A flooring sample is the cheapest point in an order to find a problem. A wrong color, a heavier grade than expected or a profile that does not close costs a courier parcel at this stage, and a container later. Yet many samples are requested in one line and judged in one minute on a desk. This guide covers what to ask for, how a sample should be labeled, how to check it when it arrives and how to record the approval so it can serve as the reference for production.
Decide what the sample has to prove
Different samples answer different questions. A single board rarely answers all of them, so tell the factory which questions your sample needs to settle.
| Sample type | Question it answers | What it should show |
|---|---|---|
| Color and finish | Is this the color, texture and sheen we want? | The intended stain, texture, sheen and finish system, made with the intended production finish |
| Grade range | How much natural character will the floor show? | Several boards covering the lightest and heaviest character you will accept |
| Construction | Is the board built as specified? | A clean cut end showing the wear layer, core and backing, at the ordered thickness |
| Profile | Will the boards fit together? | Several boards with the tongue and groove on long sides and ends, so they can be joined by hand |
| Format | Does the pattern work? | Left and right herringbone blocks, chevron at the stated angle, or parquet pieces cut to your drawing |
What to put in the sample request
Write the request as if it were the order. A sample built to a loose description can only be approved loosely. Include:
- Construction, thickness and wear layer, for example 2-layer engineered, 5/8” (15mm) overall with a 3mm sawn wear layer.
- Width and format, for example 7-1/2” (190mm) plank, or herringbone with the block length from your drawing.
- Grade and grain: Premium, Select, Natural or Rustic, and rift and quarter, plain sawn or mixed.
- Surface texture: Smooth, Light Wire Brushed, Medium Wire Brushed, Wire Brushed, or Wire Brushed with Cross Marks.
- Sheen: Matte, Extra Matte or Ultra Matte.
- Finish system: Unfinished, Clear UV, Color UV, or Color and Effect UV.
- Color reference: a library code and name, for example VU-NR-019 Natural Oak, or your own physical board, fan deck reference or photograph.
- Where the sample goes, and who will review it.
If you are choosing between two options, ask for both side by side with only one variable changed between them. Our RFQ checklist lists the same fields in the order a factory works through them.
Ask how the sample will be made. A hand-finished chip can look quite different from the same color applied on a finishing line. At Vu Uy Wood, sample production is done on the real line with the intended production finish. Sample terms, including any charge and the courier arrangement, are best confirmed when the sample is requested.
Labeling: make every sample traceable
Ask for a label on the back of each board, not only on the parcel, showing:
- The specification or RFQ reference the sample was made against.
- The color code or reference name.
- Construction, overall thickness and wear layer.
- Width, and format where it is not plank.
- Grade and grain.
- Texture, sheen and finish system.
- The sample round (first sample, second sample) and the date it was made.
When you submit a specification through our Specify page, it receives a reference that begins with VU-RFQ. Quoting that reference on the sample label and in every reply ties the physical board to the written specification.
Checking the sample when it arrives
First, confirm it is the right sample
Before judging anything, read the label against your request. If the species, grade, texture, sheen or finish system differs from what you will order, the board is a useful reference but it is not an approval sample. Ask for it to be remade to the order specification.
Color and finish
Review the sample in daylight and under the lighting the project will use. Put it next to the cabinetry, wall color and stone it will sit beside. Then place it on the floor and look at it standing up, because floors are seen from above and at a distance. Our article on approving color on a physical sample walks through this review step by step.
Grade
Grade is a range, not a single board. Look across all the boards you received and ask whether the busiest one is still acceptable for the whole room. If you only received one board, ask for more. Our guide to oak flooring grades describes what each grade should show.
Construction and dimensions
Measure overall thickness and face width, and compare them with the specification. Look at the cut end to see the wear layer, the core and, for 3-layer, the backing. The wear layer is what allows future sanding, so it should match the build you ordered.
Profile
Join several boards by hand on the long edges and on the ends. The tongue should engage without force, the joint should close without a visible gap, and the faces should sit level with each other. A profile that fits well on a sample is what you will expect on every board at inspection.
Texture and sheen
Hold the board so that light rakes across it. Brushing depth and sheen show most clearly at a low angle, and that is how window light will cross the finished floor.
Giving feedback that leads to a better second sample
A first sample is often not final, especially when the reference was a photograph. When it needs to change:
- Describe the direction: warmer, cooler, lighter, less contrast in the grain, a lower sheen.
- Change one thing at a time where you can, so the next sample shows which change helped.
- Send your reference back if it is a physical board. A board beside the sample is clearer than any written description.
- Keep the rejected sample, labeled, so both sides can see where the color started.
Recording the approval
An approval should be written down and tied to a physical object. At Vu Uy Wood, the approved sample becomes the master color standard, and we retain the approved panel as the master reference for production and repeat orders. The buyer should keep a matching counterpart.
A useful approval record contains:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Specification reference | The RFQ or quotation reference |
| Sample label | Round, date and full specification as printed on the board |
| Decision | Approved, or approved with a written note |
| Notes | Anything agreed about the range, for example the heaviest character acceptable |
| Approved by | Name, company and date |
| Where the counterpart is kept | Buyer office, showroom or project file |
This record is what production is checked against, and what a buyer or inspector uses later in a pre-shipment inspection.
Sample request checklist
- The request states what the sample must prove and carries the full order specification
- The sample is made on the production route, with the intended finish
- Every board is labeled with the specification and sample round
- Color, grade, construction, dimensions and profile are all checked
- Feedback is given as direction, one variable at a time
- Approval is written down, with a counterpart kept on both sides
Working with Vu Uy Wood
Vu Uy Wood makes solid and engineered French White Oak flooring to order in Song Than 3 Industrial Park, Ho Chi Minh City, and has done so since 2006. Samples are produced on the real line with the intended production finish, and the approved panel becomes the master reference for the order. You can shortlist tones in the color library, build the specification on the Specify page and request samples through the contact page. We normally reply within one working day.