Am I being unreasonable? Hardwood Flooring Issues
We just had white oak hardwood flooring replaced in an area of our home after a water damage incident. After seeing the floors, I expressed concerns to our GC about numerous uneven joints, gaps, and large chips in the wood and asked how he was going to address it. I got a quick, rude email in response noting that wood is a natural material and not going to be perfect. He noted that there are similar imperfections in our existing hardwood floors but you do not see them after filling and sanding. I agree there are imperfections in our existing floor that I do not notice on a daily basis, but after scouring our existing floors for wood filler and flaws, I do not think the magnitude of the imperfections are comparable.
Shortly after the GC had visited the site, since he had not seen the floors yet, I received another snarky email saying that they would redo the floors but basically would not guarantee the work the second time.
I am by no means a perfectionist. In my daily life, I tend to be passive and let things go but we are spending thousands of dollars on this so I do expect some level of quality. The majority of the floor looks good with some small imperfections that I would be perfectly fine with, but there are huge gaps throughout the floor (The area replaced was approximately 200 sq feet and there are issues every couple of feet) that I just don't think can be fixed with wood filler and are not acceptable. It just kills me that this could have been easily avoided with a little more care from the installer and/or some additional oversight from the project manager.
As far as I am aware no moisture measurements were taken before the flooring was installed.
Am I being unreasonable?
Comments (9)
Lisa L
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Hardwood Flooring + HVAC Issue
Comments (2)I agree with that, and have another comment. I don't agree with the premise that you can install just because the hardwood and the subfloor are within 2% of each other. They have to be close, and BOTH have to be dry. In other words, if the house is damp and the hardwood has acclimated, both will be damp. The floors will be installed at their swelled up size, and when you crank up the AC and get the house dried out you will have gaps. It's been awhile since I did this so I don't remember the exact numbers, but I think you want the humidity level at around 50% or lower. You might want it even lower if you live in a particularly hot but dry place....See Morehardwood install; how flat does the floor have to be?
Comments (3)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...See Morenew hardwood floors--am I being unreasonable??
Comments (4)I have found the exceptionally smooth, furniture finish on most prefinished flooring to be a drawback with the product. Dents and dings show up immediately, just like they do on a highly-finished new automobile exterior. I have also found that many engineered prefinished floors are just not as hard as their solid counterparts. Perhaps yours is one of those. Dropped objects impart very high momentary impact loads to the surface they fall on. Dents and dings are just going to happen. However, if you have flooring that 'hides' these little acci'dents' (pun intended), then they will unnoticed for a very long time....See MoreHardwood floor issues -- questions re: patching
Comments (30)UPDATE: I've just met with my GC and the lead floor guy (owner). The lead floor guy admits the patches were not what he directed, but his guys thought they were being helpful by patching. Both GC and floor guy agree the patches are visible. They said there are 3 possible courses: 1.) Try to touch up the patches to get a better match of the sheen. Risk is that it compounds the existing problem that they don't fully blend in with the rest. The floor guy also noted that each time they sand a piece, the grain on the wood is affected/sanded down, so that is not ideal. 2.) Let the patches go for now. The floor guy said in his experience, the finish actually gets a bit shinier over time -- and it's possible the patches would shine up a bit to better blend with the rest of the floors. My GC offered that if I go with this option, we could hold out $$$ and if in 6 months or so, I still see the patches, they would come back and fix (either patch and/or re-coat the whole area). Does anyone have thoughts on this idea that the floors will gain in shine over time? Obvious downside to this is that it's a bigger hassle to move everything out in 6 months, if that becomes necessary. Also a bummer (for me) to not start out with a fresh floor as I would have expected from this major addition. 3.) Go ahead and re-coat the affected rooms now. Plus is this gets done and over with, fresh start and no need to move things later. Downside to this, in addition to more time for the floor guys, is always the chance that new issues are introduced in the re-coat. I know it shouldn't be the case but I guess it's always possible. Thoughts welcome!...See More
PROUptown Floors
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoci_lantro
4 years agoLisa L
4 years agoLisa L
4 years agoSJ McCarthy
4 years ago
DavidR