s been a dramatic growth of stone tile installations in the last 40 years. As such, the success of any stone tile installation …

By Robert Blochinger The words floor prep are defined as preparation; to prepare. Therefore, floor prep would precede installation. If it’s done as an afterthought or add on, then it’s …

How to keep sanders operating efficiently for longer periods of time By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification Any wood flooring company that measures its growth by …

A Winning Business Model Can Also Combat Labor Woes By John McGrath, Executive Director, International Standards & Training Alliance (INSTALL)   Contractor Gary Johnson thinks he has figured out the …

Tom Jennings, VP of Member Services, WFCA Whether we like it or not, all of our customers will not always be pleased. I have found that the first minute of …

By Bill Treiber, Technical Sales & Education Manager, Moldings Online Inc.     Floor covering care and maintenance encompasses all of the installation components of the floor. Although the main …

By Bart Bettiga, Executive Director, National Tile Contractors Association For the next several years, the flooring industry will face a two-headed monster. In reality, this is an issue the whole …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification There is no doubt that wood flooring is part of a growing global market. Never before in our history have …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. The Study In July 1996, Dr. Göran Hedenblad,  Lund Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden performed experiments measuring the relative humidity within concrete by performing in-situ testing …

By Gregory Mowat, Forensic Tile Consultants   After inspecting thousands of tile countertops and evaluation failures, the following recommendations are made for successful tile countertops: Cabinets are to be set …

By Jim Walker, American Floor Covering Institute   Welcome to the new CRI-104 and CRI 105! These resource guides contain an unbiased compilation of the manufacturer’s guidelines for the installation …

By Tom Jennings, WFCA, VP of Member Services Since the WFCA assumed the operation of The International Certified Flooring Installers Association (CFI) last fall, I have been receiving frequent inquiries …

By Robert Blochinger   Why is there so little participation from installers when it comes to training? Recently in south Florida, two seminars were held for flooring installers – one …

By Bart Bettiga, NTCA   Innovation in ceramic tile and installation materials manufacturing has revolutionized the tile industry. Tile is now available in very large and slimmer formats (thin porcelain …

By John McGrath, Director, International Standards & Training Alliance (INSTALL)     Across the floor covering industry, there is a skilled labor crisis, and we’ve known it for some time …

By Ray Thompson, Jr. In order to make that decision as to whether to full-spread, modify or loose lay a new resilient job, consider the following questions. Is the substrate …

By Steve Rausch Today’s technology and consumer demands have created a huge variety of tiles and tiling installation materials, each with their own specific properties to match specific applications. There …

By Tom Jennings, WFCA VP of Member Services The flooring industry has long been viewed somewhat suspiciously by the buying public. Frankly, I believe this dubious viewpoint has been deserved. …

By Gregory Mowat Balconies, landings and roof decks, which are constructed without slope, often leak over occupiable spaces, thus resulting in the decomposition of surfaces and framing members of the …

By Brett Miller, NWFA Vice President of Education & Certification Over the past few years, sales of factory-finished hardwood flooring have risen dramatically. In 2014, about 55% of all wood …

The relationship between carpet care and carpet installation By Robert Blochinger There are many reasons for an installation failure. However, the least talked about is maintenance that is performed after …

The National Academy of Floor Covering Training (NAFCT) is proud to announce the addition of the IICRC Certification Wood Floor Maintenance Technician (WFMT) to its list of classes. IICRC-approved instructor …