Hello.

This is my first post. I have a question/concern regarding the recent installation of hardwood floor in our home office. I'd like to post a picture so you can see what I'm going to try and describe, but I can't seem to figure how to do it!

White oak was installed, with an inlay feature strip border, 5'x8' using double 3/4" Brazillian cherry and maple in the center. The concern is the finish is pulling away where the oak and cherry meet. Also, there are noticeable gaps between the boards where it was filled, as well as boards that are not flush to one another (so you can feel an edge).

My question is, what would cause the finish to pull away? Are the noticeable gaps to be expected?? We had oak floor installed (different installer then) in our kitchen, front entry, and hallway in 2003 that looks as good now as it did when it was installed. That's why I come to question the quality of this installation.

I'm very grateful for any input you can share (as well as coach me on how to post the photo of the floor).

Sincerely,
Denice

Pictures are worth a thousand guesses. Try setting up a flickr or Picasa account, something like that and link it. The picture thing ( gallery instructions) here threw me off more than once as well.

was it a waterbased finish?...sound like a bind issue with the cherry..which can happen..the result may be due to expansion/contraction..

as for the gaps..things happen,but the nature, and how much is relative..a little filler may be needed to fix and imperfect board, chip, slight gap or crown..but if thee cuts made look like someone chewed them instead of a precise cut..that may be another issue.

why didn't you use the same installer as the first time around?9 not that its relative, but curious)

Was the floor stained? Whats the flooring contractor telling you? If its recent work and the finish is pealing there is something going on. On the filler, its a necessary evil in the trade, standards say its normal and acceptable, id say that some is normal, a ton is not. The floor should be flat and smooth, if you have edges sticking up sounds like they didnt spline the boards when they had to make cuts in the field of the floor. Is it the mitered corners that are not matching up perfectly?