6/29/2008
11:51:12 AM 

I think it relates directly to salesmen pushing the sale with little experience in the field.

It also is attributed to; many Carpet & Vinyl installers enter the wood install business with little training and this is because they are getting beggers wages to install what they know the best and they see the wood crew walking out with 2K a week.

One more issue is; Mass production, the American public eat up products like grasshoppers. The mills cannot keep up and are sending product out before it it ready they are pushing trying times.
Good wood should cure for two years, that is not happing the sorting tables are getting bigger and have less experienced people working them.

The box stores and outfits like lumber liquidators and Bruce have introduce subgrade wood to the market.
People think they are getting good deals on hardwood when they buy cheap but they are only getting cheap hardwood.

This is an oxymoron in itself becuase 75% of the hardwood on the market is not true hardwood. As many of you know a true hardwood is pulled from above the 40th parallel it is the freeze-thaw process that makes this wood hardwood.
The 40th Parallel is the line that seperates Nebraska and Kansas If any wood is pulled from below this area it is not a true hardwood.
A appalachian wood is nice but it is still softer the softer wood is filled with many issues.
The Chinese wood brought out by Bruce is filled many problems it is very stringy and softer than American oak

I had a long talk with Tony Miraldi the CEO of Somerset Hardwoods about wood issues.
There are some things he would not go on the record about. One of them was tarpaper he told it does not matter but when I called him to see what they would advise for a house with a damp basement they said: Tarpaper.

They say tarpaper offers no VE blockage, works good for roofs! I cannot tell you how many inspections and replacments I have done when the basement floor was green and there was no tarpaper, the wood looked like a 40 year old schoolhouse.
Most of the time it will settle but it will leave windshake and strathing problem behind. We know windshake is bacterial infection but the rapid movment of the wood will bring it face.
This post is too long.

6/29/2008
12:05:30 PM 

I absolutely agree with you David, especially with wood.

You know all floorcoverings come under the textile column. Textiles have never been an perfect product and never will.

I see the problem as the manufacturers keep trying to trump warranties over on each other. Ten year warranty turns out to be a 25 year warranty and then the consumer does not pay attention the the fine print and what the warranty actually covers.

And then of course the inspection community....well never mind.

6/29/2008
4:38:01 PM 

sometimes, well, look at the photos I posted in the thread
"standards",,,,the guys were looking at small bubbles you can
only see on your knees,,,,spring wood, large pores, finish, you
got the idea,,,
can not see from a standing position,,,,as should be, and as
should be considered, it is a natural product,,,,but, the man
found one endjoint delaminated, and he and his wife caught the
dreaded "HAS", Heighten Awareness Syndrome... often
characterize by excessive use of blue painters tape and
unrealistic expectations. (now come on, you got to use that in
one of your articles Sir! )

How much is sales? how much is sales/promotions where they
are shown one sample but that sample does not show the
characters per the grade?
or the carpet has no warranty? but, the wording gives the
"impression" that it does.
All the mills have this type of warranty, Quality Assurance,
Guaranteed Quality, Quality Warranted. All these mean is, it will
have the required % of tufts or yarn on a backing system
guaranteed to last until it is installed.
One claims analyst argued with me this past year that the
"conditions for" Appearance Retention is not the same as
Texture Retention all the mills are now using. But, what is the
cause or condition for both? unraveling of twist due to abrasive
foot traffic I was told? IS this True Stephen? and then, she hit me
with this, on their products, they exclude all traffic lanes, now, I
can understand pivot points, but, all traffic lanes? so, they have
a warranty for only the areas no one uses? interesting,,,,

Maybe, there is a legit virus for "HAS" after all, and guys, we all
can catch it,,,I did a few weeks ago.

7/1/2008
1:15:21 PM 

there are industry standards addressing these issues.
Just have to read them and have a library. No need to have installation background to read your library. Every inspector that is actually working as an inspector has an extensive library of reference material.

7/1/2008
3:31:57 PM 

Industry standards are superceeded by the manufactures and they are watering them down and or making themselves less responsible by introducing unrealistic guidelines.