Resources · For homeowners, contractors, and designers
The flooring industry, explained in plain English.
What the numbers on a box mean, which certificates matter indoors, and where to check a contractor in California.
Flooring is sold in a language of its own: AC ratings, mil, HDF, Janka, CARB2. None of it is hard once someone translates it. This page collects the standards, certifications, and trade associations we rely on when we choose a collection, so you can use the same checklist on any floor from any store, including ours.
How to read a spec sheet, line by line.
Five numbers tell you most of what you need to know about a floor before you ever walk on it.
The European abrasion class for laminate, from AC1 to AC5. AC3 is fine for most rooms in a home, AC4 handles busy households and light commercial use, and AC5 is rated for heavy commercial traffic. The test grinds the surface until the decor shows through, so a higher class means more wear before the pattern fades. Our laminate range →
The clear top layer that protects the printed decor. One mil is a thousandth of an inch, so 20 mil is about half a millimeter. Around 12 mil suits bedrooms and light use; 20 mil is the usual choice for kitchens, pets, and rentals; 28 mil and up is built for commercial floors. Our LVP range →
The force needed to press a steel ball halfway into a species of wood. Red oak scores about 1,290 and white oak about 1,360, which is why oak is the reference point for American floors. On engineered boards, also check the thickness of the real wood top layer: it decides how many times the floor can be sanded. Our hardwood range →
HDF (high-density fiberboard) is the core of laminate and is sensitive to standing water. SPC (stone plastic composite) is the rigid, waterproof core of most modern vinyl plank. Engineered hardwood uses plywood or a wood-composite core under a real wood face.
Total board thickness, often quoted with an attached pad (for example 12 + 2 mm). A thicker board feels more solid underfoot and bridges small subfloor dips better, but it is not a measure of wear resistance on its own.
Click systems such as Uniclic let a floor float over the subfloor without glue or nails. Tongue-and-groove hardwood is usually nailed or glued down. The system decides how the floor is installed and whether a single board can be replaced later.
Certificates that matter indoors.
A floor covers the largest surface in a room, so what it releases into the air counts. These are the three marks worth asking for, and who stands behind each of them.
An indoor air quality certification for hard surface flooring, run by SCS Global Services and developed with the Resilient Floor Covering Institute. It tests emissions of volatile organic compounds against California’s own indoor air standard.
Formaldehyde limits for composite wood products, set first by the California Air Resources Board and then adopted nationwide under the federal TSCA Title VI rule. They apply to the HDF core in laminate and to composite cores in engineered hardwood.
A UL certification with stricter emission limits, written with schools and healthcare spaces in mind. It covers a broader list of chemicals than the formaldehyde rules alone.
Ask for the certificate itself, not a logo on a box. A real certificate names the manufacturer and the product line, and it can be looked up in the certifier’s public database.
Standards and trade associations behind the industry.
Manufacturers, retailers, and installers in North America work to a shared set of specifications. These are the ones that come up most often in our work.
The North American Laminate Flooring Association publishes the LF 01 specification and test methods for laminate, covering wear, impact, moisture swelling, and more. nalfa.com ↗
The National Wood Flooring Association writes the installation guidelines most hardwood manufacturers and installers follow, from moisture testing to nailing schedules. nwfa.org ↗
The World Floor Covering Association represents flooring retailers in the United States and runs education and consumer resources for the trade. wfca.org ↗
Looking for Premier Flooring Retailer magazine? It is published by the WFCA at pfrmag.net.
The U.S. specification for resilient flooring with a rigid polymeric core, the category most SPC vinyl plank falls into.
The in-situ relative humidity test for concrete slabs. Done before installation, it tells you whether a slab is dry enough for the floor going on top of it.
The trade group of resilient flooring manufacturers in North America, and a co-developer of FloorScore. rfci.com ↗
Checking a flooring contractor in California.
In California, flooring work over $1,000 in labor and materials requires a state contractor license. Five minutes of checking saves a lot of trouble later.
Look the license number up on the Contractors State License Board site. Flooring contractors usually hold the C-15 Flooring and Floor Covering classification, or a general B license. CSLB license check ↗
Ask for a certificate of general liability insurance, and check the CSLB record for workers’ compensation coverage if the contractor has employees on your job.
A written contract with the scope, the materials by name and lot, the price, and the payment schedule. California limits the down payment on home improvement work to 10 percent or $1,000, whichever is less.
See it applied to real floors.
Every collection at KONO Flooring in Sacramento lists its AC rating or wear layer, core, and thickness on the product page, next to a published price. Compare laminate, waterproof LVP, and engineered hardwood, or see how we install and what it costs.