Hardwood install issues: dents, no expansion gap
diy_monger
14 years ago
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jbranch
14 years agoRelated Discussions
no expansion gap in hardwood floors
Comments (15)If it moved anything approaching 3/4 of an inch it would tear the nails out. There is still some skill to installing strip flooring. Let it acclimate for multiple days out of its bundles and spread out where it will be installed. Tighter in high humidity (it is going to shrink), looser in low humidity (it is going to expand). Strip floors that are to tight for the moisture content at install can buckle up and pull fasteners part way out. The humps then decrease when the humidity falls. Most of the hump will disappear. Trying to face nail (or even screw) the area will not usually work. The forces generated are larger than the fasteners and/or wood can take. Splitting is not uncommon. You have to remember that if you have 5 inch wide strips 10 feet wide you have 24 strips of wood. If each one move 1/32 inch from damp to dry, the total movement you have distributed is 3/4 inch. It only sows as the joints between the strips opening and closing by 1/32 inch though (and yes it is probbaly off by 1/32 since 24 strips only have 23 joints)....See MoreHardwood installation - No expansion gap or something else?
Comments (11)Thank you so much, everyone, for all your comments so far! I was supposed to receive emails for follow-up posts so I apologize for the delay. It's amazing but while shopping for my hardwood floors, I visited several floor stores and only one had mentioned that installing hardwood floors over plywood in a hi-rise condo is not the best approach to installing hardwood floors but in fact engineered wood is the way to go. Someone2010: Thanks so much for your advise but could you clarify? I would be willing to send him a registered letter and take him to small claims court but what exactly would he be fixing? Would he come back to create an expansion gap (even though the expansion gap wouldn't resolve the buckling issue), refund the cost of installation, or refund the cost of installation and the material so I can replace it with engineered floors (and through another installer of course)? idrive65: I could get into other things that he has said and done to me but he clearly does not know how to respect women. Brickeye: I'm not sure if I understand what you mean. Could you explain what "grade" you're referring to? Since my first post, my floor guy has tried to counterattack by threatening to send a list of extraneous costs. If I have already completed payment with him, does he have any right to send me an extra bill? I have already requested his extra bill and will now start the process of documenting the case for court. I have a long battle ahead of me. I would like to complete this project before the year ends so I have a new contractor that has suggested removing the boards that run parallel to the wall and reinstalling pieces that allow for the 3/4" expansion gap. On the boards that run perpendicular to the wall, he has suggested cutting them to create the gap. Since small claims court will delay this project considerably, is it wise to have my current contractor fix the problems now and try to bill my floor guy later? We need to move in soon. Thanks again for all the input and suggestions! Thanks so much again for all the feedback....See MoreInstall 3/4" hardwood with small expansion gap in summer?
Comments (14)When hardwood is installed should be no less than one half inch around walls if drywall is up high enough and it is half inch drywall you can keep it even with wall. At doorways use quarterround to cover gap. I would recommend also use one half cork spacers and set them in the gap and set hardwood against it when hardwood expands cork will give and when shrinks the cork will expand back kinda like a spring. This will keep your wood in the feild areas to stay together from winter and summer effects. 40 years ago i started in a shop and hardwood installers did it this way and we did many subdivisions back in those days and worked all year round here in St. Louis and was a union company. I feel the old timers new what the were doing. My brother-in-law did his house with hardwood this way 42 years ago and he still on the same floor just sanded and finished it once....See MoreGaps in newly installed engineered hardwood floor
Comments (40)Hello to everybody still following along with this! We finally did get the inspection report back - it was a very through, detailed report. To make a long story short, the inspector found issues with everything: installation of the floors/railings/balusters, staining, the flooring product itself, etc. He addressed every concern that we had, and even found additional issues. I shared the inspection report with the flooring company who installed the floors and stairs, and they have agreed to remove and replace everything. Once we gave them the inspection report, the flooring company has been really great about wanting to make everything right, and making sure that we get a really nice floor/staircase/railing system. They assured us that not a single person who worked on our project initially will be working on it this time. In fact, all of the people who originally worked on our project were either let go, or left the company on their own. Since there were also so many issues with the flooring product and the gray color, we actually decided to go with a completely different brand, color, and species of wood. Our next step is to decide on a schedule for the work - so I'm sure it'll be a while until everything is completed. Thank you to everybody who commented on this thread with your ideas, suggestions, and comments!!!...See Morediy_monger
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