CSLB C-15 Flooring and Floor Covering (Trade Exam) — All Questions
20 questions
Under Cal/OSHA section 1529, removing asbestos-containing floor tile and construction mastic is which class of asbestos work?
- a.Class IV
- b.Class III
- c.Class II✓
- d.Class I
Class II covers removal of asbestos-containing material other than thermal system insulation or surfacing, expressly including floor tile, sheeting and construction mastics. Class I is removal of thermal system insulation and surfacing material. Class III is repair and maintenance where material is likely disturbed. Class IV is maintenance and custodial contact without disturbance.Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, §1529(b)
What vacuum does section 1529 require for cleaning floors during asbestos flooring removal?
- a.A wet/dry vacuum with a foam filter
- b.A shop vacuum with a cloth filter
- c.HEPA, disposable bag, metal floor tool✓
- d.HEPA with a rotating brush head
Section 1529 requires vacuums equipped with a HEPA filter, a disposable dust bag and a metal floor tool with no brush. An ordinary shop vacuum lacks the HEPA filter. A brush head is specifically excluded. A foam-filtered wet/dry vacuum is not HEPA.Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, §1529(g)(8)(A)
When does section 1529 allow mechanical chipping of asbestos-containing flooring?
- a.Inside a negative pressure enclosure✓
- b.When the material is wetted first
- c.Never under any circumstances
- d.When less than 100 square feet is removed
Mechanical chipping is prohibited unless performed in a negative pressure enclosure meeting the standard. Wetting alone does not permit it. The 100-square-foot figure concerns registration, not chipping. Saying never ignores the enclosure exception.Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, §1529(g)(8)(A)
How long is a Cal/OSHA registration for asbestos-related work valid?
- a.One year after issuance✓
- b.Three years after issuance
- c.For a single job site
- d.For the life of the business
Section 341.6 says the registration is valid for one year after issuance. Three years and the life of the business overstate it. It is not limited to a single site; it is required before work at any site involving 100 square feet or more.Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, §341.6(a)
For Cal/OSHA asbestos registration, what makes a construction material "asbestos containing"?
- a.More than 10% asbestos by weight
- b.More than 1% asbestos by weight
- c.A detectable amount of asbestos by volume
- d.More than 1/10 of 1% asbestos by weight✓
Section 341.6 defines asbestos-containing construction material as containing more than one-tenth of one percent asbestos by weight. One percent is EPA's NESHAP threshold for Category I material, a different rule. A detectable amount measured by volume is not the definition. Ten percent is far above it.Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, §341.6(c)
Before a renovation, what does EPA's asbestos NESHAP require the owner or operator to do?
- a.Wet the flooring for 24 hours
- b.Remove the flooring, then inspect
- c.Inspect for asbestos first✓
- d.Notify neighbors within 1,000 feet
The NESHAP requires a thorough inspection of the affected facility or part of it for asbestos, including Category I and II nonfriable material, before the renovation begins. Neighbor notice is not the stated requirement. Wetting is a work practice, not the inspection duty. Removing flooring before inspecting reverses the order.40 CFR 61.145(a)
Under EPA's RRP rule, interior work that disturbs how much painted surface per room is treated as minor repair and maintenance?
- a.2 square feet or less
- b.100 square feet or less
- c.6 square feet or less✓
- d.20 square feet or less
Minor repair and maintenance covers interior work disturbing 6 square feet or less of painted surface per room, without prohibited practices. Twenty square feet is the exterior figure. One hundred square feet is an asbestos threshold. Two square feet is not the rule's number.40 CFR 745.83 (definitions)
Old non-resilient (for example, construction) adhesive remains on a floor that will receive new resilient flooring. What degree of removal does Armstrong require?
- a.Partial, if covered with felt
- b.A thin, smooth film may remain
- c.100 percent removal✓
- d.Ridges may remain if primed
Armstrong's table says adhesives other than resilient flooring adhesives are to be removed 100 percent. A thin smooth film is allowed only for certain resilient flooring adhesives under some products. Priming over ridges is not permitted. Felt covering is for tacky residue under some underlayments, not a substitute for removal.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §E-13
A slab has a true expansion joint where new resilient flooring is to go. What does Armstrong recommend?
- a.Cover it with flooring and a bead of caulk
- b.Run the flooring across and roll it twice
- c.Fill it with patch and cover it
- d.Do not run flooring across it✓
Armstrong does not recommend installing flooring across expansion or isolation joints, because they move and crack patches and flooring; joint covers are specified instead. Filling it with rigid patch defeats the joint. Caulk under flooring does not let the floor move. Extra rolling does not change the joint's movement.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §E-14
How is the surface pH of concrete tested under the ASTM F710 method Armstrong describes?
- a.A calcium chloride dish weighed after 72 hours
- b.Tap water pooled overnight, then a pH strip
- c.A pH strip pressed dry onto the slab for 5 minutes
- d.Distilled water on the slab 60 seconds, then a pH strip✓
Distilled water is placed on the slab for 60 seconds and a pH indicator strip is placed into it. A dry strip has nothing to react with. Tap water and an overnight wait are not the method; CRI also specifies distilled water. The calcium chloride dish measures moisture emission, not pH.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §E-11; ASTM F710 (named)
A surface pH reading on a concrete slab comes back below 7. What does CRI suggest this may indicate?
- a.A perfectly carbonated surface
- b.A slab too dry to accept adhesive
- c.Excess calcium hydroxide
- d.Residue remaining on the surface✓
CRI notes that pH readings below 7 may indicate a residue remaining on the concrete. Normal carbonation brings the surface to about 8.5, not below 7. pH does not measure dryness. Calcium hydroxide raises pH, so it would read high, not low.CRI 105 §6.3 note
Why does Armstrong say not to mark a concrete slab with a permanent marker or spray paint before installing vinyl?
- a.Inks raise the pH of the concrete
- b.Ink can bleed through and stain✓
- c.Inks block moisture testing
- d.Inks void the adhesive's VOC rating
Armstrong says indelible inks and spray paints on the slab or the back of the flooring can bleed through and permanently stain it. Inks do not change pH in any meaningful way. They do not block moisture tests. VOC ratings belong to the adhesive product, not to marks on the slab.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §E-14
According to Armstrong, what must be directly beneath an on-ground or below-grade concrete slab that will receive resilient flooring?
- a.A sheet of 15-pound felt paper
- b.An effective, functional vapor retarder✓
- c.Nothing, if the slab is thick enough
- d.A layer of sand at least 4 inches thick
Armstrong says on-ground and below-grade slabs must have an effective and functional vapor retarder directly beneath the concrete. A sand layer is not the stated requirement. Felt paper is used under nailed wood, not under slabs. Slab thickness does not stop ground moisture.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §E-1
What water-cement ratio range does Armstrong cite as practical and recommended for slabs that will receive resilient flooring?
- a.0.45 to 0.5✓
- b.0.6 to 0.7
- c.0.25 to 0.3
- d.0.8 to 1.0
Armstrong cites water-cement ratios of 0.45 to 0.5 as practical and recommended by the concrete industry for such slabs. Higher ratios such as 0.6 to 1.0 slow drying and cause moisture problems. A ratio of 0.25 to 0.3 is not the range Armstrong gives.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §E-1
Under the federal carpeting specification, how old must a concrete substrate be before carpet installation begins?
- a.At least 28 days
- b.At least 90 days✓
- c.At least 60 days
- d.At least 7 days
The specification says not to commence carpeting until the concrete substrate is at least 90 days old. Twenty-eight days is an epoxy topping specification's cure period. Sixty days is a laminate manufacturer's cure period. Seven days is far too short.UFGS 09 68 00 §3.3
The federal carpeting specification sets how many moisture tests in each installation area, at minimum?
- a.Three, evenly spaced✓
- b.One, at the center
- c.Two, at opposite corners
- d.Ten, along the walls
The specification calls for a minimum of three evenly spaced tests of each installation area. One test cannot represent an area. Two corner tests miss the middle and are fewer than required. Ten wall tests are not the rule and miss the field.UFGS 09 68 00 §3.2
Which panel does Armstrong warn may cause discoloration, indentation, loss of bond or delamination when used as an underlayment?
- a.Underlayment-grade poplar plywood
- b.Some lauan plywood✓
- c.Birch plywood with exterior glue
- d.APA-rated sanded plywood underlayment
Armstrong warns that some lauan may present severe problems such as discoloration, indentation, loss of bond and delamination. APA-rated underlayment grades with sanded faces are its recommended panels. Birch and poplar with fully sanded faces and exterior glue are listed as acceptable.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §D
For which installation method does Armstrong accept untempered hardboard underlayment?
- a.Fully adhered resilient products
- b.Residential felt-back perimeter bond✓
- c.Luxury vinyl tile glued with epoxy
- d.Commercial heat-welded sheet
Armstrong accepts untempered hardboard only under resilient products installed by the residential felt-back perimeter bond method. Fully adhered products, commercial welded sheet and glued LVT are not included in that acceptance.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §D-1b
Before solid wood flooring is laid, the Wood Handbook suggests heating the closed house to about how much above the outdoor temperature, and for how long?
- a.About 15°F warmer, for 3 days✓
- b.About 5°F higher, for one day
- c.About 30°F higher, for a week
- d.Exactly 70°F, for 24 hours
The Handbook says to close up the house at night and raise the temperature about 15°F above outdoor temperature for about three days before laying the floor. Five degrees for a day is too little and too short. Thirty degrees for a week is not its advice. A fixed 70°F for a day is not the stated practice.USDA Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282) Ch. 13, Finished Flooring
Armstrong does not recommend installing new flooring over which kind of existing floor?
- a.A single layer of well-bonded smooth vinyl
- b.Smooth sheet vinyl, with embossing leveled
- c.Existing rubber or slip-retardant flooring✓
- d.Fully adhered, stripped linoleum
Armstrong does not recommend new flooring over existing rubber or slip-retardant floors. A single, well-bonded, smooth resilient layer can be acceptable under its conditions. Stripped, adhered linoleum and leveled sheet vinyl fit those conditions when the system allows it.Armstrong F-5061 Ch. 3 §F