What does this wood flooring rough-in checklist cover?

15 items across 3 sections, covering substrate, materials and building conditions, acclimation and layout. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The flooring installer or lead checking the room, with the GC's superintendent confirming the slab and building conditions are ready.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

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.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 14 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a wood flooring rough-in inspection?

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.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Wood flooring

Wood flooring rough-in inspection checklist

Wood flooring rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. Work is commonly verified against manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

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The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Substrate

Subfloor flat within tolerance
Slab or subfloor checked with a straightedge over its length, high spots ground and low spots filled to the product's flatness tolerance.
Moisture tested on slab and wood
Slab moisture measured by the specified method and the wood's moisture content read with a meter, both within the product's range and within the allowed spread of each other.
Wood meter set to the species before boards are read
Pin or pinless meter set to the species or correction the meter maker gives, readings taken from boards pulled from several bundles, not just the top of one.
Subfloor panel stamp or slab matches the allowed substrate
Panel grade stamp and thickness, or the slab, match a substrate the flooring manufacturer allows for this board and fastening method.
Crawlspace or basement below checked for moisture sources
Where the floor sits over a crawlspace or basement, ground cover, ventilation or dehumidification checked so the underside isn't taking on moisture.
No photo

Materials and building conditions

Carton labels match the approved species, grade and width
Species, grade, board width and thickness, and construction (solid or engineered) on the carton labels match the approved submittal, lot numbers noted by room.
Fastening method confirmed for this substrate and grade level
Nail-down, glue-down or floating chosen as the manufacturer's instructions allow for this substrate and for on, above or below grade, with the fastener schedule or trowel notch noted.
No photo
Building closed in and wet work dried out before delivery
Windows and exterior doors in, and drywall mud, plaster, paint and concrete dried out before the wood arrived, per the super's schedule.
No photo
Room relative humidity read on install day
Hygrometer reading of temperature and relative humidity at the start of installation, inside the in-service range the flooring manufacturer lists.

Acclimation and layout

Flooring acclimated to the space
Wood stored in the conditioned room long enough to acclimate, HVAC running at service conditions, moisture re-read before install.
Vapor retarder or underlayment installed
Specified vapor retarder or underlayment down and lapped where required, continuous under the field with no gaps.
Expansion gap laid out at the perimeter
Starting line and perimeter expansion gap set to the product's requirement at walls and fixed obstructions before the first row is fastened.
Boards racked out from several bundles before fastening
Rows dry-laid from several open bundles so color and lengths mix across the room, short ends staggered, defective or off-color boards culled.
Board direction checked against the joists and finish plan
Boards run the direction the finish plan shows; over wood joists, running parallel only with the subfloor reinforcement the manufacturer calls for.
No photo
First rows checked for full fastening before the field runs
Nail-down: cleats seated at the tongue with no splits or raised heads; glue-down: a board lifted to show adhesive transfer; floating: joints fully engaged.

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

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.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this wood flooring rough-in checklist cover?: 15 items across 3 sections, covering substrate, materials and building conditions, acclimation and layout. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The flooring installer or lead checking the room, with the GC's superintendent confirming the slab and building conditions are ready.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: 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.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 14 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a wood flooring rough-in inspection?: 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.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

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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 14 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.