Now you know why floors are the last thing to be installed and finished.

Is it going to be in an area covered by a rug or a piece of furniture?

Sometimes a peaceful solution is for you to go in halves the cost of the fix with the painter. It doesn't mean it's a right solution as the painter should take full responsibility, but these days if they have to fork out for it, they wont. Better than if you had to foot the whole bill.

In my mind, it's the painter's responsibility but getting him to pay might be another issue.

Typically engineered floors are fixed by replacing the damaged plank. That's usually a skill and required tools beyond what most painters have.

If your flooring installer is competent, it's a relatively easy and inexpensive fix assuming you have some extra planks laying around from the original install. Pretty straight forward fix for an experienced installer, otherwise you will have to seek a reputable one out.

Thanks for all the replies. It's in the middle of a hallway so covering up isn't an option. The painter is pretty reputable and seems ok with paying for the fix. I was dreading a fight, and am glad at least they took responsibility.

It's glued-down engineered floor so I'm not sure if replacing the plank is possible, but if it is, that's probably the best fix. We do have extra planks.