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
xMisterDx4 Jul 2023 20:32But... to get back to the question.
Please, set the damage amount at 2,000 EUR plus an outrageous sum for the few cork joints... go to trial... and in the end, after a few years, pay 5,000–6,000 EUR in total...
Lawyers, courts, and so on also need to be paid. Families live off that too, so feel free to sue.
Please, set the damage amount at 2,000 EUR plus an outrageous sum for the few cork joints... go to trial... and in the end, after a few years, pay 5,000–6,000 EUR in total...
Lawyers, courts, and so on also need to be paid. Families live off that too, so feel free to sue.
C
chand19864 Jul 2023 20:53xMisterDx schrieb:
25 years ago, it didn’t matter; the builder would just say, "Great! I couldn’t do it any better myself..." My bathroom is just being finished. Overall, good workmanship by tradespeople with a certain professional pride. They don’t deliver anything below average because the customer can’t do any better either. My minor corrections were handled without any hassle. The tradesmen themselves stood back at the end, looked at it, and said, “Yeah, this turned out well.”
Honestly, you can’t say that convincingly about the grout work in this result.
xMisterDx schrieb:
Do you run your own business or are you working productively, meaning you have to earn money from your work?At first, no, but not in the skilled trades. The fact is, when you have a job where you need to do rework, you sometimes end up losing money on it. That’s why you make sure the next time you put in extra effort to avoid the same mistake, so that in the end the budget balances out.I’m glad the original poster is handling it this way now. Regardless of the final outcome, the risk for all future clients is lower that poor work will be delivered again. Good luck.
xMisterDx schrieb:
But... to get back to the question.
Please, use 2,000 EUR as the damage amount, plus an outrageous sum for the few cork joints... go to court... and in the end pay 5,000–6,000 EUR after a few years...
Lawyers, courts, etc. also need to be paid. They have families to support too, so go ahead and sue. Your comments are not only disrespectful, they are also pathetic. I really hope you never, but really never, have to deal directly with clients. Your comments reveal your social skills and work ethic.
Apparently, you are ultra-rich, so 25,000 EUR is pocket change for you. These are oversized rooms (100 m² (1,076 sq ft)) and the poor craftsman has to live on a starvation wage. The sloppy execution of the cork joints severely disrupted the overall appearance. Of course, I repaired the cork joints made by the parquet installer myself, and it looks a thousand times better now. That’s not the point. You can’t do a poor job and then refuse to take responsibility or own up to it.