help, wrong floor installed

last year

Floor company installed wrong hardwood (red oak instead of white oak) as part of my kitchen renovation. Although their crew made them aware, they did not fess up until I called them on it (it was apparent to me once they were stained and in no way came close to what I already have in DR and LR). Meanwhile, new kitchen cabinets already installed on the floor. Flooring place said they will remove and redo. I am concerned they will damage cabinets or it will look like hack job, especially around refrigerator. Thoughts?!

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porkchop_z5b_MI

last year

last modified: last year

I think it looks like they did a nice job, even though it is the wrong material, or at least you think it is. If you like it, or can at least live with it, I'd negotiate a discount rather than a rip-out -- if they charged you for white oak and you got red oak, you should be reimbursed the difference in teh cost of materials. I'll say, though, it does look the same as the flooring in the other room, just lighter. Stain will remedy that. So maybe you think you needed white oak but actually you needed red oak? IDK. I'm not a professional that can take one look an oak floor and tell immediately what species it is.

I don't understand the vitriol aimed at red oak. It makes beautiful hardwood flooring. I have had it in multiple homes and have always been happy with it. Staining makes all the difference in the appearance -- no it's not white oak, but that doesn't mean it's ugly or not a good choice.

They should be able to stain the new flooring to get very close to the other flooring, that is a solveable problem. That I would definitely demand, as well as difference in cost of materials.

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Comments (11)

AnnKH
last year
To my amateur eye, the difference in wood is not apparent. The difference in stain color is glaring, and should be fixable. Am I correct that the lighter colored floor is the new one?
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millworkman
last year
How do you know that the old is white oak and the new red oak and not just different cuts? Was there packaging and or markings?

" Flooring place said they will remove and redo. I am concerned they will damage cabinets or it will look like hack job, especially around refrigerator. Thoughts?! "

That will involve uninstalling the cabinets and appliances, unless the flooring did not go under, which should not be the case with solid wood.
simpsonc
Original Author
last year
The floor is already stained in the pictures.
simpsonc
Original Author
last year
I have no problem with red oak per se, but they said they are unable to achieve a similar color to existing white oak floors because the natural red oak is showing through. I don’t know why the new floor looks lighter, but it certainly has a pink-ish cast to it (before and after staining).
porkchop_z5b_MI
last year
Are you confusing type of wood with stain? Like I said, I can't tell if the old floor is red oak or white oak, but what I do know is that any time you have new flooring feathered in with or adjoining an existing wood floor, you have to have the WHOLE SHEBANG refinished. It is impossible to have new flooring match old flooring color-wise, even if the exact same wood species is used. You gotta get old refinished along with the new installed. I bet if you do that your problem will be solved, or at least lessened to such a great degree that the difference in wood will hardly be perceptible (if the difference indeed exists).
just_janni
last year
Red oak is cheaper. It will age differently and I doubt they will be able to get it to look the same unless you are okay with the white oak going much darker.

Your white oak is beautiful.

Have them PAY a cabinet installer (preferably the one that you already used) to uninstall the cabinets - and hold them accountable for any damage.

The different floor would not be acceptable to me.

(Nor would the lying about it - so DOCUMENT and CONTRACT everything regarding the fix)
emilyam819
last year
That’s infuriating and you should not accept it. Is the counter, backsplash, and crown molding in?
Theresa Peterson
last year
I love red oak -- prefer it over white oak, as it's warmer, but I do not love the change in tone here.

What do you want from the company? You're more likely to get a partial refund than you are a re-do. Are you ready to go to small claims court, if necessary?
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
I'd restain my way out of this one. They cure is worse than the disease.
PRO
G & S Floor Service
last year
Golden oak stain will get it close.