by Brianna Crandall — April 18, 2014—After three years of dedicated work, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has announced the publication of a new ANSI-approved standard concerning installation, maintenance, cleaning and inspection procedures for textile floorcoverings.
ANSI/IICRC S800 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Inspection of Textile Floorcoverings (1st edition, 2014) defines basic operational procedures and techniques for inspecting/evaluating: carpet types, characteristics and conditions; specification; installation procedures; and post-installation maintenance and cleaning.
The standard enables professional inspectors to determine appropriate procedures for inspecting textile floor coverings. This standard was created for use primarily by professional inspectors, and secondarily for carpet manufacturers, product suppliers, building contractors, architects, specifiers, designers, distributors, flooring retailers, end users, facilities managers, institutions and others involved in the textile flooring inspection industry, notes IICRC.
Every textile floor covering has unique characteristics, and each inspection project should be carefully evaluated to determine proper application of this standard. In some circumstances, deviation from portions of this standard may be appropriate; however, carelessness is never acceptable, and common sense and professional judgment are to be exercised in all cases, cautions IICRC.
An hour-long radio program from February 7 with IICRC Standards Director Mili Washington, S800 Chair Bill Doan, and Vice Chair Lew Migliore discussing the S800 and what it means for the industry is available from the IAQ Radio Web site.
The ANSI/IICRC S800 Standard and Reference Guide is available from the IICRC Web store in both hard copy and electronic forms, along with electronic versions for Apple iPad, Kindle, Nook, and Sony Reader, and in PDF format.
