See what you're saying but in both these cases the flooring salesperson portrayed them as very durable and low maintenance so those customers were surprised and disappointed with their early-on experience. Just thought I'd throw that feedback into the mix so people could be aware since flooring is expensive and one lives with it for a long time! There are probably happy customers as well! :)

We installed our Alta Vista from Hallmark flooring back in January, 2014, after one month we started seeing color come off from under the chairs. Chairs had protectors, it didn't matter the color wears off extremely easily. The floor splinters and pieces of wood peels off. I absolutely loved these floors when we first bought them, they are beautiful, except they cannot handle everyday usage at all. You can see some pictures of the damage floors at my home at sheerserendipity2.blogspot.com. We paid alot for these floors, it is very disappointing for this amount of damage happen to these floors in just a little over one year.

@sheer-- wow I just viewed the damage on your blog. Have you contacted the floor company who installed? As this is a residential application, there should be a warranty. I am so sorry for you! Hardwoods are such an expense and it must be heartbreaking to see such wear. Also, have your tried treating with an all over wax application from hallmark for maintenance? Best of luck!!!

I did contact the company directly by email few months ago and they did not reply. Then I called them and they said I had to go to the dealer, whom I contacted and I filled out a claim form. They have not yet responded back to me, waiting patiently. Unfortunately, there are a lot more areas on the floor that is damaged than I've shown on my blog. I hope this will make people proceed with caution while purchasing this floor.

First off, the splintered boards certainly need to be replaced, pronto.

Looking at your pictures, I assume the gray metal folding chairs around the table are a temporary solution. They don't look to have proper floor protectors installed. I would wager that there is sand embedded in the feet of the chair legs that is unduly wearing the floor. Additionally, the weight on these small feet concentrates the force on a very small area.

There's a reasonable chance that if you had installed a prefinished floor with urethane finish, it would now be scratched from these chairs. If there's a silver lining, the oil finish on your floor should be able to be restored more easily than a urethane finish. Your dealer needs to inquire with Hallmark on what products they need to buy/use to bring back the color on the worn areas. Hopefully you contracted with a flooring dealer that is capable of servicing wood floors in addition to selling and installing them.

Stop waiting patiently. There's a fine line between being persistent and pesky. I suggest you call your floor dealer at least once every two weeks until the issues are resolved. In the meantime you may want to get an area rug to protect the floor from the folding chair legs. I wish I could suggest a proper floor protector for those chairs, but other than the big ugly rubber tips I've seen , I've got nothing.

The chair leg tips are plastic not metal and I have felt pieces under them to protect them as much as possible. It doesn't matter the action of pulling the chair out to sit takes off the finish. The finish comes off too easily, I understand that the finish can be restored easier than urethane finish, but I didn't want such a high maintenance floor. My biggest concern is the wood splitting and splintering, my daughter already got a very big splinter in her foot and had to be taken out by the doctor. When we walk, the sock get caught on pieces of the floor. I did contact the dealer, it doesn't seem like anyone takes action too quickly. Thank you so much for your suggestions, I will get the oil to resolve the worn issue. I am not sure what my options are for the floors splintering. Thanks again!

I would not attempt to fix the finish while you have an ongoing complaint. Same as attempting to replace the splintering boards, leave it as is but attempt to not make it worse possibly using jfcwoods suggestions. If you attempt to fix it they may claim that that voids any warranty and simply walk away.

I know... When it first started to chip, I filled it in with wood filler so that my family wouldn't hurt themselves, this was after a month of installation. I didn't have much of a choice, now I am just leaving until someone comes to see the floors. It has been about 6 months since I have sent Hallmark a email with my situation, still have not heard from them.

Just my 2 cents, I would send an email weekly to them. If fear if it's been 6 months you'll never hear from them. The only way to get a respond is to be your own advocate.

Replacing defective boards would in no way void a warranty.
I blew up your picture and can see the typical plastic cups on the bottom of the chairs. I can't even tell you how many times I've seen floors scratched by sand embedded in plastic floor glides. Turn over a chair and scratch the portion that touches the floor with your fingernail. You can buy swiveling floor protectors that insert in the metal tubes that would spread the weight over a larger area and allow one to use a proper felt pad.

http://www.allglides.com/metalbase.html

Of course none of this gets you any closer to having the dealer replace the entire floor because it was misrepresented as a floor that is tough and doesn't require a lot of maintenance.

Being a bit of a skeptic, I question the claims of manufacturers when they tout the wonders of new finishes and such. Whenever I speak to a client who is considering an oil finished floor, I inform them that they must be prepared to do regular maintenance and that the finish is somewhat delicate. To be fair though, I also have to point out the shortcomings of other floor finishes as I did above. Nothing's perfect but I'd rather educate my customers and let them decide.

Good luck.

@thehype ~ Which DeChateau floor did you choose and how are you liking them? All DC flooring is engineered, wide plank, and rustic, right? Still looking for something more durable that resembles Hallmark Alta Vista in their rich brown Coronado color, suggestions anyone?

We're going with the chateau collection in the olde dutch color-- yes, wide planks with character, yet still polished. They do have some lines that have less charachter and more of a sleek look. It's being installed early April...I hope I only have great things to say about them once they're in and we live with them for a while. I did as much research as I could on the brand...I only heard great things from customers so I hope that is our experience too. I'll be sure to check back in with details.

Thanks for the details and good luck! I've heard good reports on DeChateau, along with the fact that they are a bit pricey! If you love them and they wear well then i believe it's worth the investment :) The only DC lines I've seen displayed have been very rustic and most have a white or gray wash look, must be what's selling well these days. I'll keep a lookout for those sleek lines you mention, maybe one of those will work out for us!

This chipped picture looks like a potion of the floor delaminated, or the hot melt glue procedure didn't work on that small area. IE: Little or no adhesion. Seems to me installers may have to start looking at these potential issues and keep them out of the installation. A full epoxy filled floor (happens during manufacturing) could have prevented this problem. But then you'were probably looking for this kind of character?

I had thought we'd go with the Alta Vista Laguna flooring. After reading the reviews, having serious doubts. I just heard of Armstrong Performance Plus engineered flooring. They have one that looks very similar to the Laguna. Anyone know anything about this Armstrong collection?

Omg. This is SO disappointing to read, about the Hallmark Alta Vista engineered wood. I wonder if Sheer Serendipity's unfortunate experience is due to an anomaly in the batch she received, or typical? My contractor has installed that line and loves it, he did not cite any problems with it (not that he knew of, but I'd imagine he would know?).

In any case - Suz, regarding the Armstrong Performance Plus. I haven't seen any samples in person yet, have you? I'd want to know where the materials came from (China? hope not) and manufactured (here? I hope so). And what are its 'green' properties? VOC emissions? Also, which one are you looking at that resembles the Hallmark's Laguna...I've looked but don't see it? The specs say that the length of the planks are pretty small. Hallmark's are 6 feet long pretty consistently, and Armstrong's is between 10 inches and 4 feet only (!)

Further, the wear layer is only 2mm, whereas the Hallmark is 4mm. Hallmark's wood can be refinished 4 times because of the thicker wear layer. (However, the Armstrong appears to be quite hard in its manufacturing so maybe that allows for the thin wear layer a bit?)

Anyway, in sum I don't get the feeling it is on the same level of the Hallmark product in a number of ways. :-/

We knew of someone who had the finish wearing off under her island stools within a month of the floor being installed, and adequate protectors were in place. Seems a risky investment (at least for a large area) after reading some of the posted feedback above. Just saying...

Floorworks, thanks for the input.

Carynia, which brand of flooring are you referring to.

Oh sorry, I was responding to Floorworks comments just above in reference to Hallmark's Alta Vista line which is what this thread was originally about.

Any more input regarding Hallmark Alta Vista (specifically Coronado, but happy for any more info)? I'd love to hear more reviews about how the floor wears - scratches, upkeep, anything! Thanks

We ended up going with Mirage Knotty Walnut Savanna, Cashmere (matte) finish, solid hardwood in 4 1/4" planks. House isn't quite done so we haven't 'lived' on it yet but it sure looks pretty so far! We decided on Mirage due to their reputation of producing high quality floors made in North America and without any added VOC's or formaldehyde, that was important for us. Here's a photo right after installation, they look glossy due to the sunlight but they're really a very nice to the touch matte finish.

Looks beautiful, carynia - thank you

carynia, do you mind telling me the cost per sqft?

11.08 per sq ft --or 10.75 if purchasing 1500 + sq ft., however we purchased our hardwood during a Mirage Promo Sale that offered a 50 cents per sq ft rebate so that helped. Contractor pricing for installation was $2 - $2.25 per sq ft. So all in all not cheap but really nice quality. A designer friend told us all the Mirage floors she's ever seen are beautiful and has never heard of anyone having a 'bad' Mirage floor. So far we consider it a worthwhile investment in the long run. Hope that helps, and you can always inquire if they have a Promo schedule available for getting the best deal.

@thehype

How are you liking your DuChateau old dutch flooring? Are they holding up with no issues and how is cleaning/maintenance? We ordered DuChateau's Chateau Lyon and are still waiting on them due to an issue with the color coming in multiple shades darker.

@jenlgear

hi Jen- overall, we love them. They are truly beautiful and we get compliments all of the time. That being said, I would compare them to having marble in a kitchen. They do patina over time with water marks and things like that. Now, you can do spot 'refinishing' where you take a kitchen scrub pad and the maintenance oil and take out spots...or at least that's what the YouTube video tutorials show (look them up if you haven't seen). We recently got a puppy and the urine has stained the floors in multiple spots if it's not caught within 30ish minutes of happening. My floor company told me to use the refinishing technique for this...I have yet to try but as going to soon. So again, I do love them and they are stunning you just have to realize that an oiled floor will age a bit but that is part of the beauty. As we've had them about two years the first few stains were the worst but we've gotten used to it. Let me know if you have any other questions!

oh cleaning, we use the approved parquet cleaner from duchatea, we do have a cleaning person and she loves the product. She's very impressed with how well it works on the floors. We have the main areas mopped every other week and the rooms that aren't used as much mopped about once a month to minimize water/cleaner in them. If you want photos of the water marks and Stains, let me know.

We ended up using Hallmark Hardwood's Balboa from the Alta Vista collection. We love it. The builder has brought clients over to see it. It looks like weathered driftwood. It doesn't show dirt. I shouldn't admit this but we haven't washed it since it's installation last fall. Just sweeping and vacuuming. It's a vacation home so it doesn't get the wear and tear it would get if we lived there full-time. We had it installed throughout the house. On the first floor there is radiant heating. We used engineered wood flooring because we are right on the ocean and concerned about moisture. The only problem we had is the Hallmark literature said to open all of the boxes so they can acclimate before installation. We did that but there were at least ten boxes that weren't used. They couldn't be returned because the boxes had been opened. A kind of catch-22 situation.

@thehype

I have been looking at DuChateau (the Chateau Collection) for some time now and have the Windsor and Olde Dutch samples in my house currently. It is great to read that you still love your floors 2+ years after living on them. I would love to see photos of the water marks and stains that you are speaking of. I have 3 young kids and 3 dogs and am concerned with the amount of maintenance that will be required with the DuChateau as I have never lived on a hard wax wood floor.

On a different note, I do love the look of the Hallmark Organic 567 however, I am unsure of the NuOil product that they use.

I have the DuChateau Riverstone Seine (since November 2016) wood floors in 4 bedrooms and a den and love LOVE them.... I feel compelled to respond since I was just telling my husband this today. We have had zero problems and no scratches or water marks. And we have 2 large dogs. Good luck!

Thank you for the the input @mojoro. How is the cleaning/maintenance? Have you noticed any of your high traffic areas that need to be reoiled or have been already?

sgla, to be fair, we do not have theDuChateau in any high traffic areas... just the bedrooms and a little-used den. As far as maintenance, all I've had to do is vacuum - lots of dog hair, ha! That's it. No oiling. Nothing.

I would just like to share my experience with @Hallmark Floors. We installed our floors in December and followed all of the manufacturer recommendations exactly. We researched this decision for many many months. We have been incredibly disappointed with the floors. We have had many boards delaminate, splinter, and check. I just spent over $6000 to get rugs to cover the floors so that we don't have to look at all of the problems with them. Further, my kids have constant splinters from the wood. That is after spending over $35,000 on the flooring and install. A claim with my retailer has been started and I will be going after a full refund of our purchase. There is no way these floors are being re-installed in our house. They will be ripped out and replaced with something more durable. It makes me sick honestly.

What was the moisture reading at installation, and what does it read now? What is the ambient relative humidity of your home now?

To "housebuilding126" : Have you had any resolution from Hallmark? What Hallmark floor did you install? I have Alta Vista Laguna and have a few problems with splintering near the dishwasher where there is some moisture. Also, spotting near the sink where a drop of water isn't immediately detected to clean up.

Hello, I'm looking to purchase Hallmark, Alta Vista, engineer wood floors. I was directed by Hallmark to Prosource a store which sells their brand. However, the Hallmark brand name is not on their label. Wood floors by Hallmark are called HomePride. Has anyone ran into this before. Would HomePride be Hallmark seconds? It's weird!

@dav200, sounds like Prosource has private labeled the Hallmark products as HomePride. So consumers can not directly compare their prices to the other floor covering stores' prices.

We installed Hallmark Alta Vista Balboa flooring in our house in Maine. We don't live there year round. I wouldn't purchase them again. They look great and we get lots of compliments. However, I have noticed some splintering where the tile entry hits the wood floor in the kitchen. There are a few other spots that look like they will splinter. It is somewhat difficult to get anything spilled or dirt out of the grain in the oak flooring. I think I would probably choose flooring with less "character" that is smoother and easier to clean.

After thinking about it, I would recommend Hallmark. I do think the splintering is because we didn’t have a rug in the entry and water damaged it. The difficulty cleaning is still there. I think any floor with grooves has that problem. It does hide dog hair which is great.

I’m not sure if you’re the woman I had told that I’d take photos of our flooring. If yes, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t find your comment anywhere. Tomorrow, I’ll take photos. It definitely has a driftwood look to it. We wanted that since we’re on the water. I will say that as long as been since I washed the floor, it is great at hiding dirt and dog hair.

I haven’t noticed any change in the color. There’s the expected variation in the different floor boards. Our flooring looks like the sample. I borrowed the sample and put it in the doorway to see how it did with dog hair and dirt. It passed with flying colors.

I’m so sorry. It just dawned on me that I never answered your questions. Balboa is a medium compared to maple. I think it has a warmer color but I’m not sure. It is more tan. Hope this info helps.

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