Definition
Flooring Commissioning is an independent verification process from specification through turnover. It verifies and documents compliance with flooring manufacturer requirements and project specifications — when temporary conditions exist that can't be reconstructed later. This produces a neutral evidentiary record for accountability and warranty enforcement.
Industry Recognition
In 2014, ASHRAE published The Strategic Guide to Commissioning through the Building Performance Alliance. The guide expanded commissioning scope beyond mechanical systems to include interior building systems, specifically noting the elevated failure risk and warranty exposure of floor assemblies.
This was not a mandatory standard. It was a recognition by ASHRAE that flooring carries commissioning-level risk — and that independent verification practices used for other building systems apply to flooring.
What the Commissioning Agent Does
- Reviews project specifications and manufacturer requirements before work begins
- Verifies that required substrate testing was performed and results meet requirements
- Monitors and documents environmental conditions during acclimation and installation
- Observes installation practices against manufacturer requirements
- Delivers comprehensive commissioning documentation at turnover
What the Commissioning Agent Does NOT Do
- Perform any testing (testing is the contractor's responsibility per RFCI guidelines)
- Install flooring
- Approve or reject work
- Direct contractor means and methods
- Stop work (that authority rests with the owner/architect)
- Prescribe installation methods
The commissioning agent verifies compliance with the contractor's chosen means and methods against manufacturer requirements and project specifications. The agent does not prescribe, direct, or approve installation methods.
The agent verifies and documents. Contractors install. Owners approve. These boundaries preserve clear accountability.
Who Benefits
For Owners: When flooring fails, the neutral evidentiary record shows whether requirements were followed — resolving warranty disputes and establishing accountability with facts instead of arguments.
For Architects and Specifiers: When flooring fails on your project, the owner's attorney contacts you too. If Flooring Commissioning was specified and the neutral record shows the contractor deviated from your specifications, that record protects you. Flooring Commissioning verifies that your design intent was followed. It documents the answer.
For the Project: Problems caught during installation — before flooring is down — cost a fraction of post-failure remediation. Flooring Commissioning creates the verification that prevents failures and the documentation that resolves them.