Hello everyone,
our parquet flooring was installed by the craftsman in summer 2019. In winter, the craftsman cleaned and oiled it again. It is a Berg&Berg parquet, which was factory-oiled, but according to a Berg & Berg representative a few days ago, it still needs to be oiled again after installation.
The craftsman removed glue residues, oiled the floor again, and treated it with a machine (polished).
A few days later, we noticed some spots along the edges (20cm (8 inches) wide planks, wear layer 4.5mm (0.18 inches)) that started to splinter. We immediately reported this in writing, demanding that the craftsman fix these areas.
In May 2020, we moved into the house, and after every cleaning, it got worse — more and more splintering and small holes became visible along the edges.
The living room looks particularly bad, especially because of the large windows and how the light seems to make these spots even more noticeable.
In winter, we heated only to 15°C (59°F), and we always maintained the humidity around 50%.
We filed another complaint by phone and asked the craftsman to come over.
At first, he insisted that he had done an excellent job and refused to come. The phone conversation between my daughter and him became somewhat tense.
I want to mention that I have known the craftsman and his employees for many years, and they have always done excellent work for me. I could only explain the issue as a material defect, and I told him this as well.
My daughter, the homeowner, wrote to him separately and gave him a deadline of 4 weeks to come and inspect the floor.
A few days later, quite unexpectedly, a representative from Berg&Berg called us and then visited about an hour later (he happened to be nearby).
He inspected the floor and confirmed that the situation was exactly as we described.
At first, he suspected a faulty installation, meaning the edges were knocked in too hard. However, this could not be the case because it was always the opposite edge that was damaged — the edge that the craftsman only pushed against the already installed plank. We knew where the craftsman started, so this possibility was ruled out.
Next, he suspected that the boards had suffered transport damage and that the edges were damaged. Once the edges get damp, they start to splinter more and more.
He agreed with us that after the heating season and every cleaning, more of these spots become visible.
According to the representative, the boards could be repaired step by step. He said this should be a matter between the craftsman and Berg&Berg, and the costs would have to be settled between them.
I am very concerned about how the floor will look in a few years. The floor is a white-oiled oak with some knots.
The repair would only be filler — if it were just 10 or 20 spots on 200 sqm (2,153 sq ft), but in the living room, it really worries me.
Can anyone advise me?
our parquet flooring was installed by the craftsman in summer 2019. In winter, the craftsman cleaned and oiled it again. It is a Berg&Berg parquet, which was factory-oiled, but according to a Berg & Berg representative a few days ago, it still needs to be oiled again after installation.
The craftsman removed glue residues, oiled the floor again, and treated it with a machine (polished).
A few days later, we noticed some spots along the edges (20cm (8 inches) wide planks, wear layer 4.5mm (0.18 inches)) that started to splinter. We immediately reported this in writing, demanding that the craftsman fix these areas.
In May 2020, we moved into the house, and after every cleaning, it got worse — more and more splintering and small holes became visible along the edges.
The living room looks particularly bad, especially because of the large windows and how the light seems to make these spots even more noticeable.
In winter, we heated only to 15°C (59°F), and we always maintained the humidity around 50%.
We filed another complaint by phone and asked the craftsman to come over.
At first, he insisted that he had done an excellent job and refused to come. The phone conversation between my daughter and him became somewhat tense.
I want to mention that I have known the craftsman and his employees for many years, and they have always done excellent work for me. I could only explain the issue as a material defect, and I told him this as well.
My daughter, the homeowner, wrote to him separately and gave him a deadline of 4 weeks to come and inspect the floor.
A few days later, quite unexpectedly, a representative from Berg&Berg called us and then visited about an hour later (he happened to be nearby).
He inspected the floor and confirmed that the situation was exactly as we described.
At first, he suspected a faulty installation, meaning the edges were knocked in too hard. However, this could not be the case because it was always the opposite edge that was damaged — the edge that the craftsman only pushed against the already installed plank. We knew where the craftsman started, so this possibility was ruled out.
Next, he suspected that the boards had suffered transport damage and that the edges were damaged. Once the edges get damp, they start to splinter more and more.
He agreed with us that after the heating season and every cleaning, more of these spots become visible.
According to the representative, the boards could be repaired step by step. He said this should be a matter between the craftsman and Berg&Berg, and the costs would have to be settled between them.
I am very concerned about how the floor will look in a few years. The floor is a white-oiled oak with some knots.
The repair would only be filler — if it were just 10 or 20 spots on 200 sqm (2,153 sq ft), but in the living room, it really worries me.
Can anyone advise me?
Tell me about it. We have many defects in the parquet flooring. We received 400 EUR for uneven installation; one section had to be redone. It’s noticeable.
The paintwork in the hallway is extremely poor. It should be redone. Nothing has been done. Repairing the cracks—nothing has been done.
The unevenly sanded corners comply with the relevant standards (DIN, etc.).
An expert visited. Completely sanding down and repairing the damage is not reasonable, and some imperfections will always be visible.
You will have to deal with this issue of proportionality as well.
The paintwork in the hallway is extremely poor. It should be redone. Nothing has been done. Repairing the cracks—nothing has been done.
The unevenly sanded corners comply with the relevant standards (DIN, etc.).
An expert visited. Completely sanding down and repairing the damage is not reasonable, and some imperfections will always be visible.
You will have to deal with this issue of proportionality as well.
Oh no, my flooring installer called me today. He’s not happy about the statement that it can be repaired and that it’s not a problem.
He says you will always notice it and you won’t be satisfied with it. He knows me too well for that.
However, he doesn’t suspect transport damage but rather a wind crack or a manufacturing defect. Everyone is making guesses… that’s just how life is.
If it were transport damage, the pallet would be damaged, and he or his team would have seen it and wouldn’t have installed it in the first place.
To be honest, I believe him. He’s no fool and knows me well enough to understand that I want quality and am happy to pay for it.
His next concern: When will the repairs stop?
My objection: Wind crack – and of all people, I get it, so surely other customers must have been affected? The representative said he hadn’t seen this before and hadn’t had any complaints.
“Let’s leave it at that,” said my flooring installer – “he won’t tell you everything either…”
We have now agreed that the installer will fix a few spots and then we will see.
However, he says we need a sworn expert to inspect it and hopes to be able to prove the cause of the damage.
If it doesn’t get worse after winter… I would already be satisfied. But who can guarantee that?
Ugh, this really frustrates me. If it had been installed as a floating floor, I’d say just ignore it and push through. You can simply remove it in a few years and install new flooring – but it’s glued down. That’s a lot of effort…
He says you will always notice it and you won’t be satisfied with it. He knows me too well for that.
However, he doesn’t suspect transport damage but rather a wind crack or a manufacturing defect. Everyone is making guesses… that’s just how life is.
If it were transport damage, the pallet would be damaged, and he or his team would have seen it and wouldn’t have installed it in the first place.
To be honest, I believe him. He’s no fool and knows me well enough to understand that I want quality and am happy to pay for it.
His next concern: When will the repairs stop?
My objection: Wind crack – and of all people, I get it, so surely other customers must have been affected? The representative said he hadn’t seen this before and hadn’t had any complaints.
“Let’s leave it at that,” said my flooring installer – “he won’t tell you everything either…”
We have now agreed that the installer will fix a few spots and then we will see.
However, he says we need a sworn expert to inspect it and hopes to be able to prove the cause of the damage.
If it doesn’t get worse after winter… I would already be satisfied. But who can guarantee that?
Ugh, this really frustrates me. If it had been installed as a floating floor, I’d say just ignore it and push through. You can simply remove it in a few years and install new flooring – but it’s glued down. That’s a lot of effort…
haydee schrieb:
Tell me about it. We have many defects in the parquet flooring. We got 400 EUR for uneven installation; one spot had to be redone. It’s noticeable.
The hallway is extremely poorly lacquered. It should be redone. Nothing happened. Cracks were patched, but nothing changed.
The roughly sanded corners comply with the DIN standards, etc.
An expert was there. Completely sanding down, repairing damages, etc., is not proportionate, and some imperfections will always be visible.
You will also have to deal with the issue of proportionality. What good are a few hundred euros to me? I don’t care about the money. I spent it to get something decent...!
Did you sand down everything eventually? But that reduces the floor’s lifespan – you can only sand a parquet floor twice, right?
Although in my old house, the floor was still in great shape after 14 years – my kids want something new in 20 years, though.
P
pagoni20208 Jul 2020 20:45In my opinion, sanding is definitely overrated and is done much less often than people say. If the hardwood floor is not abused, it lasts a long time. Still, I don’t know if your floor would look like new again after sanding; otherwise, that would be an option.
From what I understand, you have a good hardwood floor installer; I would also follow their advice.
From what I understand, you have a good hardwood floor installer; I would also follow their advice.
Sanding could be done more often. We have 8mm (approximately 5/16 inch).
No, we haven’t done anything at all. There are probably other defects, and if we sand it, that will void the warranty.
A surveyor costs money, and we’ve already seen what comes of it.
Right now, we’re not interested in dealing with the hassle. In three years, we’ll have it sanded. The parquet installer who worked at my parents’ house will do it then. They did a clean job, and that floor stayed trouble-free for the next 25 years. A properly done floor lasts a long time.
You always notice replacing individual boards. The floor ends up looking like a patchwork. Everyone agreed on that. I don’t want that parquet team in the house anymore. They didn’t make any mistakes, but should the rework be good? I’m not that optimistic.
No, we haven’t done anything at all. There are probably other defects, and if we sand it, that will void the warranty.
A surveyor costs money, and we’ve already seen what comes of it.
Right now, we’re not interested in dealing with the hassle. In three years, we’ll have it sanded. The parquet installer who worked at my parents’ house will do it then. They did a clean job, and that floor stayed trouble-free for the next 25 years. A properly done floor lasts a long time.
You always notice replacing individual boards. The floor ends up looking like a patchwork. Everyone agreed on that. I don’t want that parquet team in the house anymore. They didn’t make any mistakes, but should the rework be good? I’m not that optimistic.
No, we haven’t done anything at all. There are probably other defects, and if we sand it, that’s the end of the warranty.
Hiring an expert costs money, and we have already seen what comes out of it.
Right now, we don’t feel like dealing with the hassle. In three years, we will have it sanded. Then the flooring specialist who worked at my parents’ house will do it. He did a clean job, and there was peace for the next 25 years. A floor done properly lasts a long time.
You always see the replacement of individual boards. The floor ends up looking like a patchwork. Everyone agreed on that. I don’t want that flooring team in the house anymore. They didn’t make any mistakes, and the rework is supposed to be good? I’m not that optimistic.
Was there an expert at your place or not? I first understood that the expert told you it had to be sanded…..
Now you’re writing about a different flooring specialist in three years.
You know, my specialist has always done excellent work for 20 years. He’s not cheap, but he is good. That can always happen to you.
Only at my daughter’s house did we shout to each contractor: Please come and fix it properly, so it works right….. I could write books about it…..!
If someone told me what went on here, I would never believe it.
Now I am building my own house— it already started with a major problem during the basement excavation. The excavated pit walls along with the neighbor’s garden slid in due to constant rain — and no insurance will pay. There is something called "the fine print."
Or you receive only half of the policy terms, and somewhere it states that these are only excerpts of the conditions…..
Growing old is a challenge, but building a house nowadays feels like suicide.
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