By Bob Blochinger
Last February the National Association of Floor Covering Technicians (NAFCT) and UNITE Floor Training Alliance hosted an educational, two-day conference in Dalton, Ga., for the flooring installation community. I attended this event, billed as “The Summit,” to support NAFCT as an original board member and advisor within the fields of cleaning, maintenance, installation, inspection, and the usage of various sundry products and how they may relate to floor covering installations.
Attendees’ roles ran the gamut from manufacturer technicians to sales representatives, maintenance and installation contractors, inspectors and other professionals. I wore a few hats (cleaner, installer, inspector and consultant) to this event and the education presented was outstanding. I can never say I know it all; there is always a new piece of information to gain by attending an educational event.
The first day was presented by Divergent Adhesives, with industry experts discussing concrete, how it’s made, why we have moisture issues, corrective action for surface imperfections, testing concrete for moisture and what the ASTM protocol is all about.
The topic of concrete moisture alone was split into discussions about when, how and why it occurs, how to determine the quantitative and qualitive measure of moisture, how moisture can affect the installation of flooring products, the adhesives used and their chemical compositions, alkalinity and what it can do, ambient conditions within the space and maintenance of the flooring. It was a vast amount of information in a short period of time!
Various testing protocols and procedures as well as supportive information was presented by Lee Phillips, lab director of Dalton-based Professional Testing Labs. He shared steps to take before an installation starts and what to test after a failure is identified.
The second day was presented by UNITE. Topics included jobsite monitoring, seaming techniques for woven and custom-made carpet, substrate failures and what to look for, general knowledge for floor covering installation and a panel discussion by industry experts on bridging the gap between installers and manufacturers.
Correct preparation of the substrate—whether wood, concrete, or other materials—was discussed as part of the equation for successful flooring installations. Additionally, fabricating a good seam in woven goods was explained and demonstrated by Robert Varden of UNITE. This is a tedious process that requires training, practice and patience in workmanship. In woven goods, due to the high cost, there is no room for a second chance or redo.
Educational events like The Summit are a great way for people from all corners of the flooring installation industry to address the issues leading to poor-quality installations. Although this represents a 40-year-old problem, hopefully these types of events can bring forth real action and not just talk.
Photos courtesy of Paul Friederichsen.
