Hardwood Floors from Hell
Our hardwood floor renovations comprised two phases: (1) refinishing our existing flooring (including both 85- and 18-year-old sections) and (2) installing new hardwood floors in our renovated kitchen and den.
Phase One went relatively smoothly, in retrospect. There were areas where the old wood needed to be replaced and the installer did a fine job. There was also one scuff mark which he quickly touched up. We did notice some sloppiness, areas where the stain dripped down onto the stair risers or brushed up onto the molding. But we plan to paint, so we didn’t complain, especially because the price on the work seemed much more reasonable than last time we’d done the floors. So far so good.
Until Phase Two. That’s the hellish part.
The drips of sloppiness in Phase One became a deluge in Phase Two, which, again, constituted new hardwood installations in the kitchen and den. It seemed almost predestined. For example, before the work even began, I was especially worried about stain splashing onto the new cabinetry in the kitchen. When I asked the installer why he wasn’t protecting the new peninsula and base cabinets with tape or plastic before staining the floors, he insisted it wasn’t necessary because “nothing ever happened” that would necessitate that. Until now, I guess.
Here is a pic of the damaged peninsula:
But it gets worse. As we were literally watching the polyurethane dry, we noticed what looked like transparent “brains” and “vertebrae” imprinted all over both the den and kitchen floors. On closer inspection, they turned out to be work-boot prints. Apparently, the installer’s workers had walked all over the floors after applying the finish on the assumption they were dry. They weren’t.
Here’s what it looked like:
Only they were all over both floors .....
But wait, there’s more: We also found hardened blobs of polyurethane on our existing hardwood floors (i.e., from the previously acceptable Phase One.) We're guessing that they tracked it over to the den after finishing in the kitchen. Here is what one of those looked like after they “cleaned it up”.
Obviously, we made clear to our GC that the work was unacceptable. To his credit, he responded by having his carpenter fabricate a trim to cover the floor stains on the peninsula. Toe-kick covered the stains on the lower cabinets. And the installer himself, also to his credit, acknowledged (with some colorful language) his fault and agreed to remove the footprints and blobs of polyurethane.
Easier said than done, apparently. For when his men came for Round Two to remove the footprints and polyurethane spills, they took something else off the floor too. And what that something is, we still don’t know. Nor can we get a straight answer about it from either our GC or the installer. All we know is that there are gaps and perforations or pits throughout the flooring in both the kitchen and den. Here is a sample pic of the unhappy result:
Again, these perforations, gaps and pits appear throughout both floors.
What’s to be done? The installer checked in today to make an appointment to come this week. But no promises. When I raised the question of how he’ll be able to fix the gaps and perforations between the planks, he said that maybe the changes in the weather caused the wood to contract. We aren’t buying it because this problem was apparent the moment they did the last round of “mediation,” and we have the pictures of the shortly before and shortly after to disprove it.
We’re guessing that when the workers came to remove the footprints, the machine they used sucked up some kind of filler between the wood, or perhaps removed too much polyurethane. But our background is in law, not wood flooring. We’re fervently hoping we don’t have to draw on our expertise to get this fixed.
Ahead of the installer’s “one more time” shot at making this right, we would be very grateful for any insights and advice from our fellow Houzzers.
Comments (18)
Jane C.
5 years agoRelated Discussions
engineered hardwood floor over old hardwood floor
Comments (14)You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood....See MoreOiled hardwood floors from PG Hardwood Flooring
Comments (0)Has anyone installed PG Hardwood oiled flooring - colour "Hangar"? If so I'd love to see pictures of how it turned out. Also looking for thoughts on oiled vs. Urethane coating. I love these boards, but it's only available in oiled finish......See MoreRemoving floor glue from new hardwood floors
Comments (2)G&S said it all except to be sure that the adhesive didn't etch the surface. If it did there will still be marks after the adhesive is removed. That said, you can try mineral spirits first without harming the finish (assuming it's urethane finish). If a customer calls me and says there's glue on the floor I send someone out to clean it....See MoreShellac over hardwood floor? LVP over hardwood?
Comments (0)I am thinking about using a shellac finish and sealer on this hardwood, which will be the floor for a kid's room. This Bullseye traditional finish and sealer product from Zinsser seems widely used and well liked: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Zinsser-Bulls-Eye-Clear-Shellac-Actual-Net-Contents-32-fl-oz/3449840 This particular product says it is clear, and I think there is an amber tinted version. Can shellac be applied without problems to hardwood? I believe I could put poly on top of the shellac and be done. Is this right? Any tips or warnings? There is also this Sealcoat by Zinsser, which does not appear to be shellac based. https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-Zinsser-854-Sealcoat-Universal/dp/B000C02BXW/ref=sr_1_3_mod_primary_new?dchild=1&keywords=zinsser+shellac+sealer&qid=1610393849&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=8-3 Would the Sealcoat be a better option to just put over the hardwood? I have read elsewhere that shellac can be applied over poly, which is good since I don't know what is on the existing floor. Other places say shellac could be sanded after application, so when we have a chance to completely sand and refinish this floor, I would probably want to do this. Does this sound like an acceptable temporary fix, or is there something I should consider before proceeding? Would shellac ruin or damage the hardwood. I am also thinking about LVP, but I am concerned this hardwood floor is not flat enough for that. I understand the subfloor for LVP must be 3/16" within about a 1 foot diameter to work. Any ideas about this? Is there a way eyeball this floor to determine whether click LVP could be put down? Thanks!...See MoreJane C.
5 years agoJane C.
5 years agoJane C.
5 years agoJane C.
5 years agoJane C.
5 years ago
StevePA6a