I am in serious need of help.

We hired a contractor to lay 3/4-inch solid Teak Acacia hardwood across our entire first floor (~ 1250 square feet). After ~ 600 square feet, I realized he didn't know what he was doing & fired him...but not before he screwed everything up.

In addition to not allowing room for expansion of the floor, he did not chalk a 'control line' to help meet-up the hardwood on the other side of our centralized powder room. In other words, there are 2 thresholds that are separated by a powder room & he ran the hardwood indiscriminately through the first threshold without thinking about the fact that the hardwood would have to meet-up again on the other side of the powder room.

I laid down pieces today to see what I'm up against...it appears that they are at least a whole inch apart. What options do I have to fix this?? See the pics below for a visual of what I'm up against...

look slike he planned on making a rip there..which isn't ideal..

would beed toi see where the power room board you show extends to and how it finishes to advise.

is ti possible to remove that course? where does it end.?

Are you sure your row coming around is straight? Looks like a floating floor is so you should be able to tweak it a little.

I don't think he "planned" on much of anything, to be honest...

I could remove that course with a Dremel tool, but I don't think I could compensate for that ~ inch in doing so.

Here are some photos that might help you visualize what's on the other side of the original photos:

Bottom view from last board into the adjacent room (on other side of powder room):



Top view from last board into adjacent room:



View from 'other' side of powder room--problem area is on the right:

Thanks for the reply, Jeff...

The single board that is coming across is not nailed down--I laid one down to get a 'visual' for what I'm dealing with...so, it's possible that it's not entirely straight, but the rest of it is already nailed down (by the contractor).

It's not a floating floor, though...which complicates matters.

without ripping it up and starting it over the only thing to do is make a rip and fit the board to fit.

you can make this less noticeable by taking of an equal measure on 4 boards 1/4" each then staggering them in so they aren't all together or you can takwe 1/8 of 8 courses..

assuming you're skills may be limited I wont advise to try and regroove them as it requires a router and special bit.. but that would be ideal..if you cut down the groove side you can rout out a new one..if you take 1/8 off 8 courses it may be possible the groove wont be effected enough to matter and the boards may still fit together properly at the tong and groove.

you will need a table saw to do this..you can rent one if needed.

you may want to put some glue under this area if you cut of less courses and do nothing about the tong and groove.

hope this helps.

I observed the pics closer and I see it still needs to extend into a closet and into another room through the archway there .

so I would advise you to continue the floor as is through this areas..once you pass both the archway and closet doorway it appear you will have 4-5 course until you join the floor up to the other side where the problem occurs.

so these last course you can rip down and equal increment to compensate for the 1"...keep it simple and do 4 courses 1/4" and glue them down.


no one will be able to see it.

im trying to figure out why the floor is so far off..he would have to had cut a board down or been completely out of square to do this..otherwise full size boards installed strait should have covered the same distance within 1/8"

the floor does at least appear strait so it baffles me.. looks like what I suggested is the remedy.

If you look at it from the area where the floor is already down, everything appears to be straight...so I'm guessing the house/rooms are out-of-square because I can't think of what else would have caused the problem, particularly since it's such a drastic difference.

I appreciate all of the replies thus far & will likely try to take ~ 1/4-inch off of four adjacent boards to accommodate this problem, unless somebody else chimes in with an easier solution.

That's the way to go if you want it to be less apparent.
Otherwise just rip the last course to fit.

If you want to find out what went off pick a reference from the far side. Where the installation started a dream measure to the point of problem course and see if its the same measure. I would first measure from wall out 4ft then from that point out. Use a full hoard width in both measurement

With the handscraing it will be hard to cut it down and hide it. I am familiar with that wood you would need to hand sand the edges as well to get them to match. The table saw will leave a square edge and that wood has a rounded over corner. You will need to knock that down with a sanding block.
The easiest way would be to go back to the store and buy a T-molding and put it in the hallway. They make them out of the wood and they match. I know it isn't ideal but if you don't have the tools and experience to fix it then that might be an option you need to consider.

That is not a big obstacle to go around I wouldn't have used control lines for that either. If the boards are nailed in and all the seams are tight there is no way it could be off that much. I would dry lay everything out including three rows that come around and if all is tight I think you will find it lines up much closer.

Something is strange to get that far off in a 5ft run is hard to do. I would rip and fit 3 or 4 rows 20 times before I slapped a t-mold in there.