Dark stain oak hardwoods and "White Line Syndrome"

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

We had a fire at our house and did NOT end on good terms with the general contractor we hired however we've been back in our house for 2 months and we started noticing these white lines and have contacted a certified NWFA floor inspector and he has confirmed its white line syndrome. Since we did not end on good terms and he used the cheapest labor he could find and charged a premium what's the best way to handle? Hire a lawyer? Small claims court? I realize the floors will need to be redone. Also, we had a 5 year warranty on all the work that was done however I'm not thrilled with the thought of the same guys doing the sanding and staining again.

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Comments (4)

PRO
Johnson Flooring Co Inc
6 years ago
Exactly what work did the contract stipulate on the floors? Do you have a square footage and amount for the floor portion?

The polyurethane on your floor is debonding from the surface, most likely due to contamination from old finish or wax in the joints. If it was sanded down to raw wood there's not many options for avoiding this phenomenon. Do it again, the same thing will happen. If it wasn't sanded down to raw wood this issue might be caused by old cleaners or polish that weren't removed before applying new finish.
Melissa Murray thanked Johnson Flooring Co Inc
Melissa Murray
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
There were multiple parts to the floors one area he had to replace then stained due to fire damage the other he just had to sand and refinish it was our WHOLE downstairs and FROG. There is NO difference where there is new flooring and the old flooring this is a problem EVERYWHERE!!

We've had some really bad luck and a fire broke out 3 weeks after we moved into our 30 year old home however we had the floors previously sanded and stained a month before we actually moved in and we did NOT have this problem however we used a reputable flooring company. I have no idea who my GC used and I'm sure it was the cheapest labor he could find using the cheapest products around.
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SJ McCarthy
6 years ago
Ok..."True" white line syndrome is referred to as White Line Syndrome #1 (WLS#1). It is RARE. So rare that an inspector will see it a few times in a LIFE TIME of inspections. This is when the polyurethane is WELL BONDED but the wood underneath is MOVING sooooooooo much that the seams start to show WHITE. It ONLY happens and the seams. It does not show chipping or lifting in the CENTRE of the plank. If you think of a rubber band that is stretched ALMOST to the point of breaking you will see it turns WHITE! Then it snaps. THAT is what I'm talking about. The polyurethane is STRETCHED SOOOOOO TIGHT that it turns WHITE just before it snaps. This is more a "living condition" issue with SUPER LOW HUMIDITY and wood that is losing size/shape SOOOO quickly that the polyurethane cannot keep up. Again this is SUPER RARE. You do not have WLS#1.

You have the "other" one. White Line Syndrome #2 (WLS#2) which is 98%-99% of the white line syndrome we see. WLS#2 is a BONDING issue. The polyurethane (as seen in your photos) has a problem with the finish "grabbing" the wood. This will first show on the seams because the most amount of CONTAMINANTS will show at the seams....and then it LIFTS away from the CENTRE of the plank. This is what you have.

The bonding issues of WLS#2 is almost always an installation/application issue. Almost always. The problem is, you guessed it, CONTAMINATION. Yep. Something is sitting on the wood and PREVENTING the polyurethane from grabbing.

The fact that this is happening over both the OLD floor and the REPLACED WOOD means this is probably due to installer error. How do you deal with the "fake" white line syndrome (WLS#2)? You need to contact the GC who allowed the "guys" to do the floor. This is his/her mess.

You need to TRY to get hold of him/her. The legal community needs to see that s/he had a chance to "make it right". Only after they either A) refuse to engage in the conversation or B) attempt the repair and then botch that job, can you/should you move towards the legal side of things.

Contact the GC and let them see the problems. And then let them know the NWFA Inspector is in YOUR corner. Then you negotiate as to how the fix occurs.
Melissa Murray
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks sooo much SJ! We’ve decided to send him a certified letter tomorrow asking him to respond within 10 days! I think your right I need to let him have the opportunity to correct this mess! We are definitely not thrilled with the thought of moving out and into a house for the 3rd time over a year however don’t feel like we have any other options at this point. Have to keep priorities straight and things could definitely be much worse!