- Most floor warranties cover manufacturing defects and the finish wearing through. Not scratches, dents, pets, water damage or bad installs.
- "Lifetime" usually means as long as you own the home, it's prorated, and it shrinks a lot in commercial or rental use.
- The most common ways people void a warranty: wrong cleaner, wrong humidity, uneven subfloor, no expansion gap.
- The product warranty and the installation warranty are two different things. Ask who covers the install.
We've been on the other end of warranty claims, the inspector shows up, looks at the floor, and the answer is almost always "not a defect." That's not because the companies are crooks. It's because most people never read what the warranty covers. Here's the plain-English version.
What a warranty usually covers
- Manufacturing defects: planks that are warped out of the box, delaminating layers, click joints that were milled wrong, printing errors.
- Wear-through: the finish or wear layer wearing all the way through in normal foot traffic. Note: wearing through, not scratching. That's a high bar and it rarely happens at home.
- Structural integrity: on hardwood, that the boards won't come apart or separate from the core.
- Water (on waterproof products): that the plank won't swell or degrade from topical water. Not the subfloor.
What it usually doesn't cover
- Scratches, scuffs, dents and gouges, including pet claws, furniture, high heels and dropped pans.
- Damage from water that gets under the floor, floods, leaks, or "excessive" moisture.
- Gaps, cupping or cracking from humidity outside the allowed range (hardwood especially).
- Fading or colour change from sunlight. Some products also exclude heat damage from direct sun through glass.
- Problems caused by the subfloor or the installation.
- Damage from rolling loads (office chairs without a mat) or heavy point loads.
- Any damage from using the wrong cleaner, a steam mop or wax.
The fine print that voids warranties
Humidity (hardwood)
Most hardwood warranties want your home kept within a set relative humidity range, commonly around 35–55%. In a Lower Mainland winter with the furnace running, indoor humidity can drop well below that. A cheap hygrometer (humidity gauge) and a humidifier are the best insurance you can buy for a hardwood floor.
Subfloor flatness
Floating floors need a flat base. A common spec is no more than 3/16" variation over 10 feet. Some vinyl products ask for even flatter. If the subfloor wasn't flattened and the joints fail, it's not a defect.
Expansion gaps
Floating floors move. They need a gap at every wall, door frame and cabinet. A floor pinched under cabinets or tight to the walls can buckle, and that's an install problem.
Moisture testing
On concrete, many makers want proof the slab was tested and within limits. Keep the numbers if your installer gives you them.
Cleaning products
Many brands require their own cleaner, or at least a pH-neutral one. Steam mops void most warranties for hardwood and laminate, and many for vinyl.
Proof of purchase
Keep the receipt, the product name and the lot number from the boxes. Take a photo of a box end. If you ever need to replace planks, the lot number also helps match colour.
"Lifetime," "50-year" and "limited" decoded
| Phrase | Usually means |
|---|---|
| Limited lifetime | For as long as the original buyer owns the home, with a list of exclusions. Rarely transferable. |
| Prorated | Coverage shrinks each year. A claim in year 15 of 30 might cover half the material cost. |
| Material only | They send replacement planks. You pay to rip out and reinstall. |
| Residential only | Rentals, home businesses and commercial use get a much shorter warranty, if any. |
| Finish warranty: 25 years | The finish won't wear through to bare wood in 25 years of normal traffic. Says nothing about scratches. |
The warranty that matters more: the install
Most real-world floor problems are install or subfloor problems: squeaks, gaps, peaking, hollow spots, transitions coming loose. The manufacturer doesn't cover those. Your installer does, or doesn't. Before you hire anyone, ask:
- What is your workmanship guarantee, and how long is it?
- Do you flatten the subfloor, and is that in the price?
- Do you test concrete for moisture?
- Do you follow the maker's install guide (gaps, underlay, acclimation)?
- Are you insured and covered by WorkSafeBC?
How to compare two warranties in 2 minutes
- Find the actual warranty PDF on the brand's site, not the sticker on the box.
- Search the PDF for: "humidity," "exclusions," "cleaner," "subfloor," "prorated," "commercial," "sunlight."
- Check whether it's material only or includes labour.
- Check whether pets are mentioned (usually excluded).
- Compare the residential years only if everything else is equal. A big number with a long exclusion list isn't better than a smaller number that covers more.
Our brand pages list each brand's warranty terms in plain words, with links to the original documents.
Common questions
Do flooring warranties cover scratches?
Almost never. Scratches, scuffs, dents and pet damage are excluded from nearly every residential flooring warranty. "Wear" warranties cover the finish or wear layer wearing all the way through in normal traffic, which is rare in a home.
What does a lifetime flooring warranty mean?
Usually a limited warranty for as long as the original buyer owns the home, covering manufacturing defects and wear-through, often prorated and often material-only. It doesn't usually cover installation, water under the floor, pets or humidity damage.
What voids a flooring warranty?
The most common reasons: an uneven subfloor, missing expansion gaps, humidity outside the allowed range (hardwood), skipping a moisture test on concrete, using steam mops or non-approved cleaners, and installing in a room the product isn't rated for.
Is the installation covered by the manufacturer's warranty?
No. Manufacturer warranties cover the product. Installation problems are covered, if at all, by your installer's workmanship guarantee. Ask for it in writing.
Who's writing this: Rose and Thorn Flooring is a flooring company in Surrey, BC. We install floors for a living, so yes, we'd love to do yours. But nobody pays us to say nice things about a product, and we don't earn commission from any brand. If something here is wrong or out of date, text us at 604-716-4160 and we'll fix it.