Carolina Pro Flooring Protects Their Investment With Floor Sentry

Rafael Ferreira, CEO of Carolina Pro Flooring, installs a Floor Sentry^® Wood Floor Data Logger on every job he can for three main reasons:

1. It helps his company stand out from the competition.
2. It acts as good insurance for higher-end clients.
3. It’s good protection for his company on risky jobs.

Let’s walk through each of his main reasons, along with his installation tips, so you can decide if a wood floor data logger is a smart addition for your company, too.

But first, a quick review of what Floor Sentry is and what it does.

What is Floor Sentry and How Does It Work?

It’s a credit-card-sized device you embed in the back of a floorboard. It measures temperature and relative humidity (RH) within the flooring and on the surface of the concrete subfloor or underlayment.

If conditions go outside the parameters you set, it sends real-time alerts to the free Wagner Sentry app on any smart device within Bluetooth^® range. It stores over 16,000 readings and displays graphed progress through the app.

Now let’s find out how the Carolina Pro Flooring team put Floor Sentry to use.

Standing Out From the Competition

Rafael discovered the Floor Sentry five years ago when he started using moisture meters to check for hidden subfloor moisture. He realized how moisture testing helped him protect the integrity of a flooring project beforehand and while it was underway.

But once the installation was done, the conditions would be out of his hands. That’s why he started using Wagner’s Floor Sentry wood data logger. It allows him to go the extra mile with a tool that keeps the future in mind.

Here’s what Rafael says about how the Floor Sentry helps Carolina Pro Flooring stand out from the competition:

“We give [our clients] as much information as we can to show them that, number one, they’re hiring a professional that really cares—which is sometimes very difficult to find. And we’re giving them something that we trust is not going to fail. And if it fails, we want to make sure that it’s not our fault.”

Now let’s talk more specifically about how using Floor Sentry benefits his higher-end clients.

Peace of Mind for High-End Clients

Carolina Pro Flooring has three customer tiers: bronze, silver, and gold. Usually the bigger the job, the higher the tier—and Rafael likes to offer those customers as much as he can. He explains:

“I would say the Floor Sentry is a good device for anybody who’s looking to maintain their floor at its best performance. Because a lot of times when you invest sometimes up to $100,000 in some floors, it’s a big investment to not spend a little bit with protection. And sometimes what destroys a floor is something as invisible as moisture. So if you don’t have a way to set yourself up for success in the long run, why would you put that much money in a job in the first place? And all of a sudden you’re taking a vacation and you don’t know what’s happening.

“You do have to connect to the Bluetooth [Wagner Sentry app via Bluetooth], but at least you have the power to see what’s going on before it’s a point of no return. So in my opinion, the Floor Sentry has been a device that gives peace of mind as far as giving the client the best control over the floors. … When you give them the power of control, then it gives them extra insurance on their investment. That would be the main thing for the customer.”

But customers may not understand the importance of monitoring moisture after installation. So, he brings up the conversation by showing them the graphics from the very first job where he used a Floor Sentry. This visible display of how seasonal changes affect a house “really catches attention.”

For every customer who agrees to use the Floor Sentry, Rafael also takes these steps:

• Educates them on appropriate moisture levels
• Leaves them with educational material
• Sets the high and low parameters on the device
• Connects their Floor Sentry to the free Wagner Sentry app on their smartphones

He sees the Floor Sentry as the final step in preventing moisture-related flooring failures.

During the installation, Rafael’s team tracks the area’s relative humidity with hygrometers. They’re also testing for moisture in the subfloor when they’re doing the installation or sanding finish. And they test the moisture in the wood itself.

And finally, they embed the Floor Sentry to monitor conditions that could affect moisture levels in the future.

Bottom line:

“We want to make sure we give the client everything they need to help the floor perform well. … And that gives us peace of mind that we did our job.”

And the Floor Sentry protects the flooring installers, too.

Protection for Your Company

Rafael sees the Floor Sentry not only as insurance for his customers, but as insurance for himself. He says the laborer warranty (in North Carolina, at least) usually lasts for about a year. That means as a flooring installer, your company could be held liable if the floor fails within a year of installation. Installing a Floor Sentry can provide data showing if damage was caused by conditions that occurred after you were off the job.

Rafael walks us through it from his perspective as a flooring pro:

“We mainly use the Floor Sentry for the higher-end projects—unless we’re doing a very tricky job that I really want to protect myself. … If somebody asks us to do something that’s questionable, but that’s still right to do it, we try to do that just to secure ourselves and make sure we’re not being liable for something we can’t control.”

He uses the example of a current job for a 4-million-dollar house. No installer would want to take any chances that could affect the performance and longevity of that floor!

That’s why he looks at using the Floor Sentry on bigger or high-risk jobs as “insurance.”

The Floor Sentry has a warranty of a year, a battery life of 8 years, and a storage capacity of 16,000 readings. And the app has a feature that allows you to press a button and lock in the data, so no one can tamper with the readings.

So it’s no question that Rafael has found significant value in that type of long-term protection for his work and for his business.

And to help others achieve the same level of professionalism and peace of mind, he shares his team’s experience with installing and connecting the data logger.

Floor Sentry Wood Floor Data Logger Installation Tips

Rafael walked us through where he embeds the Floor Sentry, how long it takes him, and which types of flooring he uses it on the most.

Time:

It takes him 10–20 minutes to install the Floor Sentry embedded wood floor data logger. He believes it could take as little as 5 minutes, but he likes to take his time and make sure he’s doing everything right.

He takes pictures of everything he does and shows it to the customer, so he wants it to look as smooth as possible. Plus, he notes, some woods are harder to use a router on. For example, he finds it much faster to cut through engineered wood than through hickory.

Types of flooring he’s installed it in:

• Most often: solid red oak and white oak
• Moderate amounts: engineered wood flooring
• Rarely: exotics

How he chooses a location:

These are a few of the tips, in the form of do’s and don’ts, that he follows when choosing where in the home to install the Floor Sentry and which board to use:

Do install the Floor Sentry:

• In a spot that’s easy to access or repair, in case they need to pull the board out (like a hallway or near a kitchen area with an easy-to-reach corner)
• In an area that’s free from direct sunlight and daily sources of moisture
• In a floorboard that is
  • Shorter than 2 feet
  • Free of defects

Don’t install the Floor Sentry:

• In a spot that will have daily contact with direct sunlight (like near a large window)
• In a spot that will have a daily impact with water (like a mud room)
• Near a water source (like a sink or water-dispensing fridge)
• In a floorboard with knots
• Under a rug (which can trap moisture and heat)
• In an area that’s closed off by itself, where ambient changes will have the least effect (like in a closet)

Rafael also notes that they often find some sort of easy reference in the house to help them remember where it is. In fact, they try to install it in a similar area every time so it’s easy to find. For example, they often embed the Floor Sentry under a flooring plank in the walkway of a dining room.

But they also record everything they do, so they can always go back to the files and find exactly which board they placed it under.

Connecting the app:

To connect the free Wagner Sentry app to the Floor Sentry device, he finds success when he stands within 5 feet—but also hasn’t tried it from further away.

He also points out that the app is most useful for the customer, since it’s for them to monitor and they’ll be the ones in Bluetooth range most often.

But he also has the app in case he ever needs to go back.

For example, he’s about to return to do another section on a big job. And he’s going to take the opportunity to connect to the Floor Sentry and pull up the data. That way he’ll have it for his own reference. But he can also show the customer it’s doing its job of monitoring conditions.

Types of jobs:

Rafael uses the Floor Sentry on wood flooring and engineered wood flooring installations. But he also uses it on sanding and refinishing jobs.

For example, he’s refinishing a floor that has existing cupping in one specific area. Moisture levels were fine at the moment. But he advised the customer to let him add a Floor Sentry to monitor for any changes in the future. If conditions do change again, the customer will get an alert. And they’ll know to locate and manage moisture issues before more cupping or other types of wood warping can occur.

Get the Same Peace of Mind for You and Your Clients

If you want to protect your company, your client’s investment, and your competitive edge, take it from one pro to another. Add a Floor Sentry wood floor data logger to your flooring installations and refinishes. It’s like leaving a tiny security guard behind in every floor you touch.

The Floor Sentry puts your mind at ease, knowing that you’re:

1. Reducing liability and costly callbacks.
2. Teaching homeowners how to properly care for their wood floor investments.
3. Protecting flooring installations from potential moisture risk.
4. Offering a “smart floor” that will set you apart from the competition.

For more information, shop Wagner’s Floor Sentry on our website today.

Last updated on July 6th, 2026