QUALITY ASSURANCE

We warrant that the covered wood flooring products meet our quality standards. You or your installer should carefully inspect the products before installation for any milling, dimensional, or visual defects. Since wood is a natural product, there will be natural variations in color, tone, hardness, texture, and graining that are not covered by this warranty. This pre-installation warranty expires upon installation.

WHAT ARE THE CONSUMER’S RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THIS WARRANTY?

To be covered under the manufacturer warranty you need to retain your sales slip and all documents related to the wood flooring purchase. The wood flooring must be properly installed according to our installation instructions. The manufacturer strongly advocates the use of licensed, experienced installers for best results. If using a professional wood flooring licensed installer, you may be asked for the name and license number when submitting a claim. You must also keep your proof of pre-installation moisture test results as we may request this information from you when submitting a claim under this warranty.

The installer/owner of the pre-finished wood flooring has the final inspection responsibilities as to the grade, manufacturing, texture, color, graining, dye lot, and factory finish. They must use reasonable selectivity and hold out or cut off pieces with glaring defects, whatever the cause. Use of the manufacturer care products or wax sticks for defect correction during installation should be accepted as normal procedure. When prefinished flooring is ordered, 5% must be added to the actual footage needed as allowance for cutting, waste, and mismanagement. Should an individual piece be doubtful as to grade, manufacturing, texture, color, graining, dye lot, shipping damage, or factory finish, those defective materials shall not be more than 5% of the total. Wood flooring color variations or darkening are a natural occurrence and may be due to exposure to sunlight. Wood samples will not always exactly match the wood flooring received. Inherent variations in grain or color are not considered manufacturing defects.

Maintenance must be properly performed as needed by the manufacturer’s care and maintenance guidelines.

To ensure repairs can be made in the future it is required that a minimum of 2% of the floor be kept in unopened boxes in a temperature-controlled room. This 2% can be used by the manufacturer for plank replacement as needed.

WHAT IS THE MANUFACTURER’S RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THIS WARRANTY?

PRE-INSTALLATION – If any of the covered events occur within the warranty period, the manufacturer will recoat, refinish, fill, or furnish comparable flooring (manufactured by us and of similar pricing and quality) for either the repair of the defective area or the replacement of the floor, at manufacturer’s sole discretion.  Wood floors that were professionally installed correctly will be eligible for labor cost reimbursement up to  $3.50  per square foot.  On wood floors that need to be repaired or replaced,  the manufacturer may hire an installer/repairman of the manufacturer’s choice and pay all reasonable labor costs up to the maximum allowable per square foot limit for direct repairs within the first five (5) years of the warranty period or the length of the warranty period, whichever is less. If the wood floors were installed incorrectly by a non-licensed installer, the manufacturer assumes no responsibility for any labor cost associated with such repairs or replacement. If we are unable to correct the problem after a reasonable number of attempts or if the replacement or repairs fail in the same manner a second time, we will refund the portion of the purchase price for the section of failed flooring. These warranties do not include the removal or replacement of cabinets, electrical fixtures, plumbing fixtures, handrails, transitions above 4” in height, furniture, or any other fixtures of the job site/home. These are the exclusive remedies under this warranty if a defect or other warranted condition occurs. We reserve the right to verify any claims or defects by inspection and have samples removed for technical analysis.

WHAT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THIS WARRANTY?

Wood flooring is installed in full bathrooms with a shower or tub.

Damage caused by fire, flooding, and other natural disasters.

Damage caused by negligence, accidents, misuse, abuse, or man-made disasters.

Damage caused by vacuum cleaner beater bar or hard heads (see care and maintenance guidelines).

Damage caused by appliances, furniture, and casters (see care and maintenance guidelines).

Damage caused by cutting from sharp objects (see care and maintenance guidelines).

Damage caused by the use of NON-APPROVED cleaning products or methods such as wax, oil soaps, wood polish, alkaline products, any abrasives, wet or steam mopping, etc.

Construction or installation-related damage. (ex: chips, dents, scratches, or fastener bulging)

Reduction in gloss, scratches, or indentation due to sand, pebbles, other abrasives, pets, insects, construction traffic, or failure to maintain the floor as required (see Care and Maintenance Guidelines).

Color, shade, or texture variations between samples, printed color photography, or replacement flooring and the actual material.

Color variations between flooring and/or samples and other flooring or wood products that you wish to match such as cabinets, stair railings, or trim.

Fading or color change due to UV rays from natural sunlight (see Care and Maintenance Guidelines).

Any wood flooring cleaned with steam or wet mops.

Deficiencies related to sub-floor/floor joist assemblies, sub-floor preparation materials, and fasteners including, but not limited to, uneven subfloor surfaces, floor deflection, or voids in the sub-floor.

Noises (squeaking, popping, crackling, etc.) associated with subfloor movement.

Staple or nail pullout from sub-flooring.

Naturally occurring wood characteristics such as variations in grain, color, mineral streaks, and knots.

When you receive the wood flooring products, you must thoroughly inspect all flooring products in each carton ordered before permanent installation. The manufacturer is not responsible for any labor or damages incurred by delivery delays, wood products not matching samples, wrong products, dye lot (mismatch), installation, or job site conditions. The installer/owner is the final inspector and assumes the responsibility to determine if the product is correct and acceptable before installation begins.

The wood flooring must have always been stored and acclimated properly in the temperature-controlled room where it is to be installed. For example, there is no long-term storage in pool rooms, unheated garages, outhouses, sheds, enclosed trailers, or attics.

The wood products must be installed according to all manufacturer installation guidelines.

Seasonal checking is caused by natural expansion and contraction resulting in cracks, checks, separation between boards, or damage caused by low or excessive humidity. Due to the inherent characteristics of exotic wood, fine cracks may develop in the face of the wood. These cracks will not take away from the beauty and performance of your floor but can be minimized by following the relative humidity guidelines of 35 to 55% maintained year-round inside your home.

The warranty does not apply if the wood products are installed with NON-APPROVED wood floor adhesives. DO NOT use any adhesives that contain any water. All bond and moisture-related warranties come solely from the manufacturer of the adhesive and moisture retarders. The wood manufacturer is not liable for bonding or moisture-related warranted failures.

Wood floors installed without an approved moisture barrier on excessively moist substrates with a moisture content above 3 pounds per 24 hours per 1,000 square feet are not covered under the warranty. In addition, before installation, the installer should make certain that subfloors are properly inspected for moisture conditions according to the NWFA guidelines. (www.nwfa.org) All moisture testing must be documented with photos.

The warranty DOES NOT cover wood flooring products installed over in-floor radiant heating systems unless the particular product has been specifically approved and the correct installation method was used for over-in-floor radiant heating systems. The in-floor radiant heating system must meet all requirements specified in the NFP and manufacturer installation guidelines. Seasonal checking (small cracks in the finish) or gapping between boards may occur on any wood floor installed over an in-floor radiant heating system and is not considered a defect.

All wood flooring damage is caused by in-floor heating elements not embedded in the substrate.

Commercial installations, unless otherwise noted pre-installation.

Damage caused by excessive moisture coming from any source that exceeds the substrate/subfloor maximum moisture content levels set by the manufacturer in this guide.

Motorized wheeled objects or wheelchairs exceeding a total of 300 pounds of rolling weight are not covered under the terms of this warranty.

Floors damaged or adhesive breakdown caused by subfloor moisture or water damage, including without limitation, due to broken or leaking water pipes, ground moisture, flooding, wet mopping, steam mopping, damage, or unapproved cleaning agents.

Installation defects, including but not limited to, installations made: (I) upon improper acclimation; (II) in violation of applicable state or local housing or building codes, or (III) by non-licensed installers, (IV) contrary to written instructions furnished with the product.

The warranty does not apply to products designated as “BARGAIN,” “CABIN GRADE,” “SECONDS,” “CLOSE-OUT,” “DISCONTINUED,” OR “NON-STANDARD.” SUCH PRODUCTS ARE SOLD “AS IS.”

NOTE:  THE  PURCHASER  AND  THE  INSTALLER  CHOSEN  TO  INSTALL  THE  FLOOR  ARE  RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPECTING THE FLOORING BEFORE INSTALLATION. WE ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR LIABILITIES, CLAIMS, OR EXPENSES, INCLUDING LABOR COSTS, WHERE FLOORING WITH VISIBLE DEFECTS HAS BEEN INSTALLED.