Wood Flooring Losing its Luster Fast :-(
Friends, I moved into a new development with Japanese Maplewood flooring. The flooring was laid down about 1 year before I moved in. After only a couple of months, the floorboards seem to have spread away from each other or cupped on the sides. I’m completely disappointed and bewildered. (see attached photo of a damaged…
Friends,
I moved into a new development with Japanese Maplewood flooring. The flooring was laid down about 1 year before I moved in. After only a couple of months, the floorboards seem to have spread away from each other or cupped on the sides.
I’m completely disappointed and bewildered.
(see attached photo of a damaged section of floor)
Questions:
1) Is this normal? (the damages tend to be on more high-traffic areas).
2) Is there any way I can make it stop or fix it?
3) Why is it occurring in the first place?
4) Is there a good flooring guy you can recommend?
5) Regarding repairs, can I claim my new development Sponsor liable for any of the charges at this point?
Thanks for your help
with real solid wood floors in an old house in NY i would expect gaps to be natural and expected; caused by very humid summers combined with the dryness caused by the heating system in the winter.
Here is some high end wood flooring that has gaps:
http://www.wideplankflooring.com/i/floors/large/large-HP-CWP_2002-12-19_01.jpg
For an old browstone the gaps can loook good, but in a modern place with engineered wood maybe it won’t fit in great.
I agree, the indentations you see is the sub-floor pertruding which should of been engineered and leveled prior to installation. The “cupping and spreading apart” are signs of moisture. Even though the laminate face is sealed the joints that hold the boards together are actually made of cork wood of some-sort & once they get wet will tend to swell and buckle. You can have them replaced but without checking for moisture content and a proper leveling of your sub-floor you will have the same issue next year.
it looks like prefinished “engineered” floor. i.e.a 1/8 veneer of wood on particle board…absolute junk…too make matters worse, since it is new new construction, it is probably a glue down job over a concrete slab…the slab will draw humidity into the flooring causing cupping you are #ucked…get a flooring guy to look at it, but you really need to tear it out, put down a wooden subfloor over the slab, and refloor..try verrazano or another flooring company to concur
Read your offering plan, a smart developer will have a lengthy disclaimer for wood flooring. All woods react to humidity, some much more than others.
If there is no disclaimer check with your neighbors and see if they have similar problems. A group with systemic problems will have better luck than an individual seeking a remedy.
A developers Japanese Maplewood is also known as Maple unless this is an engineered wood. I have seen many, many problem with solid maple.
It’s common for wood to shrink and expand with humidity changes – that would be my guess relative to gapping. Did you notice this problem over the summer? Probably was not originally stored and installed in the correct environmental humidity.
Don’t think there is much you can do on that issue, but others here can give you a more informed opinion on repairs/recourse.
Paste wax, or a liquid like Rejuvinate, would very likely improve the appearance a great deal.
I suspect that this is not real flooring as in something that’s 3/4″ thick. This is engineered flooring that typically snaps together or is glued together. It’s not the best stuff in the world and there’s really no way to make the type of repairs that I know of. flooring guys won’t touch it.