Improperly installed floors. What should I do?

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Hi all, in a bit of a pickle with my general contractor. She arranged for his flooring subs to install engineered hardwood floor for us as well as stairs for our home. A portion of the floor is floating on a concrete subfloor, and a portion is on wood subfloor.

Before the subs installed, they pointed out that our concrete subfloor was not level and we needed to pay them extra to level it first before they installed the floors. We agreed.

The installed happened, and we've now run into two huge issues:

1. The floor is not level. Many areas of the floating floor are 7/32" depressed in a 6' span. The standard required threshold is 1/8", so they did not meet that. You can feel the dips and bounce as you walk over these areas.

2. The stairs are completely not matching the rest of the floor. They did not build the stairs out of the engineered planks and bullnose, nor did they stain unfinished wood to match. Instead they just bought "close enough" color wood, but it completely doesn't match.

I am now in a battle trying to figure out what I should do. My general contractor is demanding payment, saying she already paid the sub. I am not comfortable paying for this improperly done work.

Am I in the right here? Do i have a case? Or am I being too picky?

Featured Answer

glennsfc

9 years ago

It may cost you a few dollars to hire an independent flooring inspector to assess the flooring install and issue an expert report. Tell your GC that you want these things corrected or you will hire an inspector. That usually will prompt a GC to do the right thing, as it then would be likely that a judgement will be made against the GC. She hired the subs...it is her responsibility to make it right. Don't pay her until the flooring issue is corrected, because the movement will cause the floor to fail.

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Comments (7)

PRO
mdln
9 years ago
Very similar thing happened to me. They could not get it level, they ended up removing the prefinished HW and installed site-finished; at no additional charge to me.
dchall_san_antonio
9 years ago
Leveling concrete verges on trivial. Carpeting installers do it without being asked. It sounds like you have a less than reputable flooring installer.
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jyeh3112
Original Author
9 years ago
@mdln. how did you go about getting them to agree to do that?
PRO
mdln
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
They actually suggested it, after pulling the floor up twice and trying - unsuccessfully - to level it.

I had a friend walk on it and put pieces of tape everywhere we saw or felt movement.
PRO
Cancork Floor Inc.
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
@jyeh3112 - Please clarify: Who was it that you "paid"? You state that the "subs" told you the concrete was not level (which is COMPLETELY normal - concrete slab is NEVER level to the point of 'finishing'). You then stated that you agreed to pay "them" extra. Did you pay the GC for the extra work or did you pay the SUBS directly for the extra work?

Your answer is very, very, very important. Technically you ONLY pay your GC and they make payment to the subs. Only ONE person actually works for you - the General Contractor. Everyone else works for the General Contract....that's how it works. That's why the GC is "responsible" for everything done on the job site.

Please, please, please tell me you ONLY paid the GC?!

In the END, the contractor needs to be BROUGHT IN to view all the flooring. Your contract - ahem...your CONTRACT - states certain payments are offered after certain mile stones.

A hardwood floor that is floated over improperly prepared subfloor (regardless of who paid) is considered "improperly installed" (funny how that works). The installation - being "improperly installed" - means the job isn't finished. The GC must correct it - or at least offer you the 25-30 year WARRANTY that his/her workers just VOIDED. Yes - an improperly installed floor VOIDS the manufacturer's warranty.

Review your contract while you wait for your GC to show up on site. And use blue tape to indicate the areas with issues. And document (by numbering) the areas where the floor level fails the very basic 1/8" over 10ft (which is pretty much industry standard).

And if you can MEASURE a 7/32" over 6 foot radius over top of a FINISHED floor, that means the subfloor is WELL beyond this measurement. MUCH MUCH WORSE. I'm wondering if the subs did anything with that "extra payment" (I can't tell you how many times a sub will say "Yah. I did it. Pay me." when in fact they were else were for hours and hours and hours).

As for the stairs, you will have to find your documentation that states HOW they will be finished and with WHAT. I fear you have a few more issues with quality control than you may think. In essence a GC is your quality control. If they don't "control" their subs, then they aren't controlling the work site.

Good luck. If you need to go for the big guns, go ahead and hire an NWFA Certfied Flooring Inspector. They aren't cheap, but they are recognised by the courts as "expert witnesses" without having to prove their qualifications.

www.nwfa.org Look under "find a professional" and then go from there.
glennsfc
9 years ago
Good point about 'who got paid'! Yes, GC's will do that on occasion to attempt to reduce their liability for failed installs. Good advice for the poster.