Bad Floor Job - How do we fix??

5 years ago

We had our floors redone. New wood installed and stained. In our new kitchen. 2 month project which is turning into 6. A nightmare.

I please need your advice -

There are 2 spots in the floors where the guy used putty. They are very visible, high-trafficked areas. Very disappointed in the quality.

Our contractor said that they could essentially punch holes in the floor and plug them. I want them to remove the boards and replace them. I know that the boards were glued, so I am not sure how easily that can be done.

What is standard practice for solving for this? Should I insist that the boards are removed?

Featured Answer

Timothy Winzell

5 years ago

In the grand scheme of things this is incredibly minor. One need only read a couple pages of posts here to encounter people with really significant intractable problems, that often require complete floor replacement. After 35+ years doing wood floors I've seen my share of people unhappy with an issue, who want to do something foolish to fix a minor problem. I'm not shy about speaking up in these situations so that I can at least be on record if they force us to do something foolish.

I would not try to put in a plug. It would have to be finished to match the surrounding floor and almost certainly would be more noticeable, even if it turned out as well as could be expected. Your claim that these boards shouldn't have been installed might seem valid if you're inexperienced. Most issues like this aren't apparent upon installation.

Keep in mind that floors are done by humans, and exactly like you, they are imperfect. If you get a floor job that's 95% perfect, you're doing quite well.

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Comments (8)

PRO
G & S Floor Service
5 years ago
You can remove the filler and use colored wax sticks to blend it in better. Otherwise, replacing the boards will be best.
HU-914382191 thanked G & S Floor Service
Kate
5 years ago
Replace the boards. Those putty sticks are only good for the tiniest scratches.
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Timothy Winzell
5 years ago
Replacing the boards is an amazingly poor idea, considering the extremely minor nature of your issue and the ease of fixing it properly. The putty could be removed and refilled with the proper color, removed and hot waxed or simply faux painted. This looks like a site finished floor. Removing finished boards and installing new unfinished boards, how's that going to go? Would these boards be sanded and finished in place in an attempt to match them to the rest of the floor? Good luck. The resulting issue would be FAR LARGER than two small spots of mismatched putty and you'd be rightfully kicking yourself. Or are you going to refinish the whole floor?

I'd be more concerned about losing tongues and grooves from replacing boards that now mesh with the surrounding boards than with two easily fixed spots.

You obviously haven't thought this through.
HU-914382191 thanked Timothy Winzell
HU-914382191
Original Author
5 years ago
@Timothy Winzell I know what you mean in the grand scheme of floor issues, but I definitely don't consider it minor. These are brand new hardware floors. Not finished, installed. Those pieces shouldn't have been used. We paid a fortune, and those are two highly visible and trafficked boards.

I wasn't aware that putty came in different colors, so that's good to know.

I do agree that removing the boards could create a bigger problem. And yes the idea would be to sand and match. Disaster maybe?

What about cutting and plugging the area? Is that standard practice? Better or worse than putty?
HU-914382191
Original Author
5 years ago
@G & S Floor Service - As timothy pointed out, won't trying to replace those floors create a bigger problem of trying to them sand and match boards from brand new floors / installation? I don't want to create a bigger problem.
PRO
G & S Floor Service
5 years ago
Yes, it will. thats why i mentioned wax sticks. you can mix colors and texture for a better match. replacing is last resort.
Timothy Winzell
5 years ago
Instead of having the floor contractor back you might try to engage a furniture repair contractor. They would have the wax sticks mentioned above, often called shellac sticks or burn in sticks. Not all floor contractors have the equipment or experience with them, but furniture repairers should. One of my guys does this and he has fixed some issues quite easily that would have been a challenge otherwise.

https://www.amazon.com/Mohawk-Quick-Fill-Burn-Stick/dp/B00BOU627U