Floor Installation & Refinishing Intake Forms & Client Questionnaires

A flooring job quoted over the phone is a flooring job quoted wrong. The customer says “I want hardwood in the living room” and your estimator calculates material and labor for 300 square feet of nail-down oak. Then the crew arrives and finds carpet glued directly to a concrete slab, a moisture reading of 14%, a radiant heat system nobody mentioned, and a doorway into the kitchen that is going to need a custom transition strip because the adjacent tile sits three-quarters of an inch higher. Every one of those discoveries changes the price, the timeline, and the materials list. A proper intake form captures them during the estimate visit, not during installation.

The Floor Installation & Refinishing intake form starts with the fundamental question that drives every other decision: what type of flooring is being installed. Solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, laminate, luxury vinyl plank, luxury vinyl tile, porcelain tile, ceramic tile, natural stone, carpet, and epoxy each have completely different subfloor requirements, acclimation needs, installation methods, and tool loadouts. The form captures the specific product when known — species, brand, plank width, thickness, wear layer — because a 3/4-inch solid white oak plank installed with cleats is a fundamentally different job than a 5mm click-lock LVP that goes down over existing tile.

Subfloor Assessment and Moisture Testing

The subfloor is where most flooring failures originate, and it is the single most important thing to document during the site visit. The intake form captures subfloor type (plywood, OSB, concrete, existing hardwood, existing tile, existing vinyl), condition (level, cupped, cracked, delaminated, squeaky), and flatness tolerance. Industry standard is 3/16 inch over a 10-foot span for most flooring types, but the actual tolerance depends on the product being installed. Concrete slabs require a moisture test — either calcium chloride (ASTM F1869) or relative humidity probe (ASTM F2170) — and the form documents which test was performed, the reading, and whether it falls within the flooring manufacturer’s acceptable range.

Existing floor removal is a major cost variable that customers routinely underestimate. The form captures what is currently on the floor, how it was installed (glued, nailed, floating, stapled), the number of layers (it is not uncommon to find carpet over vinyl over hardwood over another layer of vinyl in older homes), and whether asbestos-containing materials are suspected. Vinyl flooring, floor tiles, and adhesives manufactured before 1986 may contain asbestos, and removal requires licensed abatement rather than standard demolition. Documenting this during the estimate prevents a mid-project shutdown and a five-figure change order for abatement.

Room Details and Installation Specifications

Room dimensions in square footage are the starting point, but they are not the whole picture. The form captures room shape (rectangular, L-shaped, open concept with multiple zones), number and width of doorways, closets included in the scope, stair count if applicable, and direction of existing joists (which determines the preferred plank direction for nail-down installations). It documents transitions into adjacent rooms — what flooring is in each adjoining space, the height difference, and whether the customer wants a T-molding, reducer, or flush transition.

Underlayment selection depends on the flooring type, the subfloor, and the building conditions. The form captures whether the installation is on-grade, above-grade, or below-grade (basements have different moisture considerations), whether a vapor barrier is needed, and whether sound attenuation is required (condominiums and multi-story homes often have HOA or building code requirements for impact sound rating). For radiant heat systems, the form documents the heating type (hydronic vs. electric), the system’s operating temperature, and whether the flooring manufacturer approves their product for use over radiant heat — because many do not, and a warranty claim on a cupped floor installed over unapproved radiant heat will be denied.

Finish, Pattern, and Customer Preferences

For hardwood refinishing jobs, the form captures the current finish (polyurethane, wax, oil, lacquer, paint, unknown), the number of previous sandings (a 3/4-inch floor can be sanded three to four times before the tongue-and-groove profile is compromised), the desired stain color, and the finish type (oil-based polyurethane, water-based polyurethane, hardwax oil, penetrating oil). Each finish has different dry times, VOC levels, and durability characteristics that affect scheduling and occupancy. A water-based finish can often be walked on in 24 hours; an oil-based polyurethane needs 72 hours minimum, and the customer needs to plan accordingly.

Pattern and layout preferences matter more than most installers discuss during the estimate. The form documents whether the customer wants a standard staggered pattern, herringbone, chevron, diagonal, or parquet, whether they have a preferred plank direction (parallel to the longest wall is standard, but some customers want it running toward the main light source), and how they want the layout to handle irregular walls and offsets. Furniture moving responsibility is captured explicitly: will the crew move furniture, does the customer handle it, or is a third-party moving service involved. Baseboards and shoe molding — remove and reinstall, replace with new, or leave in place — are documented because they add labor hours and material cost that surprises customers when it appears on the invoice.

Intake vs. Client Questionnaire

The intake form is your internal estimating and project management document. Your estimator completes it during the site visit, recording measurements, subfloor conditions, moisture readings, and technical specifications that drive the proposal. The companion client questionnaire is what you send to the homeowner before the estimate appointment. It asks about their flooring preferences, room count, budget range, timeline expectations, and whether they have pets or specific durability concerns. It includes authorization for the estimate, consent for the project, and a signature block.

Pricing

Each form is $12.99 for the complete set (intake + questionnaire), $9.99 for intake only, or $6.99 for questionnaire only. All PDFs are fillable in Adobe Reader and password-protected against editing.

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