Inspect flooring for defects at delivery, in store, and after installation. A rejectable flaw and a normal variation look alike, and the grade decides.
A defect is a fault that stops the product doing its job. A variation is a characteristic the grade allows. The two are easy to confuse, and the difference decides whether you can reject a board.
The checks below are the ones that separate the two, at the three points where you can still act.
What Counts as a Defect and What Is a Normal Variation
A manufacturing defect is a break, a void, or a separation that should not be there. A handling defect is damage from shipping or storage. Both are yours to reject.
A normal variation is a characteristic the grade allows. Wood is graded by species and grade, and each grade allows a different amount of colour and grain variation. A select grade allows little; a character grade allows a lot.
The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) publishes the grading rules that define those grades, and the National Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) publishes the inspection guidance for laminate. A board inside its grade is not defective, however much it varies.
When you are unsure, the question to ask the supplier is whether the board is within the grade. The answer should come with the grade name, not a shrug.
There is a second line as well. ANSI/TCNA A137.1 sets the calibration and shade rules for tile, and a tile that is outside its shade range is a different product. The standard is what turns a colour difference into a defect.
Inspecting on Delivery
Do not sign for a delivery until you have checked the boxes. Once you sign clean, the damage is yours.
Count the boxes and the planks. A short shipment is the easiest defect to catch and the easiest to lose.
Check the batch number. Planks from the same batch match, and a box from a different batch can differ in colour even when it is the same product.
Look for crushed corners, torn wrap, and water staining. Photograph the delivery and the damage before the driver leaves, and put the note on the delivery receipt.
A good supplier will take a photo and open a claim on the spot. A supplier who asks you to sign clean and sort it later is telling you the risk is moving to you.
Sign last, not first.
A short box is an availability problem as much as a defect. The product availability and replacement stock guide covers how to check a line before you order.
What Should You Check First on Delivery?
Check the count, the batch number, and the wrap, in that order. A short count is a fact, a mixed batch is a risk, and a torn wrap is the warning that the box was dropped.
Open one box at random and count the planks inside. If the box is short, check every box before the truck leaves.
Inspecting in Store
Open the box and lay the planks out. The store will exchange a defective board, but the window is short and it closes when you leave.
Spread the planks on the floor and look at the colour variation across the box. A grade allows some; a mixed box allows none. If one plank is a different stain, the box is mixed.
Check the finish for scratches. A scratch that breaks the finish is a defect. A mark in the texture is normal.
On a click-lock floor, click a sample together. A profile that does not click is a defect, and it is the one you cannot see from the box.
Ask the store to mark the defective boards so you can set them aside. A marked board is a returned board, not a wasted one.
The flooring sample ordering guide covers what to check before you commit to a box, and a sample is the fastest way to catch a finish problem.
Inspecting After Installation
Inspect the installed floor before the crew leaves. The floor is easiest to judge when the tools are still there.
Look for gaps between boards, lippage where two boards meet at different heights, and hollow spots that sound different underfoot.
Check the transitions and the trim. A transition that is loose or a trim that gaps is an installation problem, not a material problem.
A floor installed wrong is the installer’s responsibility. A floor made wrong is the supplier’s. Knowing which is which decides who pays.
Can a Warped Board Be Saved?
Sometimes. A board that is warped on arrival can be flattened by a professional, but a board that warps after installation is usually moisture, and no amount of flattening will hold it.
Ask for the cause before you argue about the board. A warped board is a symptom, and the symptom points to the cause.
Warping and Bowing
A warped board has a curve along its length. A cupped board has a curve across its width. A crowned board is high in the middle; a crooked board is high at the ends.
Measure the curve with a straightedge. A curve of more than 1/8 inch over the length of the board is outside the tolerance most installers will accept.
Warping after installation is usually moisture, and it points to the slab or the room, not the board. Warping on arrival is a defect.
A warped board should be set aside, not installed and hoped for. A board that is forced flat will move again.
Chipping and Edge Damage
A chip is a break in the edge or the face. A chip on the face is a defect. A chip on the edge is a defect, and a chip that exposes the core is rejectable.
On a click-lock floor, edge damage is critical because the edge is the joint. A chipped edge will not hold, and the joint will open.
Measure the chip. A chip of less than 1/4 inch that does not break the finish may be usable in a closet. A chip of 1/16 inch or more that exposes the core is not.
Locking Profile Damage
A damaged profile will not click together. A crushed tongue, a split groove, or a deformed end is a defect.
Check the profile before you install. A board with a damaged profile should be set aside and returned, not installed and fixed later.
On a sample, click the joint and pull it apart. A profile that holds is good. A profile that separates is a defect.
Colour Variation and Grading
Wood is graded by species and grade. A select grade allows little colour variation; a common grade allows more; a character grade allows the most.
Tile is shade graded under ANSI/TCNA A137.1. The shade number on the box should match across the order. A box with a different shade number is a different product, and it will not blend.
A grade allows some variation, and a mixed box is not. If the planks in one box span three grades, the box is mixed and the variation is rejectable.
Order extra material so the variation can be worked out during installation. A box with a wide range gives the installer something to sort.
Is a Colour Variation a Defect?
Only if it is outside the grade. A select grade with wide variation is a defect. A character grade with wide variation is exactly what you bought.
Moisture Staining
Moisture staining is a dark patch that will not dry out. A stain on the face is a defect. A mark on the back may be a manufacturing mark.
Test the stain. If it is dry and it does not spread, it is a mark. If it is damp or it spreads, the board has been wet.
A board that has been wet should not be installed. The moisture will move after the fact, and the movement will look like a defect.
On a wood floor, moisture is measured before installation. Wood flooring guidelines from the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) put the occupied space at 30 to 50 percent relative humidity and 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and a board installed into a space outside that range will move.
A surface test that reads 3 to 5 pounds of vapor per 1,000 square feet over 24 hours is the common limit.
Surface Scratches and Finish Damage
A scratch that breaks the finish is a defect. A mark in the texture is normal wear, and a prefinished floor should arrive without either.
On a site-finished floor, the finish is applied after installation, so a scratch on arrival is not the same problem. On a prefinished floor, it is.
Run a fingernail across the scratch. If the nail catches, the finish is broken. If the nail slides, the mark is in the texture.
A scratch that catches the nail on a prefinished floor is rejectable. A scratch that slides is a characteristic of the texture, and the installer should work it into the floor rather than return it.
The Rejectable Threshold
A defect is rejectable when it prevents the product from doing its job. A cosmetic variation within the grade is not.
The threshold is the grade standard. A board outside the grade is rejectable. A board inside it is not, however much you dislike it.
When in doubt, photograph the board, note the batch number, and ask the supplier. A supplier who names the grade is answering the question.
The line is the grade, not your taste.
The flooring manufacturer warranty guide covers what a warranty promises, and the warranty exclusions guide covers what it leaves out.
| Defect | What it looks like | Rejectable |
|---|---|---|
| Short shipment | Fewer planks than the order | Yes, on the spot |
| Crushed corner | Broken box corner | Yes |
| Warped board | A curve along the length | Yes, on arrival |
| Chipped edge | A break exposing the core | Yes |
| Mixed batch | A different colour across the box | Yes |
| Surface scratch | A mark that catches a fingernail | Yes, if the finish is broken |
| Material | Common defect | What to measure |
|---|---|---|
| Solid and engineered wood | Warp, cup, moisture stain | Curve with a straightedge |
| Laminate | Crushed profile, chip | Profile click and edge |
| Vinyl plank | Indent, seam lift | Indent depth and seam gap |
| Porcelain tile | Chipped edge, shade mismatch | Edge and shade number |
| Carpet | Seam, shading, pile crush | Seam line and pile direction |
The Closing Procedure
At each inspection point, run this list before you accept or install.
- Count the boxes and the planks against the order.
- Check the batch number across the boxes.
- Open the box and spread the planks.
- Check the colour variation against the grade.
- Click a sample together and check the profile.
- Check the finish with a fingernail for broken finish.
- Measure any warp with a straightedge.
- Photograph any defect and note the batch number.
Accept the board that is within its grade, and reject the one that is not. The grade standard is the line, and the inspection is how you find it.
