We are just short of 1 year living on our Hallmark, Alta Vista, Laguna. No problems anywhere - kitchen, back hallway to garage, all bedrooms. I am a slacker when it comes to renewing the finish, and still no issues. We do have rugs down in all rooms, 4 in the kitchen/breakfast room alone, but plenty of exposed flooring. We don't wear shoes in the house, but don't require company to remove theirs. If I see a spot, I wipe it up or clean it (DH's dried coffee spots). Cat vomit, elderly dog issues (he's now passed), but still no problems with the flooring. *knock on wood*

reemasutton, I've been trying to follow their prescribed schedule with Renu in high traffic areas every 4 months. I clean them with the cleaning spray about once a month. Though... I took another look at Hallmark's maintenance guide on their website, and it looks like they have additional instructions on use in kitchens and use of their Restoration Oil. Sounds like you might need to apply the Oil shortly after installation in kitchens, I'm not sure if that was previously recommended. Maybe that's the key... although I wasn't prepared to put down a new coat of oil so soon. I would definitely say that greasy/oily spills are the big issue. I've had really no problems with other non-greasy things, even as allison mentioned cat vomit. They seem to wipe up fine. I've had no problems anywhere outside of the kitchen and I think it would be great in living areas. But I dropped a piece of chicken that was sort of greasy the other day in the kitchen and immediately cleaned it up, still left a mark, even though I applied Renu last week.

This is all so helpful. I really appreciate the the replies. I’m glad to hear they have been fine in bedrooms and living spaces. I will take the advice to apply a coat of oil upon placement.

Can I ask about water? Sometimes I don’t realize until much later that theirs water splattered on the ground from someone ”drying” their hands. Has that been a problem?

i did see someone mention splinters which was alarming since we are always barefoot, but Hallmark assured me that was an installation issue. I hope I don’t need to worry about that on top If everything else.

Thank again.

Just make sure you read the maintenance and warranty guide for the floor you purchased, for their specific instructions/recommendations on the oil and other cleaning things.

I had problems with water leaving spots early on, but I put small rugs in front of sinks, and that helped with the water splattering from hand washing/drying. We try to wipe up right away any random water spills around the kitchen. I haven't noticed any issues lately. I haven't had any problems with splinters, the floors are pretty smooth.

I will add that they did amend the maintenance and warranty but after I installed mine. Water seems to raise the grain and darken a bit but I put some cleaner oil on it. Olis are the bigger problem. Even immediately wiping up doesn't help. I called the company and they sent out a rep who took a sample and he told me they would get back to me within 2 weeks. It's been 3 months and the flooring company has made repeated requests for us. I think splinters are a installation problem though.

Bottom line for me. A company is only as good as their warranty and customer service.

Not sure what our next step will be.

seashell456

Thanks for the advice.

I did contact them directly and it's done me no good. I am annoyed they have revised the maintenance and warranty since I bought mine but don't seem to care now. I would not have bought these had I known. As it is I have spent $100 in their required cleaner/maintenance products and they will last me a yr but it's not protecting my floors. Now I need to repair my new floors with yet another one of their products at my expense and effort and hope it works. So disappointing.

I’m in the process of ordering rug pads from rugpadsUSA. I have a rug and pads both from crate and barrel. I’m wondering if i need to swap out the current pad I have? It says it uses both synthetic and natural rubber.

Also, did you place pads under every rug even small ones in a powder room or the kitchen?

Thank you all for your help!

All of my rugs have rug pads, so yes. Even the small ones. Better for the rug and so no one ever slips.

Ok. Did you use only the ones they recommended?

I hope you still like your floors!

Yes, I only used the Superior Lock 1/4" . It is breathable. We LOVE our floors. No issues, and we've been in the house over a year now.

If you have the Alta vista collection, Can I ask what vacuum you use on the hardwoods? I bought a canister vacuum as recommended to avoid the brush removing the oil finish every time. But the canister vacuum still has a brush and says to use it with the brush protruding on hardwoods. If I retract the brush, the vacuum company (miele) said that the vacuum will scratch the floors... so what am I suppose to do?

I've never read not to use a brush, and I wouldn't want to use a floor attachment without one (scratches?). We have a Stealth central vacuum accessory kit.

Has anyone tried Hallmark's Restoration Oil to remove oily or water stains on the Alta Vista Floors?

No, not even sure how to do that. I read the warranty and watched the video on the restoration oil and it's not an easy task.

I ordered the Restoration Oil from my dealer after speaking with Hallmark Customer Service after discussing how to deal just with the spots. Using a cloth, I wiped on the restoration oil on the boards that had marks and after drying they are now completely gone on most boards and barely noticeable on another. The oil is expensive for 1 Liter ($98 with freight and tax ) but you only use a small amount. I watched the YouTube video but decided just do one board and tried not to overlap the other boards. Ideally you could tape off, but I didn't do that and it worked out fine. The boards will darken slightly after using the oil, but lightened up when it was dry. Hope this helps you.

Thanks so much that is great to hear.

Give it a try. I am really happy that I did.

Does any one have a food vacuum recommendation for their oil finished hardwoods? Im looking for 1 vacuum for the hallmark hardwoods that could also clean the rugs. I was informed that a rotating brush is to harsh for the floors and overtime wears off the oil finish. Thank you.

We have a central vacuum system and use the Stealth central vacuum system (bought on Amazon). It's the second house I've purchased this vacuum for and like.

I put the Hallmark Alta Vista Balboa throughout my home in 2015. I have used the ReNu cleaner and ReNu oil as recommended and my floors still look gorgeous everywhere except the kitchen. They are darkened and dirt has settled in the lines where the boards meet. I called Hallmark about this and they recommended I do a deep cleaning with the Restorative oil using a buffer. I don't want to try this myself. Does anyone have a recommendation in the Thousand Oaks, CA (or even Los Angeles) of someone who can do this. It should be done by a pro in my opinion. Thanks.

I have had my Alta Vista floors in Malibu throughout the whole house for almost 4 years now. They have yellowed just a bit in rooms that get a lot of sun. I have found a few tricks for spills . Blot with a clean towel and then put a little baking soda on the spot. Vacuum a few hours later. Most spots will come out. I have also dropped some heavy things and made a small dent in my kitchen. I take a wet cloth and place it over the dent and then run a hot iron with steam over the cloth. The dent disappears! I really love these floors and over time, they will have wear and fading, but they’re still beautiful.

I will never recommend any Hallmark products to anyone. I have never been more disappointed than I am in their customer service and their product, not to mention the confusing and contradictory information on care and product specifications for their Organic oil finished line. Don’t buy them! I have done everything since day one and nothing stops or removes stains. I will not use Hallmark in any of my other projects.
From Hallmarks website:
Advantages:
Ultra thick top layer provides lasting durability
Nu Oil® – No recoat at time of install. *NOT
Better stain protection & color retention. *NOT
Highest possible stability w/ dry sawn face
Finish is 100% renewable w/ warranty intact
MG4 – 3 guaranteed sandings
Lifetime structural guarantee

What kind of stains are you having difficulty removing?

Which Hallmark flooring line and color do you have, @taz2 ? Why did your floors need reciting at time of install? Sounds like an install problem. We've been in our new home 27 months with no issues.

Did you install your floors under the cabinets and island or afterwards?

No. I spoke to Hallmark about this, and it is strongly recommended that you put the floors around the cabinets and not under. We had the cabinets placed first, then the floors, and then the toe kicks and baseboards after. Our contractor raised our cabinets so that the toekicks could fit.

Ok. Thank you!!

We have always installed flooring under the cabinets.

https://hallmarkfloors.com/pdfs/Maintenance_WarrantyTRUEMARKWEB.pdf

So ours are floating wood floors, and you can read on Page 5 the exclusions to the warranties where it talks about not placing cabinetry on top of floating floors.

"Floating" wasn't written above. Ours are glued down. Previous homes had site finished hardwood flooring.

has anyone experienced discoloration when using area rugs? We had the hallmark Ventura floors finished in October and anywhere there is an area rug there is a noticeable difference in color under the rug. This has happened in rooms with sun exposure and without.

We literally just moved a rug from underneath our bed as well for the first time and saw a line from where the rug was. What was underneath the rug was lighter. We get normal lighting in the room, nothing too much or too little. I used the rug pads they recommended from Rugpad USA too. I am a bit concerned as I have a rug in every room, and this rug that we just moved was only there for about a year. We have the Malibu floors for the Alta Vista collection. Perhaps I will try to call this week. I’m not sure there’s anyway you could prevent it.

I had the Hallmark floors Alta Vista (Balboa) installed in 2015. I have noticed a bit of difference between the rug covered flooring and the sunny uncovered areas....but not significant. My bigger problem with these floors is that I had them installed throughout my home (including the kitchen) I would never do that again. I cannot keep the floors in the kitchen clean with the recommended NuOil cleaner. Also, the floors in the kitchen have darkened several shades from just day to day usage. I had a floor repairer in and he took a stiff brush and fantastic to a section which did improve it but the cleaning instructions specifically say not to use anything but a soft cloth. Does anyone have any luck with cleaning these floors?

I've had a decent amount of discoloration in sunny areas; some spots are getting an almost bleached or whitish appearance. Color is Alta Vista/Malibu. I know all stained floor fades a bit, not sure if this is an average amount or not. Overall it's not too noticeable, unless we were to move furniture or rugs.... then we'd be in trouble.

Karen Fruchtman, do you use a terrycloth mop cover? I've found that to get more dirt off than a microfiber cover (Hallmark's maintenance guide mentions using terrycloth in some spots, microfiber in others). But, I do wish there was a better way to clean the floors, I don't feel simply spraying them down with a cleaner does a great job.

Yes I do use a terrycloth mop cover.....I go over the floor once but it could use at least one more pass. That is not going to happen .......as I dislike cleaning floors (hard on my Boomer shoulder and back) I do use a non-scratch sponge to clean food drips and drops.

I would never recommend Hallmark flooring. We had Alta Vista Malibu installed in our house and immediately after install everything left a stain. You couldn't even look at the floors without them staining. We contacted our installer and was told to use their Renu system. After a year, the floors just looked terrible so we submitted a claim under warranty. Their inspector said it was normal wear and tear, which it was obviously not since it was staining since the first day. I can't recommend not going with Hallmark enough as their warranty is basically useless.

I agree. Nothing but staining on my Alta Vista since installation. Has anyone tried doing a total refinish i.e. sanding and poly?

I’m curious too if anyone has resanded and polyed. I don’t think we are at that point yet but I’d be interested to know. I’m still happy with my floor in the living areas but it’s pretty terrible in a kitchen.

We just moved after living on our floors for 3yrs - bedrooms, kitchens, stairway landings. We had no splitting, splintering or staining. But when the rugs were all removed on moving day, there was discoloring in several places even though I used the Rug Pads USA pads that Hallmark recommends. I've always used RPUSA pads, so this is not a rug pad issue. DD1 had ordered a Stark antelope rug for her extra room/ladies lounge, as she called it, and that rug pad was not from Rug Pads USA. That room was the worst. The new owners are sanding and refinishing the floors, which are French White Oak (Alta Vista line). Not sure what finish they will put on them to keep them the white oak look (which she wants to keep).

I have RPUSA pads under all mine and have had the same experience. I called Hallmark and they suggested the waffle -weave rug pad to allow more oxygen flow which is not what i was initially told.

Allison, if the new owners are able to let you know how refinishing goes, I’d love to hear for future reference!

Reesutton, I also use the rugpads that were recommended by Hallmark under my kitchen rugs. Maybe I should swap out for the waffle-weave rug pads. Also wanted to mention that I noticed that Hallmark now has a new product called NuOil "White Oil " Cleaner. Not sure why they changed formulation for specific floors. I continue to use the the NuOil products but I don't think they help much with staining. When I reorder, I will try this White Oil product and hope it will help with staining. This is from their website:

Nu Oil® white oil cleaner is a specially made soap designed with nourishing properties which cleans them out quickly closes the pores if your hardwood floor to protect against dirt and penetration of liquids. All products are natural, VOC neutral leaving no film on top of the wood.

Collections that use White Oil Cleaner

ALTA VISTA:

• Malibu
• Balboa
• Laguna
• Cambria
• Pismo
• Ojai
• Carlsbad
• Big Sur

I have Hallmark Ventura in Sandal installed throughout my house and it is beautiful BUT it STAINS terribly! The kitchen is my issue, the other rooms are not a problem. I have hired an attorney because I am having no luck with the distributor, Longust, taking any responsibility. I only want the kitchen replaced with something suitable. Has anyone had any success getting Hallmark to honor the warranty on staining? The website claims this flooring is stain resistant.

Also...I have tried the restoration oil that they claim removes stains. It does not remove the greasy food spills stains common in kitchens.

Allison0704,

Have you heard if the new owners refinished the floors and the outcome?

Thanks.

Seashell - I feel your pain - I seriously considered selling my home to get out from under the nighmare thinking if these floor look this bad after 2 years, how are they going to look in another 2 years? Hallmark marketing claims these floors are "stain resistant" they lie! If any one hears of a class action suit against them, please let me know. I also tried all of the remedy's they suggest, but to no avail. I am now living with wall to wall throw rugs covering as much of the kitchen as possible which is not why I choose this floor.

I installed Hallmark Twain, Novella collection about 2 years ago and they are holding up very well. There has been a lot of traffic since the house is periodically rented through Airbnb. Families, kids, dogs have been through here but have to say I am pleasantly surprised how well they are holding up. Also have withstood heavy objects falling without makig a dent.

I would not however install them anywhere near a kitchen as I don't think these are made to be water resistant. I have cork on my kichen floor that tolerates water very well though it is a very soft type of floor.

Read that some discover that covering the floor with a rug will mean the surface underneath stays lighter. That is true but seriously that goes for all wood products due to sun/light exposure, doesn't it?

Ive been reading through this thread looking for ways to better deep clean my Alta Vista Malibu floors. Our installer told us he had customers notice lightening of areas under rugs but in time the wood came back to normal. We have 3 kids, 2 dogs including a puppy who pees on everything, and 2 cats. we haven had any staining issues. Aside from feeling like i want to give them a good scrub, we have had no issues.

I have fading on sections of the floor near the windows. I am not sure if Restoration Oil will help as the can purchased from The Floor Guy hardened (in the can ) in less than 6 months.