Ok guys, are you surprised I am here in the 'Problems' area? I guess I'm not. And I am guessing that you all probably knew I would be here. As some of you know, the builder poured the slab very poorly. They came and and grinded down the high spots and then my flooring company came in and floated the low spots. Charged us $2,000 for approx. 1,400 sq feet. The builder agrred to pay a little over 1/2 since they knew the slab was not done correctly to begin with.

A little more info: Brand new home, was built several months ago. We did MVP for added protection. This was BR111 Santos Mahogany Triangulo glue down on slab. 1,400 sq. feet.

We just moved in and the floors were done this past week. I have already found 8 areras that when you walk on it, it sinks in and has a squishy feeling. It also sounds hollow when I tap on it. There are boxes and furniture everywhere, so I have no idea if there are problems under those areas.

The majority of these areas are along the walls. Just a few in the middle of the room..........but again, there could be more areas once we get settled more and move the boxes and furniture.


I am literally just sick and so stressed. The total was $22,300 ( including MVP, floating the low spots and to lay diagonal). We have not paid the hardwood installer yet. I was going to do that today, but I don't know what to do. I have a call put out to the flooring company which is a small business owned.

What needs to be done here?

Write down your concerns. Then put a call into the business owner and tell him you need him to come address your concerns and that you cannot make a final payment until he comes out and has a look. When he/she arrives, CALMLY go over your list of concerns and ask the owner to make the repairs. Do not make the final payment until all the problems have been addressed and are repaired to your satisfaction.

Thanks Gary.

I forgot to add that when I look at the bottom of the baseboards where it meets with the wood, some areas have a small gap but other areas are tight with no gaps. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.

Gaps at the bottom of the base indicates out of flatness in the slab;;;;;;;

Gary gave perfect advice, in my opinion.

Hollow sound may, or may not, be significant... Small areas of hollow sounds with tap-testing is not serious.

MOVEMENT up and down is Serious PROBLEM. No Movement allowed!! Movement with foot pressure is a BIG NO - NO.

Like Gary suggests::::::::::; don't pay 'em.

Never know. It could also be some installers using other glue manufacturers specs that say not to walk on flooring just laid. They could have just dropped them in without checking to see if there is any adhesive transfer from the board, glue, and slab. Same situation near wall lines. I've felt a few squishy ones in my time.

Thanks Ray & Ken!!

Ken,
They used Bostiks glue.

Ray,
I had a really bad feeling about the movement of the planks. I knew it wasn't a good thing. I had a strong feeling that there would be problems after learning how bad the slab was. Although I never expected the flatness to be 100% after the grinding and floating, I didn't expect to find this many problem areas..........not sure if the guys who we paid $2k to float the floors did a bad job or if the hardwood installer shouldn't have installed the wood knowing the floors weren't flat. There was a strict time limit, everything was delayed 2-3 days due to all the grinding the builders had to do and the hardwood installer knew we had a move in date, so he & another guy got our floors ( 1,400 sq. feet) done in 5 days. The 1st day was the MVP.

Honestly, I am sorry we bought this damn house. Poor builder in my opinion. Not only was the concrete poured badly, but the stupid thermostat is switched. It's a dual air conditioner, so the downstairs controls the upstairs and the upstairs controls the downstairs. Jeez. No phone calls back to us from Customer Service in 2 days to get it fixed. And a few minor problems. But I guess these issues don't even touch the hardwood problems! Sorry for the vent!


We went there in person today to talk to them. He was not surprised when I told him and said that they would come in and inject with something called Dri Tac. He said that they actually had to do 2 spots during installation. But he was not happy when I told him that I would pay after they fixed it. He wanted me to pay the full amount, minus $1,000 and then pay that the day of. I then told him I will pay half, he kindof got upset. But his wife smoothed it over and said it was ok.

So as far as this injection Dri Tac thing, is this the proper way to repair these problems? They shouldn't be replacing the planks?

Here is Link to that system:

http://www.dritac.com/Product/Instructi ... ctions.htm

Read before you agree...
It says:
Do not use DriTac Wood Floor Repair System to repair solid wood flooring.

Thanks Ray!

But Engineered are ok, right?

All is fine for engineered wood.
Just go to the link and read how it is used and specified.
That way you'll feel more comfortable.

Enjoy the new home. It is a real pain in the neck to build a home, but once all the fixes are completed and you are in the home;;; you'll soon forget the bad experiences.

Ray, Dri-Tac has two repair kits now. The original, and one for solid wood flooring.

And that will probably give you inspectors more work because the price is higher. I can just hear it now...

"Why should we pay an extra $100.00. It's just a repair kit"



http://www.floorcareshop.com/flooring-s ... roduct=233

Hi Dana,
I have had a similar problem with my floor. Within the first couple of weeks I located two large squishy portions where you could actually hear the wood popping. Fortunately they fixed them with one of those injection kits. Now several months after the job is done, two more spots have developed and (surprise surprise) now that they have been paid, the contractor is not as eager to repair these problems (the guy who laid the wood was one of his sub-contractors). I know it will be a hassle to move all of those boxes and furniture but now is the time BEFORE YOU PAY THEM. Check every bit of the floor. After they make their repairs make sure there is an understanding in writing, as to what their responsibilities are if more of these spots develop months from now. In my case, if they will not make the repairs then my husband is going to familiarize himself with how to work that injection kit. If it seems to difficult then I suppose we will have to hire someone to do it. I'm prepared for the worst though, our slab was not prepped properly and this is what happens. I learned my lesson about hiring one contractor and then using all of their subs...its a roll of the dice whether you end up with a sub who is good, bad or mediocre. Best of luck to you!

Hi Ken,
I am confused.............surely I don't have to pay for these repairs?? You meant them, right?


Well guys, we marked the family room & pantry last night.......10 areas with 3 of them HUGE. The big ones and a few others are near the walls. Just a few small ones in the center. This doesn't include the office/den room, dining, living, hallway and entry areas. Just unbelievable.

FleaJosh,
I am so sorry you are dealing with this too. It really sucks. I really did my research in finding a good reputable company and felt my decision was a good one. The guy who laid my hardwood only does wood and nothing else. He has about 11 years experience, not a lot, but not a newbie. ........maybe I made the wrong choice in choosing this company.........I feel like it's a chain reaction.........the builder poured the concrete bad, the contractor who floated the floors didn't do that good of a job and then my hardwood installer did the job anyways. I am pretty much pissed off at all of them. Not sure where to point the blame, but I feel like it all came down to the hardwood installer. He installed the floors and if the areas were'nt to the right specifications, then he shouldn't have done them.

Good luck to you too! I hope everything goes well and no more spots come up.

I was referring to the average DIY'er or newbies in the flooring business that are concerned with one thing only..price The repair kit for solid flooring will probably cause problems in my opinion, thus creating more business for the flooring inspectors.

IE- Wrong repair kit used. The one for engineered flooring will cause cupping if used for solid and bamboo floor repairs.

Oh ok, got it.

I actually thought about getting a flooring inspector. I am really tired of dealing with all this crap and I want it repaired right the first time...................I am afraid that other problems are going to come up in the future, especially within the year.



Anyone know what the average cost is to hire a flooring inspector in San Diego, Ca.??