Page 10 - TFSWinter2020

You’re Only as Good as Your Foundation

By Don Styka, CFI #383 of Tarkett
RESILIENT

he photograph on the cover of this magazine
highlights what can be accomplished when the
Tsubstrate is properly prepared prior to the installation
of the resilient flooring materials. I have been asked to visit
job sites to inspect an installation that did not meet the
customer expectations. Some of these visits took place
during or immediately after installation, while others were
several months after the floor was put into service. On
many of these occasions it was obvious to see that the job
was doomed before the installation of the flooring material
ever started and the lack of proper subfloor preparation was
the direct cause of the problem or a significant contributing
factor to the customer’s displeasure and the issues related
to the claim.
Undulations and waviness of the substrate can disrupt the
installation process in a number of ways. One common
problem is tile and plank run-off because of the unevenness
of the substrate. While it appears the flooring is out of customer’s standards because of the peaks and valleys in the
square or tolerance when trying to install, in actuality, the substrate.
substrate is the problem. Uneven subfloors can also cause
problems on sheet installations when utilizing a power Over time high spots in the slab can become abraded or
groover or automatic heat welding equipment, which can damaged by the maintenance equipment. Occasionally the
directly impact the integrity of the finished seam. customers have equipment they use in their facility that
can cause damage related to unevenness in the subfloor. In
While telegraphing from the substrate contributes to this photograph the unevenness of the substrate created a
installation issues, it is also unsightly and detracts from the blotchy appearance because the buffing pad was not flexible
visual appearance and design vision of the space. Installations enough to provide the same gloss level in the high and low
that include intricate patterns, feature strips, borders and undulations of the concrete.
insets can vastly be impacted by the unevenness of the
substrate and the installer’s ability to prevent run-off or hit One project in particular that I will never forget, was a
critical layout points that might tie into walls, doors and other resilient tile floor and wall base installation at a new municipal
elements of the designer’s vision. building constructed for the police and fire departments to
share. A meeting was conducted as the building was being
Floor maintenance and cleaning issues can also be attributed prepared for occupancy that included just about everyone
to improper substrate preparation. These type of problems involved in the construction project; the general contractor,
are usually architect, designer, flooring contractor, distributor, flooring
not reported manufacturer, and representatives from the city and the
until weeks safety forces.
or months
after the The problem was so obvious that it didn’t require a tape
installation measure or laser equipment to see that the finished floor
is completed had a significant slope and did not meet the flooring
after damage manufacturer specifications or industry standards for
has been preparing the substrate. During the meeting, the architect
done to the laid a marble on the floor and it rolled from one end of the
floor or the room to the other. The distance between the two walls was
maintenance approximately 30 linear feet, with the slope of the floor
program measured to be over 2 inches.
is not
meeting the A major problem with this scenario is that none of the

10 Flooring Specialist Winter 2020