Flaw in my new wood floor. Normal?

12 years ago

I'm concerned. I found a 4" flaw or gash in my new 3.5" white oak floors this afternoon. They were installed about two weeks ago. Monday they were sanded. Tuesday they were stained. Two coats of water-based poly were applied yesterday about three hours apart. I saw the floor in this area yesterday before the second coat of poly went down. This flaw was NOT there at that time. No one has been in the house since the floorig guys walked until I walked in this afternoon.

I've emailed the pics to the flooring company, but haven't heard back yet. The gash is very deep and ragged around the edges.

From a distance

Close-up

Closer

Is this kind of thing normal? Does it get fixed somehow when the final coat of poly is applied in a few weeks after reno completion? Or should it be addressed immediately?

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Comments (11)

marcydc
12 years ago
I'd say not normal. They could have filled it and you never would have noticed. Make them fix it.
jgopp
12 years ago
I would say that it is probably best to just fill it and forget it. This usually happens in the manufacturing end or someone gashed it with a sharp object.
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InteriorStylist
12 years ago
My contractor hubby says that this board should be removed & replaced. It can be stained to match & finished.

~Jeana
Madeline616
12 years ago
I agree with the fill it and forget it. Even though they're a hard wood like oak, the floors are going to develop somewhat of a patina. It's hard to see a flaw in a brand new floor, but it's something that soon enough you probably wouldn't even notice.

I'm speaking from experience, as I have heart-of-pine...super soft :-).
bmorepanic
12 years ago
I think that it DOES NOT have stain or finish at the bottom of the gash? That would be a little proof that it happened after the floor finishing if you need it.
lavender_lass
12 years ago
I'd expect the flooring guys to come back and fix that. The longer you wait, the more they'll probably try to blame someone else. Good call to take pictures, right away :)
marcolo
12 years ago
Not normal.
chicken1020
12 years ago
I agree with Jeana. The correct way to repair it would be to replace the board.
EcoBuzz
12 years ago
Another vote for removing and replacing the board from another hubby contractor :-).
enduring
12 years ago
I like the remove and replace option mentioned. Have you ever had an oak wood splinter? They're nasty!
breezygirl
Original Author
12 years ago
Glad to know it's not normal for a not quite finished floor. I didn't want to over react with the flooring company as I was warned that the floor wouldn't be perfect at this stage. They said there would be "boogers" and other imperfections that would be worked out with the final finishing coat. This, to me, is more than an imperfection.

Bmore--You can see the raw wood, no stain, in the opening. It doesn't look like poly got in there either. I KNOW that wasn't there yesterday. The kids were sitting on the floor watching the second poly coat in a few spots, including that one. I was squatting down next to them for most of it. I'm sure I would have noticed that. It's in a visible spot right near the mudroom entrance. Good thing I carry the camera around with me now,

I didn't hear back this afternoon from the flooring company. I'll let you know tomorrow what they say. So far, they've been reasonable about fixing some issues along the way. Fingers crossed!

Flaw in my new wood floor. Normal?

Comments (11)

marcydc

jgopp

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Flaw in my new wood floor. Normal?

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