CSLB C-15 Flooring and Floor Covering (Trade Exam) — All Questions

On a plan drawn at 1/2 inch = 1 foot, a wall measures 7-1/4 inches. How long is the wall?

• a.7-1/4 feet
• b.14.5 feet✓
• c.29 feet
• d.58 feet

At 1/2 inch = 1 foot each inch of paper is 2 feet, so 7.25 × 2 = 14.5 feet. Twenty-nine feet is the result at the 1/4-inch scale, 58 feet the result at the 1/8-inch scale, and 7-1/4 feet ignores the scale entirely.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (blueprint scales)

A room is 12 feet by 9 feet 9 inches. What is its floor area?

• a.108 ft²
• b.117 ft²✓
• c.116.4 ft²
• d.129 ft²

Nine feet 9 inches is 9.75 feet, and 12 × 9.75 = 117 square feet. 116.4 comes from reading 9 ft 9 in as 9.7 feet, treating inches as tenths. 108 drops the 9 inches. 129 multiplies 12 by 10.75, misreading the width as 10 feet 9 inches.NIST Handbook 44 App. C (units)

How many square yards of carpet cover a 15 ft × 21 ft room, before any waste or seaming allowance?

• a.31.5 yd²
• b.315 yd²
• c.35 yd²✓
• d.40 yd²

15 × 21 = 315 square feet, and 315 ÷ 9 = 35 square yards. 315 is the square-foot figure, never converted. 31.5 divides by 10 instead of 9. 40 is too high for the bare area and does not come from the room's dimensions.NIST Handbook 44 App. C (9 ft² = 1 yd²)

A bedroom 16 ft long and 11 ft 4 in wide is carpeted in one piece from a 12-foot roll. With 3 inches of trim at each end wall, how many square yards are purchased?

• a.20.1 yd²
• b.22 yd²✓
• c.21.3 yd²
• d.16.5 yd²

The cut is 16 ft plus 3 inches at each end, 16 ft 6 in, by the 12-foot roll width: 16.5 × 12 = 198 ft², or 22 yd². 20.1 is the bare room area. 21.3 uses the 16-foot length with no trim. 16.5 is the cut length in feet, not square yards.CRI 105 §5.3 (trim allowance); NIST HB 44

A kitchen 9 ft 9 in long and 11 ft 6 in wide gets non-patterned 6-foot sheet in two lengthwise strips. With Armstrong's fitting allowance, what is the estimate?

• a.12.5 yd²
• b.26.7 yd²
• c.13.3 yd²✓
• d.20.0 yd²

Each strip is 9 ft 9 in plus 3 inches, 10 feet, so two strips total 20 lineal feet, and 20 × 2/3 = 13.3 yd². 12.5 is the bare room area in square yards. 20.0 is the lineal footage, not square yards. 26.7 doubles the area by counting each strip as 12 feet wide.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (strip method, 2/3 yd² per lineal ft)

A sheet with a 36-inch match is seamed without reversing edges. The first piece is cut 10 ft 3 in. How long is the second piece?

• a.10 ft 3 in
• b.13 ft 3 in
• c.11 ft 0 in
• d.12 ft 0 in✓

For edges not reversed, cut the room size plus 3 inches plus the next multiple of the match; multiples of 36 inches are 9, 12, 15 feet, so the next one at or above 10 ft 3 in is 12 feet. 13 ft 3 in adds a full match, the reversed-edge rule. 10 ft 3 in leaves nothing for alignment. 11 ft is not a multiple of 36 inches.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (patterned sheet, non-reversed)

Under Armstrong's waste guide, how much resilient tile should be estimated for an 80-square-foot room?

• a.91.2 ft²
• b.84 ft²
• c.80 ft²
• d.88 ft²✓

An 80 ft² room falls in the 50–100 ft² band at 10 percent, so 80 × 1.10 = 88 ft². 91.2 uses the 14 percent figure for rooms up to 50 ft². 84 uses 5 percent, meant for 300 to 1,000 ft². 80 leaves no fitting waste.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (tile waste table)

How much tile should be estimated for a 1,200-square-foot area using Armstrong's waste guide?

• a.1,236 ft²✓
• b.1,212 ft²
• c.1,296 ft²
• d.1,260 ft²

Areas of 1,000 to 5,000 ft² carry 3 percent waste, so 1,200 × 1.03 = 1,236 ft². 1,260 uses 5 percent, the 300–1,000 ft² band. 1,212 uses 1 percent, below the stated band. 1,296 uses 8 percent, a small-room figure.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (tile waste table)

A 600-square-foot solid wood floor is installed on the diagonal. Using one solid-wood manufacturer's purchase allowances, how much flooring should be bought?

• a.630 ft²
• b.690 ft²✓
• c.600 ft²
• d.660 ft²

The manufacturer adds 5 percent for cuts and an additional 10 percent for a diagonal installation, 15 percent in all: 600 × 1.15 = 690 ft². 630 adds only the 5 percent cutting allowance. 660 adds only the diagonal 10 percent. 600 adds nothing.Manufacturer installation instructions (solid hardwood, purchase allowance)

A patch is labeled "25-pound bag – 38 sq. ft. at 1/8 inch thick." How many bags are needed to fill 76 square feet at 1/4 inch?

• a.2 bags
• b.4 bags✓
• c.3 bags
• d.8 bags

Doubling the thickness halves the coverage to 19 ft² per bag, and 76 ÷ 19 = 4 bags. Two bags is the count at 1/8 inch. Eight bags doubles the correct answer. Three bags covers only 57 ft² at 1/4 inch.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 (patch coverage)

A 6-foot roll has a 4-inch core, a 16-inch outside diameter and 30 laps. Using Armstrong's quick-inventory formula, about how many square yards does it hold?

• a.78.6 yd²
• b.600 yd²
• c.52.3 yd²✓
• d.41.9 yd²

The formula adds core and outside diameters (20 inches), multiplies by the laps (600) and by 0.0872, giving 52.3 yd². 41.9 uses only the outside diameter. 78.6 multiplies by 0.131, which gives lineal feet, not square yards. 600 is the intermediate product before the factor.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (quick inventory)

A cross seam cannot be avoided in a patterned sheet. How much extra material does Armstrong add to each piece to be cross seamed?

• a.Exactly one full repeat
• b.More than half the repeat✓
• c.Nothing beyond the room length
• d.Three inches, as for a plain strip

Armstrong adds slightly more than half the length of the design repeat to each piece to be cross seamed. One full repeat on each piece doubles the needed material. Three inches is the fitting allowance, not a match allowance. Adding nothing leaves no way to match the pattern.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (cross seams)

Which document does Armstrong say details what protection the floor must have after installation?

• a.The specification book✓
• b.The building's site plan
• c.The adhesive container label
• d.The room finish schedule

Armstrong tells estimators to read the specification book, which details materials, installation and the protection required afterward. The finish schedule shows which floor goes in which room. An adhesive label covers that product's use. A site plan shows the building on the lot.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (reading blueprints)

An estimator receives room dimensions measured by someone other than the dealer. What does Armstrong advise?

• a.Ask the measurer to sign the sheet
• b.Reduce the estimate by 10 percent
• c.Allow for inaccuracies✓
• d.Use the numbers exactly as given

Armstrong says that if anyone other than the dealer measured the job, the estimator should make allowances for inaccuracies. Using the figures unchanged ignores that advice. Cutting the estimate makes a shortfall more likely. A signature does not correct the figures; Armstrong checks both sides and both ends of a room instead.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 11 (measuring)

In a building that is not sprinklered, what minimum floor finish class does the 2025 California Building Code require in a Group B corridor?

• a.Class II✓
• b.No class is required
• c.Class III
• d.Class I

The code requires corridor floor finishes to be not less than Class II in Groups A, B, E, H, I-4, M, R-1, R-2, R-2.2 and S. Class I is required in Groups I-2 and I-3 areas without restraint and R-2.1, not B. There is no Class III in this section. A corridor is exactly where the code requires a class.2025 CBC §804.4.2

Carpet will be installed on an accessible route. What does the accessibility standard require at its exposed edges?

• a.Taped with duct tape for the first year
• b.Fastened down and trimmed full length✓
• c.Left loose so the carpet can be lifted
• d.Trimmed at doorways, loose elsewhere

The standard requires exposed carpet edges to be fastened to floor surfaces and to have trim along the entire length of the exposed edge. A loose edge is a trip hazard the rule removes. Tape is not trim. Trimming only at doorways leaves other exposed edges unfinished.2010 ADA Standards §302.2; 2025 CBC §11B-302.2

Particleboard underlayment will be installed in a new California home. Which CALGreen requirement applies to it?

• a.A critical radiant flux rating
• b.Low formaldehyde emission standards✓
• c.An 80 percent CDPH emissions test
• d.A 50 g/L VOC limit

CALGreen requires hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium density fiberboard to meet low formaldehyde emission standards. The 80 percent CDPH test applies to resilient flooring. Fifty g/L is an adhesive VOC limit under SCAQMD Rule 1168. Radiant flux ratings apply to floor finishes, not to underlayment panels.2025 CALGreen §4.504.5

In the South Coast district, what VOC limit does Rule 1168 set for cove base adhesive?

• a.100 g/L
• b.60 g/L
• c.50 g/L✓
• d.250 g/L

Rule 1168's table lists cove base adhesive at 50 g/L. Sixty g/L is the rubber floor adhesive limit. One hundred appears for wood flooring adhesive in the table's first column. Two hundred fifty is a roofing and building-envelope adhesive figure.SCAQMD Rule 1168, Table 1

Under CRI 105, what indoor conditions must be held when residential carpet is installed?

• a.65–95°F with relative humidity at most 65%✓
• b.55–85°F with relative humidity at most 80%
• c.70–100°F with relative humidity at most 75%
• d.60–90°F with relative humidity at least 65%

CRI 105 calls for 65–95°F with a maximum of 65% relative humidity, held from 48 hours before to 72 hours after. 55–85°F with 80% RH is not CRI's range. 70–100°F runs above CRI's temperature range. A humidity minimum of 65% reverses the limit into a floor.CRI 105 §7.2

How far ahead of installation does Armstrong want flooring, adhesive and patch delivered to the job?

• a.At least 7 days
• b.The morning of installation
• c.At least 48 hours✓
• d.At least 24 hours

Armstrong says to deliver flooring materials, adhesives, patches and seaming products a minimum of 48 hours before installation and to condition them for at least 48 hours. Seven days is Congoleum's HVAC lead time, not a delivery rule. Twenty-four hours is too short. Same-morning delivery allows no conditioning.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 2 (material storage and handling)

According to the federal carpeting specification's design notes, which fiber is recommended for commercial installations?

• a.Triexta (PTT)
• b.Nylon✓
• c.Cotton
• d.PET polyester

The notes describe nylon as abrasion resistant, durable and recommended for commercial installations. PET polyester is limited to light-wear areas because it rebounds poorly once crushed. Triexta is recommended for residential use. Cotton is listed among fibers that may not meet commercial performance requirements.UFGS 09 68 00, §2.1 notes