I just had white oak laid last week. They have not sanded or finished but all the boards are nailed down tongue and groove. The install was about 1000sf. There are gaps on the sides and edges. There are about 17 gaps that fit a credit card. There are 11 gaps that fit a dime or larger. Some fit a quarter and a penny.

I do not personally think filling these gaps with filler, to this extent, is acceptable, but I am not an expert. I am however pretty handy and feel I could have laid these boards with more precision than the "experts".

Is this acceptable? Should I allow the filling and finishing or demand new flooring?

Thanks!

These are some pics that show the gaps.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9k8wVSMznDbOGFQYXpjRkxNelk&usp=sharing

Several of those pieces look liked they cracked during the installation process. The gaps are from wood splits (vs. wood gaps), so I would see if they can do some repair work in those areas.

I'd be less concerned about where the wood has changed direction since you will have some expansion in those areas.

It's good that they still have a chance to fix this before sanding, IMO.

Debbie Gartner, aka The Flooring Girl
http://TheFlooringGirl.com
Westchester County NY

It's a little sloppy but not the end of the world. It might be from the milling of the floor sometimes you just cant beat it together. All of it looks like its fillable. The problem is if they did this on a standard install id be willing to bet the repair would look worse than the problem.

Oh, that transition or header board. I hate seeing that. Some guys just will not take the time to make a nice looking gap free appearance. Even if it means a few walks back to the chop saw and shaving a half degree from the ends to make the board tight fit against the header. I also see a staple that was cut off instead of the board being yanked.

Yep. Kevin is right on. It would probably be worse to fix.

Thank you Kevin, Debbie and Ken for the quick replies! I'm meeting the owner of the company this morning (some of his apprentices did the install). Is a 1/8" gap too large for filler?

What is the proper fix for the larger gaps?

If, as suggested above, the installer had difficulty bringing the boards together he should have stopped and discussed with the mfg. As installation is acceptance as far as the mfg is concerned.