“The Hapwood^® Guarantee”

HAPWOOD^® BY HOWELL

Limited Warranty  

The Hapwood^® by Howell Limited Warranty Against Seasonal Movement and Limited Structural Integrity Warranty is as follows: 

• Howell warrants, to the original purchaser, its Hapwood^® by Howell products against cupping, crowning or gapping greater than .008” in flooring itself caused by seasonal humidity changes for the life of floor. 
• Howell warrants, to the original purchaser, that its Hapwood^® by Howell flooring shall not contain manufacturing defects from milling or grading in excess of (3%). The industry standard is 5%. 
• Howell warrants, to the original purchaser, its Hapwood^® by Howell 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.  See Hapwood^® by Howell and NWFA installation guidelines

Hapwood^® by Howell Limited Warranty Exclusions: 

• This Limited Warranty does not warrant labor and installation of hardwood flooring.
• This Limited Warranty does not cover gaps caused by concrete cracks or floor joists settling. 
• This Limited 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 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 Warranty to be valid.  The use of a humidifier/dehumidifier may be necessary to maintain the proper humidity level of 28% to 65%.
• 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.
• The Limited Warranty does not extend to insect infestation after the product leaves Howell’s possession.  This Limited 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.  
• The Limited Warranty does not cover color changes caused by exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet radiation.  The Limited 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 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 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.

Remedy 

The purpose of the Limited Warranty is to allow replacement of defective products.  You should expect the replace to take approximately 60 days from the approval of the claim.  Howell may, at its sole discretion, elect to refund the customer a portion of the original purchase price equivalent to the value of the affected product.  The Limited Warranty does not include labor costs incurred to remove or reinstall products which shall be the sole responsibility of the customer.  Under no circumstance will the value of a warranty claim exceed the original purchase price of the product.   

Claims

To file a claim on our Limited Warranty contact Howell Hardwood Flooring, by phone at 334-792-1197 or by certified letter at P.O. Box 250, Dothan, AL 36302.  Howell will request your contact information, information about the product, the installer, the interior conditions of the house or building, and other relevant parties. 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 Warranty.  A certified flooring inspector will likely be used to assess the situation. 

This writing is the complete and exclusive statement of the Limited 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 Warranty gives you specific legal rights that may vary from state to state.