Must-have Tools for a Smoother Installation Process

Flooring contracting is physical and any tool or product that makes the installation process easier is a win. Here are five new products that will help installers work smarter, faster and more efficiently while maintaining quality craftsmanship.

Cordless Flooring Adhesive Applicator
Cordless technology has come a long way in a short time. One tool that can be used across several flooring categories — carpet, hardwood, laminate and tile/stone templating — is a hot glue gun. Now there is a hot glue gun for installers that has literally cut out the cord. Power Adhesives‘ B-TEC 807 is a 150-watt battery-powered glue gun that can dispense up to four pounds of hot melt per hour. And it doesn’t discriminate against batteries, as the company has an adapter to fit the major brands.

Floating Floor Plank Repair
Replacing floating floor planks has been an issue for installers for years, with many opting to pull floors apart rather than do an individual plank replacement. This can lead to compromised joints. The challenge with a floating floor installation is to make sure that if a plank replacement is needed, there is no attachment to the subfloor that creates a lock point, which is critical for the expansion/contraction of the flooring. The Shez’urn Rapid Repair System No. EZ-15 from Beno J. Gundlach Co. is an ideal solution to quickly and effortlessly restore a floating floor. The kit comes with a roll of zinc that is used to support the joints and maintain separation from the subfloor; a peel-and-stick surface to adhere to the backing of the flooring; shims to raise surrounding flooring to allow for the zinc backer to be inserted; and a cyanoacrylate adhesive to adhere to the zinc.

Cut Above Mitre Saw
Hand-held grinders are increasingly being used for porcelain tile and stone cuts. The blades that have been utilized for years typically have a small cutting edge on the rim, requiring installers to employ some finesse to smooth out edges when cuts are a bit rough. Russo Trading Co.’s E-Z Miter is a five-inch blade that features a honeycomb design with an extra tall cutting/shaping rim. The blade offers more surface area to smooth out cuts, making it much easier and quicker for installers to cut, grind and shape.

Remote Monitoring for Quality Control
When it comes to documenting job site conditions, the flooring industry is behind others. Moisture is a leading cause of flooring failures — too much or too little can have adverse effects on multiple flooring products. As an inspector, one question asked of the flooring contractor is if they have documentation of ambient conditions; more specifically, if it is a hardwood installation, the question is whether they have any documentation of moisture content of the subfloor and hardwood flooring. More often than not, the most common response is they’ve let the product acclimate for anywhere from a couple of days to about a week or two, which is inadequate. Acclimation of a hardwood floor requires having relative humidity, temperature and moisture content readings to determine if the structure is in balance with the flooring. While data loggers have been around for years, technological advancements have resulted in the ability to record data right from a smartphone. One such product that records retrievable data is the Floorcloud real-time job site monitoring system. The difference between this product and others is the monitor is set up with several manufacturers’ recommended ambient conditions. The flooring contractor just inputs the job with products being used and the monitoring system will alert not only the contractor but also anyone added to the data collection information.

Dust Reduction Vacuum Attachment
Silica dust from thinset mortar, patching compounds and self-level products can cause serious health risks, including silicosis and lung cancer. Tools like Dust Hog and Dust Halo improve containment by capturing dust at the source, reducing airborne particles. Simply attach to a bucket or barrel with the use of a high efficiency particulate air vacuum. Combined with personal protection equipment and proper ventilation, these solutions help protect workers and ensure safety compliance.

Jon Namba has been involved in the floor covering industry since 1976. Jon’s hands-on experience includes installation of hardwood, carpet, ceramic tile and decorative concrete coatings. His background also includes roles in retail sales, retail management and commercial contract sales, former director of technical services for the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and former executive director of the Certified Flooring Installers, now a division of WFCA. Jon is currently an independent industry consultant, trainer and speaker.