Advanced Flooring Inspector Training
The Guild offers continued education for flooring inspectors, inviting you to go beyond the certification and dive deep into the science of our trade. Classes are held twice a year at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg VA. We invite keynote speakers across various expertise related to the surfaces and coverings we work with and teach the in-depth truth about product behavior, testing, proper operation of tools and equipment, prove and debunk myths and trends in the industry, and provide top notch networking opportunities.
UPCOMING CLASSES
FALL SEMINAR
October 26th-28th 2026
Tuition: $365.00 [$350.00 for inspectors over 65]. Includes lunch daily. Your name and contact information listed on The Guild website for students of Tarkett’s sport flooring.
20 Seats available for in-person students. Unlimited seats available for virtual students.
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8:00a - 8:15a: Check in
8:15a - 12:00p: Bona Sand and Finish. Many ask, why a sand and finish class with the dominance of factory finish flooring. The Answer? Sooner or later, those floors will have to be sanded and recoated. Larry Nicholson will teach the correct methods, and then, explain what can happen with things are not done correctly.
Students who attend will have their names and contact information on a Guild Page dedicated for Bona as someone to contact if they have a sand / finish issue.
Lunch provided.
1:00p - 2:00p: Concrete Measurements - Delmhorst Meters. Attendees qualify for a 10% discount for new meters; and your name and contact information will be on the Delmhorst Meter Page on the Guild Website to list you as a student of concrete moisture testing. There is more to moisture measurements than
“sticking it”.
Short Break
2:15p - 4:30p: Bona will have one of their adhesive chemists teach a class on the many different types of adhesives. The class will discuss what types and substrates are compatible and importantly, what products are best for particular products. The chemist will also teach different types of applied underlayments.
Once again, your name and contact information on the Guild’s Bona page for a student of flooring adhesives and underlayments.
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8:00a: Doors open
8:30a - 11:00a: Dr. Loferski (retired Va.Tech wood scientists) and Kevin Schleweis will discuss the characteristics of engineered wood flooring such as warpage, that has two subcategories, cupping and twisting.
Manufacturing defects Vs. Site Conditions
11:15a - 12:00p: Mark Cordel (Litigation Support Services) and Henri Carr (IFCII). Mark is a nationally recognized Building Code Expert and Henri is the owner and instructor for an inspection school whose certifications and classes are accepted by the flooring industry. Too often, inspectors make mistakes as to what is code, and what are standards. They are not the same!! Mark is the Guild’s Construction Expert and National Code Expert.
Lunch Provided
1:00p - 4:15p: Dr. Hindman has prepared a research study he did for statistical accuracy of moisture testing for installers and inspectors. Then Dr. Loferski will teach a class on the different types of locking systems for floors, pros and cons.
4:30p - 5:30p: Tarkett’s VP of Sports Flooring will discuss sports floors, rubber floors, and compatibility issues. Yes, a long Day 2.
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8:00a: Doors open
8:30a - 10:00a: Tramex Meters and Concrete moisture testing. This class will qualify students for a 10% discount for Meters. Andrew Rynhart, Tramex CEO, will teach the class and a presentation by Jason Ramsey, a Tramex Certification Instructor, will have a presentation demonstrating the correct method to do the measurements.
10:15a - 12:00p: Mapei will teach a class on compound patches, self-leveling compounds and roll-on underlayments, which is better, plastic or underlayments.
Your name and contact information on a page dedicated to Mapei as a student of patches, underlayments and self-leveling compounds.
1:00p - 3:45p: Dr. Bond, ID of Kiln Drying defects, and how they happen. Dr. Bond teaches Kiln Dry Operators how to dry lumber, that is, the same as our wood floors.
This is the class many in the wood flooring industry do not want you to attend because of what you will learn.
To date, a wood flooring association that represents manufacturers nationally, will not recognize and not recommend you take this class.
You must ask yourself this important question? Why?
CLASS UPDATE
During discussions for topics for this October Class, one issue was repeated several times by our class committee.
We are seeing a recurring pattern in which inspectors — including some with recognized credentials — are submitting flooring samples to independent laboratories ordering tests that have no meaningful connection to what was actually observed in the field.
This is especially predominate with engineered wood flooring sections, Solid wood inspections and of course, vinyl planks.
The result is lab data that either contradicts the field findings, fails to support the causation argument, or gets used to deflect a legitimate manufacturing claim.
The failure modes driving this are ones we encounter regularly: dry cupping in uninstalled material, manufacturing relative warpage causes, delamination with clean glue-line separation, manufacturing shearing, longitudinal bowing, and manufacturing non-conformance.
The problem is not that the tests don't exist. The problem is that inspectors are not connecting the field observation to the correct test, and in warranty and litigation contexts, irrelevant data creates doubt rather than resolving causation.
Dr. Loferski and Dr. Hindman will address these issues in our October Classes at the Bona Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.
Stay Informed
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