Testing labs are a necessary evil. I don't trust any of them, but we're stuck with them.
Many years ago, I was project manager for an exterior rehab on a mid-rise condo building with crumbling brick veneer. The building was less than 10 years old. We needed to find out what had gone so we could fix it in a way that wouldn't be an instant replay. As part of our investigation, we sent samples of the mortar to a testing lab for petrographic analysis. In due time, we got back a report, that provided a breakdown of the components by weight, and told us what type mortar it was.
The problem was, the proportions didn't match the type. So I called the lab and spoke to the owner. I told him the proportions they reported didn't match the mortar type they said it was, and I asked which was correct. His answer:
"Which do you want it to be?"
Mercifully, that particular testing laboratory is no longer in business.
Since then, I try to look over their shoulder and review every report (or at least the first couple of reports in a series) against the ASTM standard for the test, so I can get an idea of whether they conducted the testing according to the standard, and if they reported the results as called for in the standard. More often than not, the first reports don't follow the reporting protocol in the standard, and I have to call them up and have them issue a new report. Curiously, often what had been reported as a pass magically becomes a fail when the report follows the ASTM standard. Who'd a thunk it?
