If you have a concern with your carpet, laminate, hardwood or other flooring you may wish to contact a floor covering inspector. A floor covering inspector checks and evaluates flooring products and installations to determine why they may not be meeting the expectations of the end user. Following an in depth inspection and onsite testing inspectors prepare a comprehensive inspection report as to what they have found.
When you experience a possible warranty issue with your floor covering many retailers and manufactures will arrange for an independent floor covering inspector such as Kevin Weinheimer or Terry Weinheimer of The Weinheimer Group LLC an Oregon based company. When a consumer believes that they have an issue that should be covered by the manufacturer, contractor, dealer, installer or other and they are not getting anywhere with their supplier they may wish to contact The Weinheimer Group or another qualified flooring inspection company directly.
Of course, inspector qualification is important. You will want to ask about their certification from organizations such as NWFA, CFI, IICRC and FCITS as it relates to the floor covering or flooring product that they will be inspecting. Certification and good training are not the only assurances you want when looking for a floor covering inspector. You want to know that they are experts in their field for while they may have received top training, they may lack experience. Therefore experience becomes a very important factor. Is the inspector a member of trade organizations such as WFCA – World Floor Covering Association, CFI – International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association, NWFA – National Wood Flooring Association or NICFI – National Institute of Certified Floorcovering Inspectors. Top inspectors such as those of the Weinheimer Group will almost always belong to these organizations.
You could ask for a sample floor report. There are different type of flooring inspections such as cork, laminate, VCT, linoleum, vinyl floors, hardwood, bamboo, softwood and specialty floor coverings. Therefore you would request a sample report that deals with the type of floor that you will be needing inspected. By viewing a report you will get an idea if they are reporting facts or are actually reporting useless information which is of no value.
Checking references or past clients would also provide you an insight or understanding on how the floor covering inspectors would operate. You could also take a look at their resume as this will show their background and qualifications as a floor covering inspector.
Floor covering inspectors use a number of instruments when evaluating a carpet, wood or other floor. You may wish to ask about the types of tests that the inspector may be making in doing his or her evaluation. An inspector that is not taking advantage of the new technologies and instruments is probably not going to do a thorough inspection.
After considering the qualifications, experiences, and other aspects, the last thing that you would have to consider is the price. There are flooring inspectors who would actually be offering lower service fees than others. Usually, the best inspectors are not the least expensive. If you really want to have the best service, you would usually have to pay a bit more.
While the average fee for a floor covering inspection is usually between $200 to $500, there are times when the service will cost you $1,000 or more depending on factors such as the inspection size, type of floor and the types of testing that will be required. Keep in mind that the information that the floor covering inspector is providing is usually an inexpensive investment when you are attempting to settle a claim on a product and installation that likely costs many times the cost of an inspection. Remember that price is soon for gotten but quality still remains!
