How to Avoid Common Callbacks for Wood Floor Installations

Callbacks are a direct hit to a flooring contractor’s profits. Complaints not only cost the time it takes to address the issue, but also the lost opportunity to spend that time generating paid business. When we develop new flooring installation products, we look for ways to make customers’ jobs easier and more profitable. Our latest game-changing wood adhesive addresses many common reasons for callbacks and makes installation more efficient. Our versatile Wood Secure™ Premium Wood Adhesive enables efficient everyday installations and helps reduce callbacks.

How to avoid these common callback triggers:

1. Improper Prep of Subfloor or Underlayments 

To properly prepare the subfloor for wood, it must be sound, clean, free of contaminants, dry and flat. An uneven or contaminated surface will cause the wood floor to loosen, slope, dip, gap or even buckle after installation. Use a self-leveling underlayment or skim coat such as TEC® Feather Edge Skim Coat to remedy inconsistencies. More than just a robust wood adhesive, Wood Secure bridges subfloor cracks up to 1⁄8" and adheres rubber crumb or cork acoustic underlayments.  

2. Subfloor Moisture Related Issues

Subfloor moisture wreaks havoc on wood flooring. Manage moisture by first measuring the moisture vapor emission rate (MVER) of your substrate. Follow the moisture testing kit’s directions and use a properly calibrated moisture meter. You can skip both the testing and application of a separate moisture barrier by using TEC Wood Secure™ Adhesive. Its ultra-low moisture vapor permeability delivers unlimited subfloor moisture control. In fact, Wood Secure offers an unparalleled 7-10x better moisture control for wood floors than reactive adhesives. A moisture mitigation system like TEC® LiquiDam or LiquiDam EZ will manage moisture if your adhesive does not.

3. Inadequate Clean-Up

Owners notice when the finished wood floor has adhesive on the surface. Clean adhesive off the surface of the floor boards as quickly as possible. If dried, urethane and hybrid adhesives may require heat, vigilant scraping (without damaging the wood), or solvents when other methods don’t work. Alternatively, Wood Secure adhesive’s proprietary multi-polymer formula offers installer-friendly, easy soap and water clean-up, even after the adhesive has completely cured.

4. Faulty Expansion Gap Placement

Buckling, cupping and gapping can occur if expansion gaps are not properly placed. Be sure to leave a gap around the perimeter of the floor and also at transitions to give the wood space to expand or contract with varying humidity levels. Reduce the stress on expansion gaps and the stress of callbacks by managing humidity during installation and making sure owners know the importance of addressing humidity long-term. 

5. Hollow Spots, Squeaks, Plank Replacement

Hollow spots are one of the most common and aggravating problems for a wood floor owner. With wood’s natural expansion and contraction, hollow spots and movement squeaks can happen – even when installation is done properly. To repair a hollow spot or squeak, you may need to drill the offending boards and inject urethane or epoxy adhesive to fill voids. However, TEC® Wood Secure adhesive’s remarkable rebond technology enables easy hollow spot repair without drilling and injection. Simply place a heavy weight on the hollow spot for 48 hours, and most hollow spots will be remedied. If a damaged floor board must be replaced, a benefit of using Wood Secure is that you can change out a board 2x faster than if you used urethane. And, Wood Secure allows release without subfloor or further plank damage.

6. Installation Errors

Careful adherence to industry building practices and installation materials’ manufacturer directions helps avoid most callback issues. Yet compressed timetables, shortages of experienced installers and unforeseen jobsite conditions are just a few factors that can increase the likelihood of mistakes. Some common oversights include: 

• Not acclimating the wood: make sure that floor boards are placed in the installation location for at least two days before use and kept at the temperature and humidity expected for room use. Not acclimating wood to the environment leads to boards that buckle, cup, twist or sag. 
• Not planning floor board layout including transitions:  start at the focal point of the room for layout. Be sure to measure carefully and plan from that point for the installation. 15 minutes of measuring will save you hours of hassle and future callbacks. Also, undercut any door jambs to ensure floor boards will transition smoothly through the doorway. Use transition strips where the wood flooring stops. Poor planning and sloppy transitions mar the flooring’s appearance and make customers unhappy.
• Not handling floor board care before/after installation:  opening all the boxes of boards and removing boards with damage, defects or differences helps ensure a smooth installation and consistent, high quality results. Once installed, allow the adhesive to cure according to manufacturer directions before allowing furniture placement or foot traffic. If the wood requires additional finishing, be sure to let the floor cure before adding area rugs or other décor to avoid damaging the finish.

7. Maintenance Issues

Wood flooring damage from improper maintenance after installation is completely avoidable if the owner is instructed how to care for the floor. It is a good practice to leave a written explanation of proper care for the floor starting from the moment installers leave. Give the owner detailed instructions for appropriate wait times before foot traffic or furniture placement, ongoing cleaning and care, and where to find the floor manufacturer’s maintenance tips. Owner education on maintenance is a precursor to owner satisfaction for the long-term.

When the causes of callbacks are addressed for wood floor installations, it is almost certain that the floor will meet or exceed the owner’s expectations. Our installation products are designed to save installers time and money during installation and after, with fewer, less time-consuming callbacks. The TEC® line of wood adhesives delivers breakthrough performance that can help improve your profitability. 

Contact us by sending us an email or calling 1-800-832-9023, Mon-Fri 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. CST.

*Not for use with MDF/HDF core engineered flooring

**Wood Secure must be installed using the Moisture Control Method