Information

The Hardwood Flooring Summit 2008

The conference is being held at The Westin Peachtree Plaza on August 14-17, 2008.

In addition to the main conference, there will be a two day claims and inspections workshop on August 12-13 (also at The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel.

  • One of a kind opportunity:
  • JOIN  40 OF THE TOP WOOD FLOORING EXPERTS
  • The experts will be there to instruct, learn together, and share vital knowledge

NEVER BEFORE HAVE so many wood flooring experts gathered in one place to share their wisdom, experience, and proven techniques for success.

What will we do at the conference?

  • Thursday through Sunday:
    • 4 to 5 speakers each the morning.
  • Breakouts, breakouts, breakouts.
    • 17 speakers, 23 instructors
    • 30 to 45 breakout classes (depending on conference size)
    • You choose your fifteen breakout classes (register early to get the breakouts you want.)!

Most of all, we will learn together and have fun.

Learn How To:

  • How to recognize problems and claims issues.
  • How to identify and determine what the problem really is.
  • How to inspect the problems and issues
  • How to test for the issues
  • Find out what caused the problem
  • How to apply industry standards and guidelines to reach the correct conclusion on claims, in a logical manner.
  • …and much more.

Facts Attendees Will Learn at The Hardwood Flooring Summit

Armed with all of this knowledge, the average retailer will see:

Significant increases in sales
Considerable decreases in claims losses
Substantial improvements in customer satisfaction

The Top 207 Wood Floor Problems, Causes and Cures.  This slide presentation shows photographs of 278 actual claims.

SALES

Facts you need to know about: Exotics, Bamboos and Domestics.

Profitability and positioning of hardwood the next 5 years.

Innovations of trends to fuel value to consumers that result in profits.

Answers to questions retailers and sales people need to know.

Most common mistakes sales people make.

Ways to work faster and smarter with more savvy.

Keys to selling consumers, builders and commercial sales.

Reasons to sell engineered over solids.<br />Facts why you should sell solids instead of engineered.

Answers to customers questions.

Ways to avoid problems before they occur.

Bits of vital information to build your knowledge base.

You know the basics…NOW BECOME THE EXPERT!

JOB SITE SAND AND FINISH

Industry proven techniques.
Reasons to use water-based finish.
Facts why you should use an oil-based finish.
Common mistakes with sand and finish jobs.
Job site sand and finish problems causes and cures.

NEW CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS

Common errors that cause floor failures in new construction.
Checklist items for builders and installers.
Reasons why wood floors should not be installed too early.
Facts why wood floors should never be covered for protection.

ADHESIVE ISSUES

Ways moisture affects glue down installations.
Reasons you should use urethane adhesive.
Reasons to use a vapor protection retarder.
Most common errors with adhesive installations.
Best ways to remove adhesive residue from boards.

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing tolerances.
Grading rules.
Facts about powder post beetle problems.
Reasons a board can be defective.
Kiln-drying errors.
Grading, milling and finish errors.
Reasons why manufacturers will not honor a claim for defective boards that have been installed.

MOISTURE PROBLEMS

Why the #1 worst enemy of a wood floor is water.
Ways moisture causes cupping.
Reasons why a lack of moisture causes cupping.
Ways crawl spaces, basements, flower beds, nearby lakes, rivers, ocean, in-ground pools, grading of yard, poor drainage, water maintenance and other moisture issues can cause wood floor problems.
Keys to preventing moisture problems.
Reasons for buckling.

INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT

Reasons why relative humidity matters.
Causes of checks, splits, cupping, delamination, gaps and finish issues.
Causes for seasonal gaps, abnormal gaps, those that close and those that do not.
Reasons why keeping the job site at “normal living conditions” is critical.

MAINTENANCE

Ways improper maintenance damages hardwood floors.
Keys to keeping a wood floor beautiful.
Products to never use on a wood floor.
Reasons to never clean a wood floor with water.

UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Why 30% of all end-user claims are the result of their lack of knowledge and high expectations.
Reasons why consumers expect too much.

CLAIMS

And see the top 207 wood floor problems, causes and cures.
Ways to slash claims by 50%.
Ways to avoid key mistakes that lead to replacing a floor.
Facts you need to know when determining who is a t fault when a floor fails.
Facts you need to know before hiring an inspector.

OTHER BENEFITS AND REASONS TO ATTEND

Finally: Wood flooring information you can trust.
Over 300 best kept secrets.
From 32 information packed hours of intensive training.
About illegal logging…how it affects you, the wood industry and our planet.
Ways to get expert advice in the future.