New Flooring Installation Guidelines Available to HBA Members

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) are working together to share information and resources to promote proper flooring installation standards and best practices. As part of this new collaboration, NWFA is making its Wood Flooring Installation Guidelines available to HBA members at no cost.

The organization has found moisture-related flooring problems to be a long-standing issue for the residential construction industry. When problems like these result in expensive insurance claims and dissatisfied home owners, the impact is felt by all parties in the supply chain.

NWFA spends a significant amount of time each year educating flooring contractors on the proper installation of wood flooring. Recently, after noticing a disproportionately high number of claims for improper installation of wood flooring, NWFA reached out to NAHB to extend the education offering to HBA members.

One solution the guidelines offer, for example, is having an HVAC system in place to help get the wood to optimum performance condition. In fact, the guide recommends that where building codes allow, permanent heating and/or air conditioning systems should operate at least five days prior to flooring installation to promote proper acclimation.

Brett Miller, NWFA vice president of education and certification, met with the NAHB Construction Liability, Risk Management, and Building Materials Committee at the 2015 International Builders’ Show board meeting to discuss the organization’s top concerns related to this issue. Following this meeting, NAHB and NWFA agreed to establish a mutually beneficial, strategic relationship to work cooperatively to achieve their common interests.

To access the guidelines and learn more about other substantive technical, legal and business issues affecting the building industry, visit nahb.org/constructionliability.