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Flooring installation inspection checklist

Two numbers decide whether a floor lasts: substrate flatness and substrate moisture. Both have to be measured and recorded before material is opened, because after installation neither can be proven and both become somebody's warranty claim.

Items
12
Photos required
25
Built for
Subcontractors

Who runs it

Flooring contractor; the GC verifies the substrate readings before material is accepted on site.

When in the schedule

Substrate and moisture testing before delivery, acclimation before installation, protection immediately after.

The checklist

Every item, and the photo that proves it

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as-is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.

01

Substrate

  • Flatness measured against the tolerance for the product

    Straightedge readings recorded at multiple locations, photographed with the gap visible.

    3 photos

  • Substrate clean, sound and free of contaminants

    No curing compounds, adhesive residue or drywall mud left on the slab.

    2 photos

  • Cracks and joints treated per the system

    Moving joints honoured through the floor, not bridged and left to telegraph.

    2 photos
02

Moisture and conditions

  • Moisture testing performed with results recorded by location

    Test method, reading and location on a plan — one number for a whole floor is not a test.

    3 photos

  • Building conditioned to service conditions before installation

    HVAC operating, temperature and humidity within range and recorded.

    1 photo

  • Material acclimated for the required period

    Delivery date, storage location and acclimation start recorded.

    2 photos
03

Installation

  • Layout set and dry-laid before fixing

    Starting line, cut sizes at the perimeter, and pattern verified against the plan.

    2 photos

  • Adhesive, underlayment or fastening as specified

    Correct trowel notch and coverage; check a lifted piece for transfer.

    2 photos

  • Expansion gaps maintained at all perimeters and penetrations

    Gap present behind base and at columns, doors and thresholds.

    2 photos
04

Finish and protection

  • Transitions, thresholds and base complete

    Secure, level with the adjacent finish, scribed where the floor is uneven.

    2 photos

  • Surface free of lippage, hollow spots and damage

    Sound test hard surfaces; check lippage across the room, not just one tile.

    2 photos

  • Protection installed immediately after installation

    Breathable protection, taped to itself rather than to the finish.

    2 photos

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

  • Moisture test performed but the readings never recorded against a location.
  • Material installed the day it arrived, with no acclimation period.
  • Finished floor used as a work surface by following trades with no protection.

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 25 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.

Start freeTry the gate first

Submission state

Mandatory items answered12 of 12
Photos attached22 of 25
Submit locked — 3 photos missing

The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.

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See all 69 checklists — 614 items and 1031 photo requirements in total.