Floorcloud: A Game-changing Technology for Flooring Installation Quality Control
Robyn Jasko – Freelance Writer
Scott Banda, Co-Founder & President
sbanda@floorcloud.com
Source: FCI Magazine
Floorcloud® began as a revolutionary idea between Scott
Banda and his business partner, Patrick Mullins, several
years ago, when they were trying to reduce the number of
claims and inefficiencies in the flooring industry.
Banda and Mullins recognized the commonality of installation-related claims that were occurring nationally.
Virtually all were tied to either ambient climate or substrate conditions that had fallen out of the manufacturer’s specified ranges unintentionally. They realized that these issues can cost millions of dollars to resolve, and they were determined to find a solution.
They created Floorcloud, an innovative technology platform that enables contractors to monitor, communicate and store jobsite conditions and other essential data in real-time to improve installation outcomes for all project stakeholders.
“We both spent our careers working on the product manufacturer side of the industry and would be involved in numerous claim related issues each year that could have been very easily prevented,” recalls Banda.
“Almost always, these resulted in wasted hours of productivity, replacement materials, forensic consulting/legal fees and strained relationships between all project stakeholders.”
To streamline this process, Floorcloud uses IoT technology, otherwise known as the the Internet of Things, or a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to- computer interaction.
“We knew that IoT sensor technology, combined with cloud-based software, could be used to help transform our industry,” says Banda.
“We created a Powerpoint deck and began socializing the vision of our solution with a variety of flooring contractors, manufacturers, distributors, consultants and architects in our network.”
Six months later, they formed Construction Connectivity and began building the software solution.
Their team is made up of construction industry veterans with deep commercial experience in product manufacturing, installation, training, marketing, sales and distribution.
“It’s been an extremely exciting project that is being welcomed by virtually every sector of our industry,” says Banda.
Since its inception in 2022, Floorcloud has grown tremendously, and partnered with many of the world’s largest product manufacturers.
Their product data is contained in our cloud-based database and used to compare jobsite conditions to them on an hourly basis.
When jobsite conditions go out of specification, push notifications are sent to a client’s cell phone which enables them to take corrective action quickly before things escalate.
Floorcloud’s mobile platform allows users to instantly view and archive detailed jobsite conditions across all of their projects before, during, and after installation.
Users also receive alerts and notifications, Capture and archive photos, or import notes and other important information for analysis.
“Floorcloud is unique because it is the only solution using IoT networks to relay data directly from jobsite sensors to the cloud and compare those onsite conditions to manufacturers’ product specifications in real-time,” says Banda.
“Our application is also extremely simple and intuitive to use. We can train the average customer in less than 15 minutes. We know that Flooring installers don’t have time to struggle with complicated software or hardware devices.”
Last February, Floorcloud partnered with Wagner Meters to allow contractors to monitor concrete relative humidity and jobsite environmental conditions remotely in real-time from the comfort of the office, or anywhere in the world, via cellular network connectivity.
Floorcloud’s True Remote Monitoring system, including the DataGrabber with Bluetooth, the Rapid RH DataGrabber range extender (DGRE) and protective dome, and the Floorcloud Jobsite Conditions Sensor, allow for fewer trips to the jobsite to confirm the ambient and concrete subfloor conditions prior to floor installation. Other benefits include:
• less wasted time, monitoring of jobsite conditions during product acclimation and installation to ensure they are within manufacturer’s product specifications,
• monitoring of drying trends remotely, and the
• seamless creation of concise documentation to be shared with various parties and stored securely in the cloud.
“It’s incredibly simple,” says Banda. “The seamless integration between the Rapid RH L6 system and Floorcloud Jobsite Conditions Sensor is complete in seconds, and the contractors and flooring professionals are equipped to monitor the jobsite remotely in real-time.
Floorcloud was recently showcased at the University of Connecticut to help streamline their new LEED Gold, science and technology building construction project. Their customer, Higgins Flooring, utilized Floorcloud to monitor over 200,000 square feet of resilient flooring and surface preparation work that occurred during a one year period.
“Floorcloud detected a number of climate related issues from low temperatures in the winter, to extremely high humidity in the summer,” says Banda. “Additionally, our photo capture feature allowed for our client to document many key occurrences of issues that he could have been held liable for. In the end, Floorcloud saved the contractor from several installation issues and delivered the project on time and within budget.”
Over the past year, Floorcloud has begun working with more organizations, such as the National Wood Flooring Association, to uncover new ways to integrate this innovative technology into installation training across multiple industries.
“The mutual goal we share with each of these groups is to improve the professionalism of the flooring trade and the profitability of the industry as a whole,” adds Banda.