That floor is gorgeous! I think the cleaning people screwed it up and I bet it won't happen again if it is properly taken care of. I hope you can get the manufacturer to replace it for you. I love that floor and the pattern so I agree with your dh, I'd do it again. I'm so sorry that this happened to you. How heartbreaking.

I have cork. I know it is sealed on all edges, I know people have submerged sections of the cork in water while testing it. However, I don't think if there is a flood, it is waterproof. Except for concrete what is really waterproof? Tile? I wouldn't use cork in a bathroom in case of having someone leave the shower curtain open and having water pouring on it. The kitchen has its own risks--broken pipes, but this is not really considered a wet area. I use a spray with a microfiber cloth to clean mine, I'm not pouring water on it to clean it.

Some products are worth the extra care that you need to take with them. Again that floor of yours, albeit damaged, is fantastic. If the manufacturer sent those people to clean your floor, then they are responsible for not training them correctly, in my opinion.

Dianalo, I can't help with your specific questions. But let me just extend my sympathy for this big headache. Most important, let me say that your floors are amazing! I think you should recreate them exactly as they are. Truly, those are gorgeous floors. Wow- what a reat design statement (without being too showy.)

I adore your floor... especially in your space. I think what happened was rare. I would certainly take the risk and choose the same floor again. It's just such a fantastic look. I can't imagine anything else there to love as much now that I've seen it.

oh, so sorry to see that - ugh.

but that floor looks V. cool!!!

Your poor, gorgeous floor! I agree that the beauty of those floors in your space makes it a risk I would take again.

I also agree that, in the event of a "flood", no floor is really safe. Even tile floors can be damaged if the grout is subjected to flooding conditions.

Oh, your beautiful, amazing floor. How sad. I think I would take the risk again to for that look.

I love your floor!! Are you saying that they have to rip up the entire floor in order to repair it? or just replace those pieces? I thought that was one of the pluses of going with Marmoleum?

I hope you can find a work around because it truly is gorgeous!

Keep us posted!

~ D ~

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I chose the Marm even though dh agreed. If it were to fail again, I am guessing it would somehow be my fault. However, I really like how it looks and feels underfoot. I know better than to soak the floor with hot water and chemicals and then work them into the floor. Even with my tile, I'd spot clean several times a day with a floor sponge and sweep a lot. I would only wet mop a few times a year (then again, that was a small floor, lol).
I just can't think of any floor that would compare with all the features we want. Our original plan was a hex tile floor, and while that is gorgeous, it would be harder on my feet and colder in our NY winters. Radiant heat is out of our budget, and I suspect even the tile floor would cost more by a bit because of the labor in such a large space.

The only other possible choice is VCT (vinyl composite tile), with which I could duplicate the basketweave pattern and it would be less hard than tile, but more hard than Marm. It would also be much cheaper for materials and cheaper/easier to install, but it would not give the same look....
I am not sure if Forbo would reimburse us or just replace the floor. I suspect they may not give us a choice.
Luckily, we have time to think.

I also hope you'll be able to go with the same wonderful floor. Every time I see something like this, I say, "Next house, I promise!"

Well that sucks!

It may settle down once it dries, but I don't know if it'll be the same. I have the sheet stuff (so no backing) and used a remnant for a cat placemat. I soaked it for cleaning and it would curl then flatten out again. But I'm worried it's the cork stuff that's mangled and that doesn't usually go down.

But if you're getting stuck with the repair, let it dry thoroughly before doing anything.

Could you do conventional Forbo sheet linoleum with seams that are welded with welding rods like in commercial settings? You could do the same pattern and probably template from the original click pieces?

What a beautiful floor, dianalo. I hope you can get it sorted out and have another beautiful floor without too much worrying or waiting.

Becky

I agree, what a cool floor, dianolo. I echo what Becky says, hope all turns out just the way you want it. I love it just as you designed it.

It might have something to do with the bottom of the click, not the marmoleum itself. I would maybe look into the sheet as Palimpest suggested. However, I think that what happened was out of the ordinary.

So sorry you have to go through this.

Oh, that is too bad, I am sorry this happened to your lovely floor. I hope for your sake it is easily settled and Forbo replaces it.

Oh no, I'm so sorry for you. Your floor is definately one of a kind. I haven't seen your whole kitchen yet but the bits and pieces I have seen all seem to coordinate so well. I hope you're able to keep the same floor and pattern but if that is not an option I am sure you will come up with the perfect replacement. Look what you did with your master bath. Gorgeous. Good luck.

Sure you can make any pattern with sheet Marmoleum (assuming you can find a good installer), but the price will knock you out. I think it's worth another try with the click. Nobody else has any problems with it!

Dianalo, I'm so sorry this happened!! Your floor is beautiful! Sadly, I don't have any sage words of advice, but hope you get this fixed on their dime. It's definitely their fault, so they need to fix it to your satisfaction!

Don't get VCT. I have it and I really don't like it. Our house is older and when the floor settled the tiles have cracked. It scratches easily and never really looks good. To keep it looking nice you either have to wax it or have a buffing machine. I think VCT is only good for commercial applications.

oh no! i'm so sorry this happened! again, the floor is absolutely gorgeous. it seems to me the cleaning crew went a bit overboard -but i don't think you'd have any other problems with just regular cleaning. all the marmoleum i've seen IRL is decades old and in pristine condition. just beautiful stuff!
i think this is a isolated incident and i'd have no worries having the marmoleum repaired and installed again.

does the whole thing really need to come up, or just that section??
please don't abandon that floor. i really love it!

I am not sure if Forbo would reimburse us or just replace the floor. I suspect they may not give us a choice.

The choice is yours, not theirs.

I suspect there is a contract somewhere stating who gets to choose, actually.

Oh how awful! I hope you can get it worked out the way you want because that floor is gorgeous!

Good luck!

Oh, Dianalo, I am so sorry. That is a gorgeous floor. Great design. The good thing is that you now know how the Marm will look in your house, and not just in your imagination. Awful, but it can be fixed.

Oh no. Just what you needed to add to your headache! I'm so sorry! But that floor is THE BOMB!!! Please, please do it again! And I hope the company treats you more fairly than my fireplace company.

Good luck!

I spoke to the Forbo rep and sent him pix. The pix don't do the damage justice. The whole floor looks like the isolated pix I posted. They are not noticeable until you get the right angle and light on them, but they are quite lifted throughout.

The problem was, for our design, I went with the 1 x 3s mixed with 1 x 1s. My installer said I should have gone with all 1 x 1s and just clicked 3 together where we needed the 1 x 3s. Because it was this pattern, the installer had to shave off the click pieces on many of the sides because you can't click something in multi directions. What would have been possible with the squares was to click a long row of them together, and then take that row and click it to what is next to it. Since mine were varying sizes, you can't make it all click.

The seams that were clicked in place, did not get damaged except at the corners where water got through from a shaved piece nearby.

In any case, Forbo is taking responsibility since they sent the cleaning company here (their choice). It was done informally with the Forbo rep offering to have it buffed and resealed to help with the scratches that happened when the kitchen was installed (although, it had drop-clothing and cardboard covering it, it scratched in many places, one big set and many smaller ones). The buffing/sealing did fully take care of those, but they just used too much water and the machines really worked it into the unclicked grooves. The guys who did the floor really did their best.

In all fairness to Forbo, the rep has been very nice and helpful and I am hoping for a good outcome. It is just so sad that so much time, money and effort went into the floor that will be ripped out. Luckily, it was not damaged under the cabs, so only the open spaces need to get redone and worked into what is there behind the toekicks.

I really want this floor again, but am just worried if it is done the same way, that there could be trouble with it and I'd have to hear about it from dh. He likes it too, but is nervous. Making me decide makes the responsibility for it on my shoulders, so I am nervous too now. If I did not have periodic trouble with my feet, I'd say the heck with it and do a hex floor, but I am afraid I would regret that later on when my feet or back hurt years from now. I do want the hex for our family bath if we ever recover from this reno.
In just the past 3 contractor work days:
1. floor got ruined (huge)
2. had to order extension piece for one pendant as the cord was not long enough for the high ceiling.
3. dw mounting pieces missing, had to order that from Bosch and will wait for delivery of parts.
4. 2 pieces of counter arrived with not enough overhang to go past the cover panels and to be even close to covering the pulls... they went back
5. vintage sink installed with new drain basket (carefully ordered weeks ago) and promptly leaked up a storm... trip to store to buy epoxy for plumber to attempt fix. Fingers now crossed! Can't use sink for a day now. Sink cutout may be done wrong if we can't keep unusual shaped/sized sink.
6.leak in old laundry room is a mystery so they had to uninstall my vanity in our new master bathroom so they could watch what happens and try to figure it out.
7. the great kitchen faucet we bought has a swing arm spout and is way too big for the sink area. I'd have to use the spout facing backwards at all times. Ordered smaller extension piece to swap out for arm of current one (from an 13" arm to 7"). I had measured how far I'd want it to extend, but did not realize that when "folded up" it would be way out of proportion.
8. 2 zone thermostat somehow installed wrong. Main level has been between 74-78 degrees, even with the thermostat shut off. Bsmt, where we have been living for 15 weeks is not cold so we need space heaters on. Woke up this a.m. in a sweat because dh had it on too high at night. Turned it off and when the alarm went off an hour later, froze my booty getting out of bed.

I am seriously considering taking up drinking, but I can't hold my liquids for very long, so even that is not an option. I did have half a beer last night though. I wanted a full one, but with only 1 cold one in the fridge, had to split with dh. i usually only drink one, but last night could have had 2 after seeing my pretty floor all ruined. Sigh.

My small reno troubles can't compare to all that hassle. That's quite a list! It can all feel overwhelming when you're stressed cut, tired, and feed up with living in the basement.

It sounds like you can create that pattern again and just adjust the larger pieces down to three smaller ones, right? I say do that. Don't put in something that will hurt your feet. You will regret it.

I would recommend alcohol, but since that's out of the question how about a bath? Do you have a working tub to take a good long soak? You've got great cabs, a fabulous range, and a cool counter that will eventually be installed correctly. Focus on that. Have a cry if you need to also. Sometimes that's a great release.

i am soooo sorry to hear how frustrating this has been for you!!

Your floors are STUNNING!! could they be redone with all 1 x 1's the way the installer recommended? That way, you get the floor you really want, and hopefully, done the way it "should" be.

I think you deserve a vacation. I'm thinking Tahiti. For a month. ;)

Oh, I love your floor! I would definitely do the Click again---and maybe go with the 1x1 option to get the better seals. Maybe a blessing in disguise?

We also have Click, as you might remember, and have had two major leaks thus far (both from our dehumidifier, which has now been officially retired---thought the first was a glitch and then it happened again---augh, especially since it wasn't really needed, just there to help paint dry faster in rainy season!) So we had standing water (that, thankfully, didn't make it to the cabinets---yay for level floors) on the Marmoleum for about 10 hours the first time and 6-8 the second time. DH was worried that the floor would warp, but there was no visible damage at all. So I do think the seams hold decently when they're clicked in.

Re: your faucet, is it a Chicago? (I can't remember, but recall that it was something vintage-y...) If so, swapping out the spout is really easy so you'll be good to go when the new one arrives. Probably equally easy for other brands, but with that one I've actually done it so I can vouch for it. Good luck!

Hi again,
Yes, out faucet is a Chicago and it really is sweet. I ordered the part yesterday online, but each time I order something, it takes research and price shopping because money is tight. It is just a whole lot happening when we are supposed to be at the end. With the dw parts, at least we could order directly through Bosch. It seems like $50 here and there, every day, the past week plus all the time running to the store or online searching out options is never ending.
This is supposed to be the home stretch where it all comes together. The plumber was here for 6+ hours today and he worked on things, but the only real progress is our icemaker got hooked up (but you have to throw first 2 batches of ice out). He un-installed our bathroom vanity, so by my count, we broke even today, if not lost ground. I know he spent time setting things up, but nothing tangible that is functioning yet.
I also had a disagreement with one of my gcs. They fixed my eyebrow window, but there is a seam and nail heads visible. It needs finishing touches. He says that means paint and "he doesn't paint". I am not climbing on my roof to paint the nail heads nor close up the seam and paint. I am afraid of heights and that is part of installing the window IMHO. Maybe "he" does not paint, but he has a crew and if he thinks I can do it, well, so can they! He also wanted the majority of the balance and to leave $2,500 unpaid (as agreed last Fri). I feel like I get scraps of the subs time lately and we have many items left undone. I told him that since our heat does not work right, the sink, dw, laundry room, bathroom vanity combo, toilet, stove height, pendant lights and eyebrow window still need installing or fixing, that I'd give him $5k but no more. The pendant lights, dw and kitchen sink are not their fault for the delays, but the rest of that is a long enough list and too much work to get covered by $2,500. He huffed and puffed and said his brother will call me. Dh is upset I promised even that much. Sigh....

I've read so many times that when the job gets near the end, they get "scraps" of the subs time. Good description. It seems like the last 5% of work takes the longest to complete. It WILL come together for you. I promise!

I've got nothing else to say except to be a cheering section for you! Go Dianalo! You can do it!

Do the 1x1s. Nobody will notice and Marmoleum is really so nice underfoot.

I love the forbo. My lobby committee (me and my neighbor) chose it for the elevator hallway by the roofdeck (which is also by my front door) and it always looked extremely swanky (black border with brown fields, cream walls, revere pewter doors and trim) (especially after being polished). I have a friend with cork and I know if you don't seal it regularly it will not wear very well (she did not and hers is very beat up looking).

anyway - we had a very good experience with our forbo - though it had to be removed after the big flood (which destroyed everything including my apartment) and it now looks like the building has actually hired an architect to redo the hallway and they probably won't use forbo (because they aren't as cool as I am). boo hoo

hi dianalo,

when i saw your subject line, my heart just sank. i'm so sorry you had to go through this with your beautiful floor.

i hope you can recreate it because it is so beautiful and unique. as artemis78 described, it sounds like it would be safe if you did all 1x1 clicks.

sending you good thoughts... i can't drink either. ;)

Thanks again everyone for the support. Not only are we tired of our endless reno, but friends and family must surely be tired of it too. Unless someone has gone through it, especially in a TKO way ;), it is hard for them to understand. It is so nice to hear the understanding and good wishes here.
I think we will re-do the floor in the same way. I just hope it goes smoothly and does not hold us up for long. We are just so done with delays.....