Improper install of EVP flooring

6 years ago

Our subcontractors installed about 700sq ft of coreluxe engineered vinyl plank flooring in 4 bedrooms and 2 wet areas (children's sinks). 1st a 6 or 9 mil plastic vapor barrier is recommended by the manufacturer to lay down on concrete subfloor (also has multiple cracks) they used 3 mil plastic sheeting. 2nd the floating floor underlayment was placed upside down and it even had a large warning on the blue plastic side to install that side up. 3rd after the floor was installed they were incredibly rough with it. they didn't protect it at all ie., cans of dripping stain, heavy tools, screws, debris everywhere. 4th because of the sheer amount of scuffs and scratches they went over the floor with minwax wood stain in order to hide all of this (I didn't find out until after they smeared it all over the floors). Now I'm at a loss as to what to do. The GC is offering a 10 year warranty for labor only. However, what they have done has completely negated the reason we bought this type of flooring in the first place (waterproof, Phthalate-safe, Greenguard GOLD or FloorScore certified for indoor air quality, Lifetime warranty).

Are all of the install issues truly a big deal? Do we make them replace it? How do I get wood stain safely off the finish of the EVP?

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Comments (5)

millworkman
6 years ago
Only you can decide but were it me they would be starting over with ALL NEW material on their dime. You will have no warranty with any product. They have broken installation guidelines from all the products.
SJ McCarthy
6 years ago
As millworkman just stated, they've voided every single warranty item on the list.

1. Vinyl planks do NOT use underpad. Vinyl is NOT laminate. Laminate floating floor underpad (such as quiet walk) is NOT built for vinyl and vinyl is not built for these underpads.

This ONE ITEM alone means the WHOLE THING must come up. The rest of the issues are moot. Absolutely no way around it. The Quietwalk means they need to pull up the whole floor.

I tell clients to ASSUME their vinyl will NOT allow underpad unless SPECIFICALLY STATED by the manufacturer. That means 98% of vinyl floors do NOT allow underpad. The rest of them SPECIFICALLY state the TYPE of underpad allowed. None of those vinyl floors that I know of (that allow underpad) allow the fibre based products like Quietwalk. None.

Congratulations. You do not have to worry about cleaning this floor. You are entitled to a brand new one.

And ask the GC why they did not prepare your subfloor if there were cracks in the pavement. And then ask how much you PAID for subfloor preparation. On an old slab with cracks this item should be $2-$4/sf.

Please send us a link to your vinyl product. I will show you where it says/does NOT say 'underpad'. You can then print off that page and use it to force the GC to provide you with a new floor (you might want to hire this out to a professional flooring installer...just get the product delivered to the house).
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daisymay85
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you both so much. This is the flooring we had installed.
https://www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/c/Tobacco-Road-Acacia-Engineered-Vinyl-Plank-Flooring-CoreLuxe-Ultra-RVP8TRA/10044773
SJ McCarthy
6 years ago
Oh goody - LL. Here are the installation instructions:

https://www.lumberliquidators.com/assets/images/installation/TE-EVP-001_10.09.pdf

UNDERLAYMENT

Underlayment padding is not required for the installation of this product. However, our Tranquility underlayments referenced below may be used to help smooth out minor subfloor imperfections, while offering insulating and sound control properties. Tranquility Ultra and Tranquility LVT underlayments are recommended for this product. Please call Tech support @ 1-800-366-4204 for any additional underlayment recommendations.

https://www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/flooring101/flooring-underlayment/specifications/f101-tranquility-underlayment-specifications/a/536

Sorry but they absolutely screwed pooch on this one!

The Tranquility underlayment is DESIGNED for LVT. That's why it is allowed.

This is a total redo. If you do NOT remove the QuietWalk, the floor will bounce too much and eventually break the click system = not covered under warranty.

As suspected, you deserve a new floor at the GCs expense. Call your local LL to ensure your same floor (in the same run/dye lot) is still available. When they pull this floor up, they will lose as much as 30% of the planks due to breakage.

Good luck. Keep us posted.
daisymay85
Original Author
6 years ago
I'm the OP and wanted to update. Our contractor has been completely unreasonable. We are currently undergoing mediation and eventually arbitration (I'm betting) with the company. We have a lot more issues than just the flooring. Water, roof, and gutter issues are the main ones. Also, we have had problems with all of our new windows. Some slide down, won't latch, seem misaligned, etc. They are a small local company and, I know it sounds crazy, but I believe they have had our local hardware store (which employs the window rep) block my number. I've tried numerous times using my phone and couldn't get through but once I used someone else's phone I was able to call to speak to someone. Of course I left a message and they said someone would get back to me but I haven't heard anything. This seems super childish. I'm not sure what to make of this. I will update later when something develops.