Thanks. I got a belt sander and am working on the joints. It's very easy to flatten them out. And thanks for the fastening tips too Floorguy.....that will be useful information in a week or two when I start laying this wood down. I can't wait to see the finished floor! Cindy

I'm going to play devil's advocate here and also try to fill some holes in your story. This whole thing could have certainly been handled better, for both parties. It was an unfortunate mistake on their part, but would you rather they'd gotten it done faster with the wrong wood? Everyone makes mistakes. If I was faced with a potential 4 week delay without a stove I'd go to a used appliance store the first day, buy a cheap stove, bring it home, use it, then donate it later. In a 3 to 4 week period it's not unreasonable to think the furniture situation could have been remedied to make your lot more palatable. You could have prevailed on the floor man to set up your rooms and he would have likely complied. Now let me address the 48 days vs. 7 to 10 days. Where did the 7 to 10 day timeframe originate? It sounds implausible, at least the way I do floors. When the proper floor arrived, how soon was it installed? How long did it take to install? Did they start sanding and finishing right away? How many square feet of flooring was there to sand and finish? What type of finish was used. Answers to these questions will determine how long it really should have taken. Most of this is really pointless at this point because as the tired saying goes, it is what it is. From a retailer's perspective, if you didn't pay me, I'd lien your house. Once I liened your house (which takes my time and costs money) I'd be far less willing to provide any price concession. I would suggest you be proactive to make a settlement. The time you lost is water under the bridge but the floor finish is a real issue. Ask the retailer how much he would charge you to sand and finish the floor and suggest he deduct that amount from the bill. Tell him that in the future, you'd expect him to do the job for that amount of money, to keep him honest. In fact, make him give you a written estimate with no expiration date. I've done that in the past when something didn't turn out well and there was no time to re-do the job. Contact another reputable finisher for a quote so you can compare. Or get the other quote and deduct it from the invoice. PLEASE, PLEASE don't burden another finisher with a long tale of woe. While I might derive a little schadenfreude from hearing of the shortcomings of one of my rivals, I don't want to get the impression that a potential customer will be difficult to work for. Someone who tells me that a 7 day job took 48 days doesn't come across as reasonable when I know that it's not a 7 day job. Keep it short and simple.

The answer could be "Yes". It could be "No" or it could be "maybe...it depends". The trick with this is that new hardwood does not like sitting over top of OLD finishes...like polyurethane. And new hardwood needs FLAT. So the chances are VERY high that you need to SAND DOWN your old hardwoods (to remove the finish AND to flatten any obvious areas of concern). That should cost you $2/sf. Now the fun part...getting patch down where it is needed. It is possible but old hardwoods don't normally like to have concrete patch put down on them. They can. But they aren't fond of it. The cement patch often cracks and disintegrates as those old floors move. You will still need patch = $1/sf (on the LOW end). The other fun thing is: you probably have to install the floors perpendicular to the old floors....which will be AGAINST the installation instructions/warranty (most hardwoods must be installed perpendicular to the joists...which would be your OLD hardwoods...but the NEW one's would be perpendicular to THOSE = parallel to your joists = against all "Best Practices"). The way around this = DIAGONAL (lay it at a 45deg. angle). This should increase your WASTE into the 15% range = 15% more expensive than anticipated. So if you add up all the "trouble" you will go to, you will be paying about the same or MORE to do this. Of course you could throw down some plywood over top the old hardwood = go ahead as a normal install. But that puts you too high---so your ONE option to do this "cheaply" is not on your list. Go ahead and remove those old hardwoods (I'm assuming they are so OLD that they cannot be sanded and refinished). Lay new plywood and then install the new hardwood. The cost to do this properly should add $2-$3/sf (labour and plywood included). If you do this the "cheater" way, it should cost you $2-$6/sf (that includes the diagonal install with extra waste) and lose you your warranty. After all that money for the hardwood and install, that would be a sad state of affairs.

Here is what I have learned about hardwoods. Many woods do cause allergic reactions, mostly from the dust when cut. Certain woods can cause allergic reactions when handles green and a couple when dry. All those allergies are specific to the person. Some people are affected, many are not affected. Interior wood flooring needs to have a finish applied. For protection of the wood and for protection of people and allergies. All of the wood finishes of which I am aware are safe when dried/cured. The problems with finishes are those created when the finish is applied and those problems are caused by the material used to liquify the finish material. This is driving the change over from oil based finishes to water based types. Water based finished are much less toxic when applied/curing. A good example of this is shellac. While not a really long lasting or desirable floor finish, shellac was used as a finish for trim in houses for many years. The material used to liquify shellac is alcohol. Usually denatured, but vodka or whisky would also work. If denatured alcohol is used, the shellac mix is poisonous---because of the denatured alcohol. Once dry, the same shellac is edible. And, if mixed with vodka(or other drinkable alcohol) it could be consumed with only the hangover as an aftereffect(I would probably not like the taste, however!). Shellac is used as a finish on some candy. If those companies use a factory applied finish, it will be safe for pets/people---unless consumed.