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Flooring Warranty: Everything You Need to Know



A recent survey discovered that 90% of all homeowners in America planned on remodeling their home at some point. 40% of them planned on doing a home renovation within the next two years. 

Half planned on spending $5,000 or less while another 20% planned on investing $10,000 or more into their home renovation project. 

If you're going to lay down that amount of money, you want to make sure that what you invest in will have some staying power. Many items in home renovations come with warranties.

Your floors are no exception. You want a warranty with flooring, especially since they're the most used part of your home. 

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about flooring warranty.

Not Every Flooring Warranty Is the Same

Flooring companies offer different warranties based on brand. And the warranty also may differ depending on the type of flooring you are investing in. 

Whether you're looking into Shaw floors or laminate flooring Las Vegas, make sure you take the time to investigate the flooring warranty.

Flooring Warranty Tips

Many single location distributors buy their flooring directly from China. That means there's no American company representing the product. 

It's often hard to know the true quality of the product. And if failures occur, there may not be any known, reputable manufacturer to stand behind the warranty.

Two brands worth investing in are:

  • Tecwood Revwood (Laminate)

  • RevWood Select (Laminate with 10-year water warranty)

  • RevWood Plus (Laminate with water warranty)

  • EEC (engineered wood core)

  • Solidtech (premium waterproof vinyl)

  • Floorte Classico

  • WPC Floorte

  • ProSPC Array (dry back glue down vinyl) 

  • 5th and Main (private labeled vinyl products marketed for commercial applications)

  • Floorte Hardwood

  • SPC core with wood veneer

  • Repel water-resistant topical coating

  • Epic Plus engineered hardwood flooring

  • Epic Plus with Repel

  • SPC core with wood veneer

  • HDF core engineered hardwood with a water-resistant topical coating 

  • Repel water-resistant laminate collection (all are 12mm)

Another important thing to note is to never use steam cleaners unless you have carpet, tile or stone. Using a steam cleaner on other types of materials will void the warranty. 

Carpet

Carpets typically come with a 10, 15, 20 or lifetime warranty. However, not all carpeting comes with warranties that are transferable. 

If you're planning on selling your home soon, you may want to invest in carpets that come with transferable warranties. It may boost your return on investment as well as the price of your home. 

Most warranties include the following:

  • Stain

  • Pet urine

  • Soil

  • Abrasive wear

  • Quality assurance 

  • Face resistance

  • Texture

However, each manufacturer has its own warranty on their carpets as well as its own set of exclusions. 

Typical Warranty Exclusions for Carpets

No carpet warranty will cover improper installations or improper care. Manufacturers won't cover the warranty due to flood damage, either.

If your carpeting is installed improperly, that's the responsibility of the retailer who installed the carpeting. 

Follow Manufacturers Instructions on Carpet Maintenance

Always carefully read and follow the instructions the manufacturer provides to learn how to properly care for your carpeting. Following these instructions means you won't void the warranty. 

If you do hire professional carpet cleaners, make sure they are approved by the Carpet and Rug Institute.

Hardwood Floors

Most hardwood floors come with warranties that cover homeowners for 25+ years. The most common warranties are the structural warranty and the finish warranty. 

However, both warranties are only valid if the floors were properly installed and maintained. The following incidents are not covered by hardwood floor warranties:

Scratches made from:

  • Pets and furniture

  • Indentations made from pets and furniture

  • Buildup caused by improper cleaning products

  • Wear caused by improper cleaning products

Always follow proper cleaning procedures to keep your warranty. You'll also keep your hardwood floors looking beautiful for years to come.

Structural Warranty

The structural warranty is what protects the homeowner from their floors warping, buckling or cupping. If you own engineered hardwood floors, delamination is also typically covered. 

If it's been properly installed and maintained, the mill is considered responsible for any structural issues. The mill is then responsible for providing the homeowner with new flooring of equal value. 

However, it's important to remember that while the new materials are free, the labor isn't always covered under the warranty. Check your warranty as it varies by brand and circumstances as to whether labor is also covered. 

Finish Warranty

The finish warranty typically guarantees homeowners that the finish won't wear through to bare wood. It also guarantees the finish won't separate from the wood for the entire duration of the warranty period. 

Just because a finish warranty offers a long term, that doesn't necessarily equate to the product being of a higher quality. Most finish warranties tend to protect the manufacturer more than the homeowner. 

Poor maintenance often leads to accelerated wear and tear. And if the floors aren't properly maintained, that voids the warranty.

If indentations are caused by the following factors, it won't be covered in your warranty. 

  • Pet claws

  • Fridge casters

  • High heels

  • Furniture Legs

  • Damage caused during installation

Any issues from hazy buildup caused by improper cleaning products or mold caused by steam mops are not covered under a finish warranty. 

Other Common Exclusions in a Hardwood Floor Warranty

There are a few other instances where your warranty won't be covered such as:

  • Natural wood expansion

  • Sunlight exposure

  • Natural wood characteristics

  • Moisture damage

  • Structural support

And if you try to do any in-home repairs yourself, it will automatically void your warranty. Leave repairs to the professionals. 

Vinyl Flooring

Most vinyl flooring warranties cover things like fading, wear, staining, ripping, tearing and/or curling edges. However, what your warranty covers depends on what type of vinyl flooring you're purchasing. 

Wear

Often, a vinyl wear warranty will cover the homeowner in cases where the wear layer is lost and there's a change or damage in the printed pattern or design.  

Fading and Stains

A fade warranty is only valid under normal household conditions. It covers stains, discoloring, and fading. 

Rips, Tears, Indents, and Gouges

During normal household use, your warranty covers you if your vinyl flooring does any of the following:

  • Contracts

  • Expands

  • Cracks

However, what isn't covered in the warranty is any damage caused by construction, installation or from sharp cutting objects. 

Locking System

For the duration of your warranty, the joints in your vinyl tile floor should remain locked together tightly. If they separate or crack, it's covered. 

Installation

Always get an installation warranty when you invest in vinyl flooring. It's often just as important as the product warranty.

It also covers any issues relating to the original installation. 

Laminate Flooring

Not all floors are created equally, so the length of a laminate flooring warranty will vary. The manufacturer and the type of flooring you choose will also determine the length of your warranty, along with a few other factors. 

Most laminate flooring warranties specify whether it's for heavy commercial, light commercial or residential use. However, most commonly homeowners can choose from the following warranty standards:

  • 5-year

  • 10-year

  • 15-year

  • 20-year

  • 21-30 year

  • 31-40 year

  • Lifetime

Laminate flooring warranties are not transferable. And most 5-10 year warranties are only applicable for commercial use. 

What Are the Laminate Flooring Manufacturer Responsibilities

The manufacturer is responsible for replacing any defective planks of the same design before, during or after installation. If that design isn't available, they must replace it with another design of equal value. 

However, the homeowner is responsible for any additional labor costs associated with removing the damaged floor as well as the installation of the replacement flooring. Only the defective parts are covered under this type of warranty. 

What Laminate Floor Warranties Cover

Here's what laminate floor warranties typically cover:

  • Defective planks

  • Manufacturer defects

  • Staining

  • Fading

  • Wear

Some selected brands may also cover water resistance and/or joint integrity. However, this is only with selected brands and must be specified within the warranty itself. 

What a Laminate Flooring Warranty Won't Cover

As always, improper installations voids the warranty. Upon installation, it's considered that you've accepted the condition of the planks and the planks no longer fall under the flooring warranty. 

Here are a few other typical warranty exclusions:

  • Abuse/misuse

  • Scratching

  • Exposure to extreme temperatures

  • Flooding/Acts of God

  • Improper maintenance

  • Cuts caused by abrasive materials

  • Buckling

Any damage caused during transit or overuse of the glueless seam system also voids the warranty for laminate floors. As usual, improper cleaning or maintenance voids the warranty. 

Tile Warranties

Tile warranties also differ depending on the type of tiles you invest in. Most of these warranties only last up to one year from the date of purchase.

However, these warranties often offer the following types of coverage. 

Wear

In the event the tile wear layer is lost and causes any changes or damage to the printed design or pattern, the warranty provides coverage. 

Fading

Fading can occur due to normal exposure to both natural sunlight and artificial lights. It's especially important to make sure your tile has a warranty if you plan on placing your tile in an area where the tile is exposed to sunlight or harsh artificial lighting. 

Stains

A stain warranty covers the homeowner if there are any permanent stains that were caused by normal household use. However, always read the fine print when it comes to staining. 

Each flooring retailer has their own definition of what "normal household use" means. 

Installation

Installation warranties are often just as important as product warranties. A tile installation warranty covers any issues associated with the original installation. 

Stone Warranties

For many stone warranties, the homeowner has a lifetime guarantee over the following issues:

  • Life of floor

  • Water resistance

  • Installation

Some warranties also provide homeowners with the ability to change their minds within 90 days after installation. It is only valid with the original homeowner.

What Stone Warranties Won't Cover

Stone warranties are voided if the stones have been subjected to the following circumstances:

  • Abuse

  • Vandalism

  • Alternations

  • Improper maintenance

Also, any damage caused by flood, wind, lightning, fire, smoke or any other act of God also voids the warranty. 

Find Your Flooring Here

If you're confused or have questions about your flooring warranty or even about which type of flooring to invest in, we can help. Click here to contact Alison if you like what you've read and want to hire her to write articles for your company.

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