Checklists by trade
Wood flooring inspection checklists
Wood flooring inspection checklists for the rough-in, final and punch walks: 3 free lists, 38 items and 29 photo requirements, each item naming what to look for and the photo evidence it needs.
The wood flooring walks, in build order
Where each walk sits in the schedule
01rough-in
Wood flooring rough-in inspection checklist
After the substrate is prepped and the wood has sat in the space to acclimate, and before the first board is fastened or glued down.
Run by: The flooring installer or lead checking the room, with the GC's superintendent confirming the slab and building conditions are ready.
02final
Wood flooring final inspection checklist
After the floor is installed, sanded and the finish coats are down and cured, before protection goes over it and before turnover walks.
Run by: The GC's superintendent with the flooring lead, walking the finished floor before it's protected and turned over.
03punch
Wood flooring punch checklist
During closeout, after the floor has been through a heating or cooling season enough to move and after other trades have finished in the room.
Run by: The flooring lead on a callback, or the GC's superintendent clearing flooring punch before turnover.
What most often sends wood flooring work back
- Boards laid over a slab that never got a moisture test, so the floor cups or buckles once it takes on water from below.
- Wood delivered and installed the same day with no acclimation, so it shrinks to gaps or swells to a buckle after.
- A high or low spot in the slab left unground and unfilled, telegraphing into hollow, springy boards.
- Adhesive troweled thin on the glue-down field, so boards read hollow underfoot in the middle of the room.
- Expansion gap at the walls closed off tight by base or trim, so the floor has nowhere to move and peaks at a seam.
- Sanding swirl or a thin final coat that only shows under raking light after the room is furnished.
- A squeak chased with a face-nail through the finish instead of finding the loose board or subfloor fastener.
- A transition strip at a doorway left loose or the wrong profile, so it catches underfoot and the gap shows.
Categories and trades on the same jobs
Common questions
4 answers
- Which wood flooring inspections do these checklists cover?
- Wood flooring rough-in inspection checklist (rough-in): After the substrate is prepped and the wood has sat in the space to acclimate, and before the first board is fastened or glued down. Wood flooring final inspection checklist (final): After the floor is installed, sanded and the finish coats are down and cured, before protection goes over it and before turnover walks. Wood flooring punch checklist (punch): During closeout, after the floor has been through a heating or cooling season enough to move and after other trades have finished in the room.
- Who runs a wood flooring inspection?
- The flooring installer or lead checking the room, with the GC's superintendent confirming the slab and building conditions are ready. The GC's superintendent with the flooring lead, walking the finished floor before it's protected and turned over. The flooring lead on a callback, or the GC's superintendent clearing flooring punch before turnover.
- What most often sends wood flooring work back?
- Boards laid over a slab that never got a moisture test, so the floor cups or buckles once it takes on water from below. Wood delivered and installed the same day with no acclimation, so it shrinks to gaps or swells to a buckle after. A high or low spot in the slab left unground and unfilled, telegraphing into hollow, springy boards. Adhesive troweled thin on the glue-down field, so boards read hollow underfoot in the middle of the room.
- Can I run these checklists in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace and load any of the 3 lists (38 items in total). The Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached, and approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.
Run these lists with the Photo Gate.
Tag one area, scan it, and the submit stays locked until the photos exist.
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