Hallmark sent one of their guys out and inspected the floor. They claim this is all install and humidity. I keep my house at 35-45% humidity with a whole house humidifier. I had a curbside additional opinion and he said there is no way the floor could ever be refinished which I was told with the purchase of the wood by the retailer. Ultimately, it isn’t just the splinters but all the brushed areas are showing the wood underneath. Bottom line is this hallmark floor is garbage and I spent over 30k on flooring (install and boards) for a floor that won’t last 5 years. I am still contemplating if I have any further recourse and have yet to give negative reviews of the seller and of hallmark floors in every place I can- not that that matters. Below is the report. The Independent Inspector Concludes: o Manufacturing: no related issues observed o Site: The moisture content readings of the product do not support the ambient conditions of the site the day of this inspection....The low moisture content is likely contributing to the chipping/crackling/splintering of this product. The Rumba remote vacuum is not recommended for this type of product and can be a contributing factor. Robotic vacuums....can leave micro-scratches on the hardwood. Subsequent damage is not covered under warranty. o Installation: There are several planks with finish issues and significant edge damage which were filled after installation which should have been culled and not installed. o Performance/Expectation: 10-15% of the planks are exhibiting side and end edge chipping and splintering that has occurred since the product was installed – the issues are worsening with time. Face veneer splits/cracks have also appeared over time. Distributor rep. and Independent Inspector confirm the average Moisture Content (MC) of the flooring to be 5.2%. Our floors when packaged are dried to between 8-10% MC. This floor has lost a considerate amount moisture since install. As wood dries it shrinks and eventually cracks / splits as noted. The distributor rep. reported the edge damage appeared to be installation related. The Independent Inspector notes that fill was used after installation in an attempt to repair the damage. 2360 S. Archibald Ave. Ontario, CA 91761 Phone 909.947.7736 Fax 909.947.7776 Objectional noises are consistent with unapproved fasteners and or an out of flat subfloor. Also noted by the inspector and confirmed by the photos, the fastening schedule is every 7”- 9”. Per our Installation Instructions guide (www.hallmarkfloors.com) the fastening schedule for this floor is every 4”- 6”. This could also be a contributing factor to the objectional noises. Any objectional planks with perceived manufacturing defects should have been culled out at install and reported to the dealer. Our Maintenance & Warranty guide exclude the use of robotic vacuums on this floor and any subsequent damage. A history search of the production run installed in this home was preformed dating back to January 1, 2018. April 2018, we received into our Ontario facility over 31,000 sf. of this run from our factory. It has been sold out for some time. To date, no other claims have been received against this production run. Review of all the information provided, no manufacturing defects could be identified. Consequently, Hallmark Floors is unable to authorize any corrective measures under warranty.

leftontheinside We got our First Crush installed a few weeks ago, and there are saw marks. Some of our samples made them look very busy, and others didn't have them at all. We went through a local flooring store. The saw marks are definitely there, but not noticeable when looking at the floor as a whole (I looked at a lot of pictures because the saw marks were almost a deal breaker). We love the floors. They are beautiful! HU-751872317 We got a custom taupe stain made that coordinates well with the floor. If you still need something, I can get the formula.

@Katie Tortonesi- we put Jet set on our stairs to match the rest of the flooring. Jet set has a bit of a cross-sawn grooving in it so it’s not super slippery. We’ve had it installed for 1.5 years and no one has fallen. It is different than having carpet though and takes a bit of getting used to. We have teenagers so no safety concerns. One thought we be to add a runner on the stairs afterward if you are concerned or have little ones.

@Judy Frank are the ”saw” marks these textured stripes that run horizontally throughout the planks? my sample board of Finally Mine has them and wasn’t sure if defect of sample or true of the floor overall. Does anyone have experience and insight on these ”saw marks” sometimes I see them referred to as ”cut marks”