Hello I recently ordered white oak harwood. Unbenounced to me this floor appears to have been manufactured in china. The top portion finish is so thin that I am a little shocked. Also the part of the floor that does not have the top coat has a lot of splinters holes and irregularoties and does not seem 'hearty' and looks terribly dry. I am pretty sure the quality is bad, but I need to be certain that these characteristics are indiccative of poor quality wood. Also the floor does not have a that strong hearty sound when tapped on (like some other flooring smaples I have looked at) and I have taken 14 out of the box and 3 have chips in the top finish and 2 don't fit together properly out of the 14 pieces. Please help me and let me know if I am making too much of this or if I should go for a more expensive product like Robbins etc.?
Any help wuld be appreciated, ie-what to look for in a good quality wood, as I am thinking that not all white oak is the same.
Consumer 123
Please respnd soon as my flooring guy is coming by tomorrow in the Pm.

Other than the fitment of the 2 pieces you described were difficult, it is hard to discern whether this product is inferior.

I am always a bit concerned if clients are looking to spend less than $6/sf. Not knowing what you spent. I thought I would give this generalization I look to steer my clients and friends toward the comfort of budgeting for spending at least this amount. I have found this level of spending on material will accommodate many more options of "quality" material.

If you spent less than this level it does not mean that your product is inferior. However, it would be my first signal of concern.

Hello. thank-you for your reply. What I am most concerned with is the fact that there are a lot of splinters on the wood, meaning that the sides, the milling work etc. is not smooth. Also there are indentations/large holes in some of the locking grooves.
There is one board of the 14 that is also clearly a different size in width than the other boards.
I have spent more than $6.00 Canadian a square foot and in comparison to a $5.49 sample this product looks inferior to me. I am assuming with the exchange difference then you might say I have actually spent less than 6.00 a square foot.
If you could tell me what characteristics one should look for in a good quality white oak that would be greatly appreciated,
thanks, consumer 123.

I am assuming a bit from reading your posts. It seems you might have an engineered prefinished product. I look for this type of material to have a top layer of material of approx 3/16". This is equivalent to a 3/4" solid product.

You expressed concern that the locking portion of some of the material is not sound, or had splinters and holes. If this is an engineered product, the middle layers will be constructed out of a differing species for cost savings and will use a more stable species of wood for added strength. Concerns over this portion of any material "not being sound" might be a little reactionary.

"Sounding" a board to determine its heartiness, would be a skill I have acquired. If this is a floating floor installation you will most likely always feel that any floor you float will not sound as you wish. I would recommend glueing the floor to give you the solid "feel" you desire. If you are glueing or nailing this floor I would be surprised that after the installation (done properly) you would be left wishing it were more sound.

Any quality material will be determined on:

1. Quality of Finish - durability and appearance.

2. Quality of milling - do the boards fit easily, and tight

3. Species of the flooring

4. Grading of the wood - #1, #2. select & Better. sizes and number of knot holes and other imperfections.


This would be the order I would value my assessment of any wood flooring.

You are best off addressing your concern to the installer who is coming tomorrow. Neither you or him will desire you to be dissatisfied after the work is done. He should be able to help you decide what the correct action for you to take.

Hi, there. No the product I am using is a solid. It was supposed to be 3 1/4 thick but this wood's profile is a little thinner than that. The species is white oak...
Its finished to a dark brown (top layer, which is only 3mm) and when scratched the finish turns white.
I will be requiring a refinish I asssume before I sell the house at some point and am worried the wood won't be able to take it based on the quality I see underneath the finish.
The flooring guy told me that he doesn't use cheap stuff from China, but...???
The floor is going upstairs and will be taking some heavy wear and tear. I have a very very large wild dog, and I have an excercise facility upstairs as well.
I am sure that I have skills enough to tell hearty sounding wood from something that does not sound too great, as I have always been around contractors and building projects since very young.
My floor downstairs has fallen apart within one year of use, I just can't have that upstairs too. (I did not pick the floor downstairs it came with the house).
When I say holes I mean large holes from the tree within the locking mechanism. The actual grade of the wood is not specified, but I am thinking that they are using the handscraped idea to disguise that they are using a very low grade of wood. Thank-you for your list of what to look for, it has been helpful.
Any more thoughts given the new info are welcomed. Peace.

By the sounds of it I would go with your gut instinct about this product If you have been around contractors and projects for years you must have a good understanding of a quality product.

I know here in Ontario of quality solid 3/4 inch products that are select or better for $6.00 a sq ft. (or under). Where in Canada are you?

Keith

What is the brand name of the product you are considering?

Hello all. Thanks for responding. Well the product that I ordered that I am uncomfortable with is a Laurentian Hardwood product Legacy collection at 6.49 per square foot, handscraped very dark brown West of the GTA, Ontario. After looking again at wood again today I am pretty convinced that the finish and solid profile of Robbins Gatsby collection would serve well for my needs and the dogs. The finish on the product when scratched does not have this lingering luminescent effect so common to today's hardwoods, and its heavily distressed and has a very thick solid profile. Its just a real headache b/c the Robbins stuff is on back order, and I already have the laurentian. What are your thoughts on these two??? I agree with the gut instinct thing, I have a very very strong one, that I am trying to ignore to save face for myself and the flooring people, plus the look of the Laurentian is perfect for what decor scheme I am after but...very worried that it will look terrible in about a year, that or be obsessed about every move the dogs make.
I was shown Mirage today as well, any thoughts on their product line ??? Seems very well milled...

Im just north of the GTA

Never liked installing Laurentian products. More bad experiences then good ones. Mirage is one of the best products in our area along with Wickham and columbia (Both solids though) Wickham actual has a contact with mirage to get their equipment when mirage upgrades.

Shaw has some very nice handscraped engineered but are getting expensive because of the US dollar.

I have always liked Vintages engineered material but not their solids (poor milling).

I can get some other names of flooring brands I like to install if you are interested, just can not remember them all at the moment.

Keith

Sounds like you need to make an informed decision, TODAY. After tomorrow, when your installer sticks nails in these boards, you are gonna own them.
As an opinion only, since I cannot see the perceived defects you are describing, I would be hesitant to have the floor installed. Mirage makes no white oak products, or hand-scraped so you wont get the look you want from their inventory list.
Vintage is another fine product and the DO have white oak handscraped, in a variety of colours. Their "solid-sawn" line is very stable, and finely milled.
You have many top notch American products to choose from as well.
Is your installer also your supplier? If not he should be able to evaluate and give you an unbiased opinion of the floor you selected. If he did supply the product, it would be fair of you to advise him of your expectations prior to installation.

Hi everyone thanks for all your feedback. Well after doing more research and listening to everyone's responses I decided to give the product back (ouch), as sad as it was to see it go, b/c it was rather attractive.
I am pretty sure I want to go with the Robbins product, but I noticed that nobody said anything about it. Anyone want to give their two cents about it before I order it and seal the deal??? (the alternative would be the mirage red oak, though am I naive to think that white oak would be more stable under humidity or is this just wishful thinking?)
Also the two people that answered that are North of the GTA, are you guys installers or are do you have a store, or both ??? I may know someone who might be looking in your area for hardwood within the next year (not for sure though) but let me know.
TGI (almost) F,
consumer 123.

The Robbins products are not in wide use in the GTA. so cannot really comment on their quality; although we have laid a few Robbins floors over the years with no problems.
As far as your question about location, we are located in Richmond hIll, just north of the GTA but dont know if this forum is designed for advertising (I suspect not)
Our company is primarily focussed on pre-finished floors these days (18 installation crews) but we do maintain enough custom work to keep our 3 remaining sanding crews busy. They work in my department in the "high-end" type of jobs. Patterned floors, re-sanding of heritage houses, and insurance, etc.
If the moderator advises that it is all right to post company names and numbers, I will post that to you.

Advertising would not have been allowed with in the forum.

Keith
Site admin

Glad I asked first then, instead of shooting myself in the foot, lol.

Oops, sorry...Well thank-you so much for your replies, will post again once I go forward with the new install next year.
Consumer 123.