Toronto—John McGrath, director of INSTALL (International Standards & Training Alliance), a leading construction industry-endorsed floor covering installation and training certification program in North America, led a panel at IIDEXCanada Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014.
At the seminar, Flooring Disaster: Prevention and Recovery, McGrath said flooring contractors should’t be scapegoats every time a floor fails. Instead, due diligence should start higher up the contractor chain.
“The cause of flooring problems is often related to the condition of the substrate. And it can be in poor shape long before the flooring contractor’s arrival on site,” said panelist Steve Zizek, flooring instructor, Resilient Floor Workers Training Trust Fund, Carpenters Local 27. “General contractors and other subcontractors must understand that some of their activities can cause substrate problems for flooring installers, ranging from improperly leveled concrete floors to moisture intrusion in the slab.”
“It is the best insurance policy to protect everyone involved,” said McGrath, who conducts seminars on behalf of INSTALL on flooring issues regularly for architects, interior designers, building owners and facility managers.