Hello,

I recently had tavern grade red oak installed. However the job was subpar and I need advise on what all is wrong and how they can fix the problem. There are bad gaps the boards to meet level, nails showing, bad chipping and “worm holes”.

Here are some pictures for reference

Thanks in advance for the advice.

*Not sure how to post photos so made them public on Imgur and provided a link.

https://imgur.com/gallery/I0wp5Yx

Tavern grade has the most "character" of any grade of oak flooring. It has many
characteristics that higher grades lack, including knots, insect damage, shakes, and flags. Since final grading is the responsibility of the installer it can take longer to install and finish since extra care and experience is necessary. More filler or putty will be required. It takes longer to install a good floor.
There are areas that putty and another coat of finish can make this a beautiful floor. Usually putty will be applied before the final coat of finish to make the surface have an even shine throughout.

Thank you for the reply. I understand that it might require more putty and fillers needed. However there are areas that are not even by a few mm. I don’t think putty can fix unevenness. Some of the gaps and chips are from the install and I feel they tried to square the planks to the wall instead of using a right angle tool. I might have to countersink some nails they missed but I’m more worried about the “bumpy” “jagged” feeling between the planks. Can this be repaired without ripping out the strips?

You could try pounding down the bumpy jagged area with a rubber mallet to see if there's any play, then top nail. That is unless it's more than a few areas. This looks like a square edge prefinished hardwood. I've been there years ago. Takes an enormous amount of time and waste to make it look good at the install level.