In a recent column I mentioned some wood flooring issues (FCNews, May 15/22). I got a response from a reader saying that many pre-finished wood samples mention shade variation up front, suggesting that shade variation in the wood boards is natural because of the way wood takes stain, this is true. If this information is mentioned in any of the manufacturer’s materials it should be brought to the customer’s attention to avoid any problems.

Our respondent also offers some great tips for preventing highly contrasted shaded boards from being a problem; solutions if you will, to head off a claim. He said any good installer, who has a working knowledge of wood floors, will cull the wood, removing atypical boards before installing them.

One installer stated he works from five boxes of wood at a time, mixing and matching so he ends up with a blend of shading. He said this is also necessary with the heathered looks in many of today’s ceramic tiles. It was further offered, when circumstances dictate with a product you know will be of concern, buy a box or two extra so you can mix and match without running short. A caveat on this is to not bring much extra material so the customer won’t think you’re overcharging her.

The truth is, because all wood flooring material can be damaged by water, pets, toys, high heels, etc., the homeowner may welcome extra material for repairs. If you sell wood flooring correctly and honestly, this information will not sound foreign and it will make you more knowledgeable and professional in her eyes—one certain way to stay ahead of your competitors.

This next question has to do with carpet and whether or not there is an industry standard stating if a concern is not visible from the standing position, is it not considered an issue? There is no such standard. In this case the installed carpet had ripples in it. The inspector could not find the ripples by any means.

Only when the flooring was viewed from a distance, down a corridor and the light source from glass doors shining on it, what appeared to be ripples could be seen. He did not say actual ripples could be seen, only what appeared to be ripples. The ripples could not be accurately measured to find a repeat or any consistency. They are not visible from any other vantage point but one and it cannot be determined if these ripples are even part of the carpet.

There were several suggestions as to what the cause could be. None of them are plausible. Why? Because the ripples are unique to this particular situation in that they only manifest when viewed in a certain way.

There will always be some little idiosyncrasy one could question about the product. In this case however, the concern is not glaring, blatant or starkly evident, and if you have to look this hard from a one particular angle, it cannot be considered a defect. You can look at the paint on your car the same way and find something that doesn’t look just right to you in certain light from a certain angle but it doesn’t mean the paint is defective.

Situations like this are not uncommon for any product, much less carpet. For 35 years I have been looking at this stuff and there are times when you can’t see what someone has a concern about and other times when you have to view it the same way they do—from a special angle and it can only be seen that way.

If you cannot attribute what you’re seeing to an actual manufacturing function that will cause this type of problem, and the problem is only in one small area, chances are it is not mill related. Generally a manufacturing defect will be very specific even if it is small, such as a stop mark or a low line, but a physical variation in one small area most likely will not be. Since all the equipment employed to make carpet encompasses the entire front or back of the material, it is unlikely one small area would be affected.

If the mill process messes up it will be a bigger mess up, not one small area. Then again, it could be that an inherent characteristic of the carpet, caused by the manufacturing process, is only subtly visible in certain light from a certain angle. That would be something that is part of the product naturally which may be interpreted as a flaw.

If you have any questions, need an answer to a floor covering concern, complaint or claim, contact us, we can help. If we can’t, no one can but that’s very unlikely. Call, we’ll be happy to talk with you.