ᐅ Very Poor Parquet Flooring Installation – Is Rectification Impossible?
Created on: 19 Jan 2023 10:55
P
pim1985
Hello,
unfortunately, we are having problems again with our parquet installer (a small family business in NRW). The work on the transitions and the baseboards was done very poorly.
A brief summary of the situation: After a long wait due to residual moisture in the screed, the parquet was installed (oak, 18.5cm (7.3 inches) wide, fully glued).
As you can see in the photos, the gaps at the transitions are about 1cm (0.4 inches) wide and filled with a cork material that does not match the color.
The baseboards (1.8cm (0.7 inches) wide, about 5.8cm (2.3 inches) high) at the floor-to-ceiling windows do not look good, the smaller baseboards/profiles are odd, and the work was very untidy. The reason for the unusual small baseboards/profiles: the window reveals are too narrow (1cm (0.4 inches) wide baseboards would fit; this is the case with our neighbors in an identical semi-detached house). There are nicer solutions for this, but there was no communication that the baseboards would not fit. The parquet installer is unable to accept criticism and is old-fashioned, just doing things as he learned 30 years ago. He refuses to make any corrections.
Regarding the cork filling, we probably have no legal chance for corrections, even though the boards at the transitions were cut unevenly. (I saw examples from other providers, unfortunately too late, and spoke with specialists from a large parquet company (Parkett Dietrich) who said that transitions without joints or with very small joints about 4mm (0.16 inches) are possible. These could be filled with parquet joint filler in a similar color and would look a thousand times better). Baseboards before the step in the staircase area???
The small baseboards in the window area are impossible, though. I am a member of the property owners’ protection association (legal insurance is also available) and I am considering taking legal action with a specialist lawyer and construction consultant, although I would prefer not to. But this job cost a lot of money, and now I will probably have to hire a second company to fix it.
I would appreciate any tips on how to salvage one or the other issue.
unfortunately, we are having problems again with our parquet installer (a small family business in NRW). The work on the transitions and the baseboards was done very poorly.
A brief summary of the situation: After a long wait due to residual moisture in the screed, the parquet was installed (oak, 18.5cm (7.3 inches) wide, fully glued).
As you can see in the photos, the gaps at the transitions are about 1cm (0.4 inches) wide and filled with a cork material that does not match the color.
The baseboards (1.8cm (0.7 inches) wide, about 5.8cm (2.3 inches) high) at the floor-to-ceiling windows do not look good, the smaller baseboards/profiles are odd, and the work was very untidy. The reason for the unusual small baseboards/profiles: the window reveals are too narrow (1cm (0.4 inches) wide baseboards would fit; this is the case with our neighbors in an identical semi-detached house). There are nicer solutions for this, but there was no communication that the baseboards would not fit. The parquet installer is unable to accept criticism and is old-fashioned, just doing things as he learned 30 years ago. He refuses to make any corrections.
Regarding the cork filling, we probably have no legal chance for corrections, even though the boards at the transitions were cut unevenly. (I saw examples from other providers, unfortunately too late, and spoke with specialists from a large parquet company (Parkett Dietrich) who said that transitions without joints or with very small joints about 4mm (0.16 inches) are possible. These could be filled with parquet joint filler in a similar color and would look a thousand times better). Baseboards before the step in the staircase area???
The small baseboards in the window area are impossible, though. I am a member of the property owners’ protection association (legal insurance is also available) and I am considering taking legal action with a specialist lawyer and construction consultant, although I would prefer not to. But this job cost a lot of money, and now I will probably have to hire a second company to fix it.
I would appreciate any tips on how to salvage one or the other issue.
X
xMisterDx30 Jan 2023 00:46pim1985 schrieb:
(...)
It’s good that there are plenty of craftsmen and service providers who truly understand what customer satisfaction and professionalism mean.You should fundamentally be aware of one thing.
When you ask a tradesperson (or service provider, or anyone else) about another tradesperson in the same field, you will rarely, if ever, hear: "Oh, that one? Yes, he always works very carefully, much better than we do."
It’s part of the game to badmouth the competition as much as possible on site. And honestly, anyone who isn’t stuck in a civil service job or a secure position but has to deliver performance every day to keep their job—why would they warmly recommend their competitors? I, for one, am convinced that we do better than our direct competitors... which is why I work for my employer and not somewhere else...
So, you chose the "middle" offer out of three, not the second most expensive one. But why not the most expensive? After all, you expected premium quality, didn’t you? If I want premium, I buy a BMW, not a VW. That, of course, costs more.
And as a layperson, you can’t even distinguish between silicone, acrylic, and filler materials, yet you want to take legal action against a specialist because you are unhappy with their work.
The lawyer who takes on this case will definitely get paid. But by you... not by the flooring installer...
xMisterDx schrieb:
You should fundamentally be aware of one thing.
If you ask a tradesperson (or service provider, or anyone else) about another tradesperson in the same field, you will rarely, if ever, hear "Oh, that one? Yes, he always works very thoroughly, much better than we do."
It’s part of the game to badmouth the competition on site as much as possible. And honestly, who isn’t delivering daily performance to keep their job unless they work in the public sector or as a civil servant stagnating in one position? Why would anyone warmly recommend their competition? I am convinced that we do a better job than our direct competitors... that’s why I work for my employer and not somewhere else...
So with three quotes, you chose the "middle" one, not the second most expensive. But why not the most expensive one? After all, you expected premium, right? If I want premium, I buy a BMW, not a VW. Of course, that costs more.
And then, as a layperson, you can’t even distinguish between silicone, acrylic, and filler material, but you want to take legal action against a professional because you don’t like their work.
The lawyer taking on this case will definitely get paid. But from you... not from the parquet installer... Comments like these show zero social skills and a complete lack of customer friendliness. I hope you don’t work directly with clients.
By the way, the quotes differed by only 50–100€ (60–120 USD). An advantage was that the provider was local and in the same city.
The follow-up appointment was partly successful. The unsightly small strips at the window were removed, and due to uneven joints, a discount was granted.
xMisterDx schrieb:
Those who don't waste away sitting in a public service job or as a civil servant A firefighter or police officer will probably enjoy reading that. You must be contributing a lot more! And all of that without risking your life for others every day!
W
WilderSueden1 Feb 2023 15:38The garbage collector and the guy driving the snow plow at 5 a.m. are also public servants. Although in his world, winters don’t really happen anymore anyway 😉
Everyone take a deep breath 🙂
It sounds like you found a reasonably satisfactory solution.
pim1985 schrieb:
The follow-up appointment was partly successful. The ugly small trims on the window were removed, and there was a discount due to the uneven joints.
It sounds like you found a reasonably satisfactory solution.
mayglow schrieb:
Everyone, take a deep breath 🙂
That sounds like you have found a fairly satisfactory solution.Yes, more or less. A third-party company still needs to come to repair the uneven joints at the transitions or replace the floorboards and then reinstall them continuously.Similar topics