Limited Premium Warranty
Hapwood® by Howell
Limited Premium Warranty
The Hapwood® by Howell Limited Premium Warranty Against Seasonal Movement and Limited Premium Structural Integrity Warranty is as follows:
- Howell warrants its Hapwood® by Howell products against cupping, crowning or gapping greater than .008” caused by seasonal humidity changes for the life of a registered floor.
- Howell warrants that its Hapwood® by Howell flooring shall not contain manufacturing defects from milling or grading in excess of (3%) for the life of the floor. The industry standard is 5%.
- In addition Howell warrants its Hapwood® by Howell engineered products against delamination for the life of the product.
Installation of Any Flooring Constitutes Acceptance of Grade and Milling and Confirms Acceptable Job Site Conditions Exist for Installation.
It is the responsibility of the installer to confirm prior to installation that the Hapwood® flooring is of satisfactory appearance, including any variations of color and grade prior to installation. Once installed, Howell will not honor any claims concerning the appearance of the floor. It is also the responsibility of the installer to ensure that all job site conditions are acceptable for installation.
All Hapwood® Limited Premium Warrantied Floors must be provided by a Certified Provider. (Click here to see Certified Provider Registration Form.)
A Hapwood® by Howell Limited Premium Warranty is:
- Lifetime
- Registered
- Transferable
- Free
The Limited Premium Warranty is lifetime:
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- As longs as the floor is registered with Howell.
- Must be reregistered when ownership changes.
- Must be pre-approved and reregistered before the floor is refinished.
The Limited Premium Warranty must be registered as follows:
- The flooring company who installs and finishes a Hapwood® Limited Premium warrantied floor must be registered as a Certified Provider in order to offer the Hapwood® Limited Premium Warranty to customers. (See Certified Provider Registration Form)
- Then a Certified Provider uses a New Hapwood® Limited Premium Warranty Registration Form to register a floor. The form includes:
- The Certified Provider company name,
- The name of the first owner,
- The address and basic information about the registered floor,
- The inspection signoffs by both parties.
- The Howell approval of the new floor.
- The effective warranty date.
The Limited Premium Warranty is transferable. (See Transfer Form – Ownership Change for a Hapwood® Limited Premium Warranty.)
The Limited Premium Warranty is free.
Hapwood® by Howell Limited Premium Warranty Exclusions:
- This Limited Premium Warranty does not cover gaps caused by concrete cracks or floor joists settling.
- This Limited Premium Warranty does not extend to cupping, crowning or delamination caused by flooding, water leaks, improper construction that allows outside moisture to contact the floor, or any other conditions causing moisture in the flooring to exceed 13%.
- The Limited Premium Warranty is void if the floor does not remain under normal living conditions for temperature and RH from the time the initial sanding is completed for the life of the warranty. To ensure this happens, the HVAC must be in the on position and set between 60° and 80° F immediately after the initial sanding and remain so for the life of the warranty. Humidity must be maintained between 28% to 65% for the Limited Premium Warranty to be valid. The use of a humidifier/dehumidifier may be necessary to maintain the proper humidity level of 28% to 65%.
- Special preapproval is required for a Limited Premium Warranty to be offered for a Hapwood® product over radiant heat. (The flooring contractor must get pre-approval from a Howell representative on a house by house basis.)
- Wood is a natural product with naturally occurring imperfections and appearance. Actual products may differ in color, grain and appearance from illustrations and samples. These are not considered defects.
- In addition, this Limited Premium Warranty does not extend to insect infestation after the product leaves Howell’s possession. This Limited Premium Warranty does not cover defects or damage by improper installation, improper use of cleaning products, or abuse from sliding heavy objects across the finished product, damage cause by spiked heels, damaged caused by hard or sharp objects impacting the floor, insufficient protection from furniture, pebbles or sand.
- This Limited Premium Warranty does not cover color changes caused by exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet radiation. This Limited Premium Warranty does not cover stain color or gloss level retention for the site finished products used with the unfinished Hapwood® products.
- Cracks or checks in the surface of the planks due to low humidity, excessively high humidity or dramatic fluctuations in humidity are inherent in all wood products and not covered by this Limited Premium Warranty. As previously stated, the use of a humidifier/dehumidifier may be necessary to maintain the proper humidity level of 28% to 65%.
Proper floor maintenance
- All Hapwood® floors should remain under normal living conditions for temperature and RH from the time the initial sanding is completed for the life of the floor. To ensure this happens, the HVAC must be in the on position and set between 60° and 80° F immediately after the initial sanding and remain so for the life of the warranty. Humidity must be maintained between 28% to 65% for the Limited Standard Warranty to be valid. The use of a humidifier/dehumidifier may be necessary to maintain the proper humidity level of 28% to 65%.
- Follow the recommended floor care practices for the type of finish used on your Hapwood® by Howell site finished floor. Ask your flooring contractor for best practices and/or follow the instructions of your finish manufacturer.
Implied Warranties
Implied warranties, including those of fitness for a particular purpose and merchantability (an unwritten warranty that the Product is fit for ordinary use) are limited to the lifetime of the floor. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you.
Claims
To file a claim on our Limited Premium Warranty contact Howell Hardwood Flooring, by phone at 334-792-1197 or by certified letter at P.O. Box 250, Dothan, AL 36302. Please provide the street address and the name of the certified warranty holder. Howell reserves the right to have a representative inspect the floor and remove samples for analysis. Any attempt to repair, replace or refinish prior to Howell having the opportunity to inspect and approve corrective action will void this Limited Premium Warranty. A certified flooring inspector will likely be used to assess the situation.
Remedy
If seasonal moisture fluctuations causes the floor to gap, cup or crown more than .008”, and if all Limited Premium Warranty requirements are met, then Howell will repair or replace the problem floor at Howell’s discretion. You should expect the repair or replacement to take up to 90 days from receipt of claim. The original installer will be used unless Howell chooses otherwise.
If a delamination issue arises that is covered by the structural integrity warranty, Howell will repair or replace the problem floor at Howell’s discretion. The original installer will be used unless Howell chooses otherwise.
This writing is the complete and exclusive statement of the Limited Premium Warranty, and is in lieu of all other express and/or statutory warranties. Howell assumes no liability for incidental or consequential damages. However, some states do not allow this exclusion, and it may not apply in all cases. This Limited Premium Warranty gives you specific legal rights that may vary from state to state.
