Representatives of Domco-Tarkett and Mannington will be on hand for a Commercial Hard-Surface Educational Seminar, scheduled for Sept. 13-17 at WFCA headquarters in Anaheim, Calif., to participate in training and provide hands-on demonstrations of proper installation techniques along with examples of improper installation procedures.

Among the subject to be covered will be heat welding vs. chemical welding of seams. Manufacturing and maintenance-related concerns will also be covered.

Product types to be addressed include VCT, homogeneous/heterogeneous sheet goods, linoleum, sports floors, solid-vinyl products, cork flooring and more. Adhesives and patching compounds will also be discussed.

Bob Higgins of Sinak Corp. will address the everyday concrete slab-related problems flooring professionals encounter. He will discuss concerns related to new construction, remodeling projects and why failures are occurring. Seminar participants will learn the tell-tale signs to look for when evaluating a slab before and after the installation of flooring products. Inspection techniques and procedures, along with samples of concrete problems, will be presented.

On the subject of moisture testing, demonstrations of the proper application of both Calcium Chloride and the new ASTM 2170-02 In-Situ Relative Humidity testing methods will be performed. Also slated are demonstrations on the proper use of moisture meters and explanations of how they work.

In addition, proper maintenance procedures and cleaning products for commercial flooring will be detailed, as well as how to evaluate maintenance-related problems and correction techniques.

Steve Tolli of S/L Inspections will moderate the week-long program. Throughout the program, information will be provided to help every architect, specifier, dealer, and flooring contractor prevent problems before they occur. At the same time, inspectors and troubleshooters will learn how to inspect and evaluate the job site before, during and after the installation is completed. Instruction will be given on how to properly collect and preserve samples, testing procedures, protocol and, most important of all, how to properly evaluate the information and samples you have collected during the inspection process.

The cost of the seminar is $1,250. Additional information may be obtained by telephoning call Will Stoner at (256) 828-5337 by e-mailing inspectorinfo@aol.com.