I just had approx. 1000 sq. ft of BR111 3/4" solid braz cherry, 5-1/2" wide installed in upstairs (3 bedrooms, hallway and office). I noticed gapping early on in the installation and pointed it out to the retailer who was checking in on his sub-contractor. Retailer is imo a honorable guy and installer is very knowledgeable and experienced. However, upon noticing initial gapping I informed retailer who said he would advise installer to be more careful. With more floor laid I noticed more gapping and asked installer about it. He advised the floor was very difficult to work with because the milling was not very precise which he thought was unusual for BR111. Retailer then advised me that BR111 has issues with milling because of inferior milling equipment as compared to US and Canadian mills. (This begs the question(s), why did they continue to install it if there were so many poorly milled boards and why didn't he tell me this before selling it.)

The install is now done for the most part and I am not happy with the results. Don't get me wrong, the flooring itself is beautiful but the gapping issue is giving me an ulcer. The floor appears to have more butt joint gaps and side joint gaps then should be expected. BR-111 says there should be no more than 5% defect rate.

I started to place standard business cards in the gaps to put into perspective just how many gaps there were and was able to insert at least 30 business cards in a 120 sq. ft. room. (I can provide pictures if you don't believe me.) This was typical of all the rooms. The business cards are sitting on the tongues of the boards, not on top of the bevels. The cards are less than 1/64" thick however they are not being shoved in the gaps either but fit rather easily.

I have no experience with hardwood floors other than the engineered glue down square edge (Lauzon Braz cherry) I have downstairs which obviously has absolutely no gaps. I am also assuming there is no issue with shrinking as the gaps were present immediately on installation.

Am I being overly critical in analyzing the gap situation? (I have inserted at least 50 business cards in less than 1/4 of the floor but got frustrated and stopped) The retailer and installer have told me they intend to putty any gaps but at some point I ask myself what have I paid for if they have to putty so much.

Has anyone had experienced consistent milling issues with BR111, 3/4" solid in particular?

Has anyone else heard that BR111 uses inferior milling equipment? I have searched the internet and not found any complaints about BR-111's milling and BR-111 claims they only use state of the art equipment. Should the installer just have stopped early on and returned the product?

Should I demand a showdown (for lack of a better term) between the retailer/installer and BR-111 to have them come to a consensus on whether this is an installation issue or a milling issue? Will BR-111 tell us to pound sand because the retailer and installer should have stopped installing it if there were so many issues?

On a final note: I reviewed the specs for the product and it indicated that their 3/4" needs to be nail down only but their 5/16" and 7/16" solid can be either staple or nail down. I believe the installer used 2" staples on my floor instead of nail down. Can that have any bearing on my issue? What other issues may arise from using staples instead of nails?

Thanks for your help. Any credible advice is appreciated.

Using 2" staples is just fine. If you choose not to accept the completed job, then you will need an independent assessment and inspection from a certified hardwood flooring inspector. You will have to pay that fee up front but can request that it be reimbursed IF the inspection shows that the flooring or the installation was substandard. Your call at this point. BR-111 would probably hire an inspector who MAY not be totally independent in their opinion. A few gaps here and there are acceptable to be filled. However, it sounds as if there are more than that. Since I cannot see it from here, I cannot comment on the condition of the floor or the quality of the installation. That is why you must have an independent inspection.

The Br-111 Tiete Chestnut that I installed was great and I thought the milling was fine. No gaps at all. Very tight fight. Mine was engineered so maybe this was difference?

The job should have been stopped immediately. In my experience BR111 is very responsive to product problems, but in every box of flooring installation spec literature is stated they cannot be held responsible for defective product installed. This is true of all manufacturers.

http://www.br111.com/pdf/34Solid_Install.pdf

ken is 100% right , never should of gone this far with out contacting the right people ,

Although bad milling is possible, I don't think that is the case here. That solid wood and that width are prone to have bows in planks. When I run into a bowed board I make sure to get the butt joint seated flush and tight first... the other end can pointing anywhere it wants. I will put two fasteners there at the flushed butt joint before I start to pull the bow in-wards with more fasteners.

To check this out you can put a speed square on both ends of a "gapped" butt joint... if they are both square then the bow was not addressed correctly.

Another cause for gaps is short boards. For some reason on a wide plank floor they can be slightly narrower in width causing the next crossover board to show a gap. That happens frequently too, and why I try not to use shorts out in the field.

I agree... this job should have been stopped to figure out whats happening.

30 gaps?

I don't think this installation has a serious problem. Are they gaps or beveled edges looking like gaps?
Is the installation perfect or acceptable?
Gaps are acceptable.. fill the gaps with matching filler...........

We're talking WOOD here !! Natural product..

Are the gaps visible from a standing position or did you have to get on your hands and knees to find them?