What is a FloorScore Certification?

A growing number of homeowners are becoming aware of the hazardous chemicals which are used in the construction of everyday products such as furniture, paint, and building materials. Many of us are demanding products which are not only safer for ourselves and their families, but the environment as a whole. This has led to the introduction of certain certification systems to determine the quality of products, flooring included.

How Does The FloorScore Certification Work?

The FloorScore certification is a seal which is accorded to floors which match or surpass the low emission requirements for VOCs, or volatile organic compounds. Flooring which is certified provides a superior indoor air quality than non-certified designs. The FloorScore certification was established by Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), an organization which is responsible for evaluating various types of flooring to determine if they meet the proper air quality standards. These standards are considered some of the most stringent in the industry which ultimately means cleaner air and a healthier lifestyle for those that use products that come with a FloorScore certification.

What Is Specifically Required For Flooring Products To Become Certified?

There are 8 steps involved with a floor becoming FloorScore certified. Even after a product receives a certification, it must be renewed periodically to ensure the product maintains the same standards. The process begins when the flooring manufacturer fills out and submits an application form. A proposal will then be written which contains the testing methods that will be used.

The SCS, or Scientific Certification Systems, will then evaluate data such as the corporate documents, manufacturing procedures and product info in order to ascertain whether the manufacturer can proceed to the next step based on the evaluation of their product. If the manufacturer successfully passes this phase, they will then be subjected to an audit on-site. During this step, the auditor will interview the manufacturer’s technical team to gather additional data that can allow for a more extensive evaluation.

Once this is done, the auditor will draft a document which assesses the results of the audit. These results will consist of things such as areas where improvements are needed, areas which are non-conformant and an assessment of the manufacturer’s data. SCS representatives will then perform a peer review, where the findings of the auditor will be evaluated.

Final Steps For Certification

Based on the peer review, a list of corrective measures will be presented to the manufacturer. If the audit detected any non-conformity the manufacturer can submit an action plan which details changes they’ve made to eliminate these issues. A technical evaluation will then be made of the auditor’s assessment and a final decision will be made regarding certification.

A manufacturer who succeeds will then receive a certificate along with a final report. The manufacturer will also be added to the Green Products Certificate Database. From this point forward, routine audits will be conducted with the manufacturer to determine if they continue to maintain the standards which are required for the SCS.

As you can see, becoming FloorScore certified is a long and complex process, but achieving it is certainly worth the effort when it comes to bettering flooring quality, and doing our part for the environment.

The post What is a FloorScore Certification? appeared first on Foundation Flooring Blog.