Hello people,

I had a new hardwood floor put in maybe 2 months ago. Everything seemed fine in the beginning. Job appeared fairly professional.

Then as time passed and I dry mopped the floor. I'd notice these hairline cracks right at the corner of a plank. It looks as if the nail was pushing up. Due to being installed with too much PSI from the nail gun? Guess. I mean with the pressure needed to hammer in the nails and the floor adjusting to the temperature changes (e.g. hot day, then later day with a/c). Though it's been only 2 months and I've found 5 cracks. Look like scratches. And you can't spot them unless you had been dry mopping. But I figure those fractures will only get worse. And that in time the top layer will break off. Leaving a chipped sliver in my new floor.

What is causing this? How would this usually be fixed?

The flooring material and the job is under warranty of course but I'd still like to know.

Then there are the loud POP sounds. I know it's from the floor. Doesn't happen a lot. Once every several days? I don't keep track. Sounds like some one dropped something on the floor. Like a small marble. Is that the floor "protesting"?

I'm just a consumer and have no experience installing hardwood flooring but I can't help shake the feeling that the installers set their nail gun with too high a PSI. Again that's just a guess.

Sounds huantingly similar to a recent post. Name of species and construction of product?

Was it acclimated properly? Moisture readings taken first?



Are you keeping a consistent interior climate?

The hardwood is ash. The brand is Vintage. My model is called "Carriage House Ash". Unique name. Solid prefinished hardwood.

I don't think it's the temperature. If I had it hot one day. 25-26C inside. Then the next day dropped the inside temperture to 19C using the a/c. Then the next day had 25C. Then the next day 19C. Over and over for weeks. Then maybe....this might cause the floor to react the way it has. I'm still thinking the installers used too much PSI in their nail gun. And as the floor was acclimatizing to the temperature of my home, combined with my walking on the floor this might have made it buckle at spots. As the crackling of the new floor began disappearing.

Plus, I always have the fan ON. So the indoor temperature is usually just a degree higher than what I had set the thermostat at when using the a/c (e.g. set to 22C...when fan is on might rise to 23-23.5C..if very hot outside and window blinds are up..might rise to 24C). Keeping the temperature fairly constant. Plus the a/c would slowly bring the temperature down. So that really shouldn't have any affect.

Hope this helps. And since I'm pretty sure I'm no the only one that's had the edge of plants crack. With the nails pushing upward...can you tell me how were the floors fixed? I really hope they won't have to rip out the hardwood and redo. Just to get rid of slivers you can't see unless you're dry mopping.

This is a new home. Just moved in most of my belongings from the storage locker last week. Hate to have to move them back out. Or to other rooms. And have a dust covered new home again.

If the cracks are on the groove edge of the board, then perhaps it COULD be from the nail, if not seated correctly applying upward force to the board. If on the tongue edge then it is most likely created by improperly seated nail gun during installation.
In either case, these should not continue to manifest themselves. Have the installer replace the affected boards (properly, of course) and get on with enjoying your new home.

As an aside, my service department replaces this type of damage on a daily basis, for the very reason you mention. During installation, when an installer gets into a "groove" so to speak, he may inadvertently damage a couple edges that arent noticeable until the floors are completely cleaned to live-in state.

If there are only a couple of them within say, a 1000 foot install, we tend to over-look them. If there are an inordinant amount, ever hear of the term "back-charge"?

In your case, if you were dealing directly with the flooring contractor instead of through your builder, just point them out and he should replace them. In our case, these cracked boards are usually found during the PDI and we change them before the home-owner moves in.

This seems to be an aspect of modern installation, i.e. pre-finished floors, inadequate training of installers, and a general "dont give a damn" attitude of too many people.

Hello Dennis,

The cracks are I think on the tongue side. As I think I can see a little "tongue".

You said if it's just a few you would overlook this (can I ask what you do for a living? Are you a flooring installer for a builder?)? Are you telling me it won't get worse ("...should notcontinue to manifest itself")? If so, then this would just be a personal decision. Whether or not I can live with these blemishes. Which as I said you can't spot unless you're dry mopping the floor or cleaning it with the manufacturer's cleaning solution (I bought Vintage brand hardwood...they sell their brand of a cleaning kit...mop + cleaning solution).

How involved is replacing the affected planks? Can it be done without removing a 10 foot by 10 foot area? Or can they just remove a few of the surrounding planks?

The installer is an outside flooring company. Used on many Mike Holmes shows. I know I didn't get their "A-team". Got two young guys. But I assumed because they work for this company they would have some talent.

When I say "I would overlook them" I mean, I would not back charge the installer. If there are more than a couple on an individual install, then I bill back the service cost to my installer, since it would then indicate a sloppy job or attitude. In your case, as the home-owner, you should not be over-looking these damaged boards.
I was an installer for 35 years before retiring from the field about 15 years ago and took the position of "technical advisor" and manager of the same company I installed for.
My experience does not allow for any of our installers to "hoodwink" the office staff here. I am responsible for 18 installation crews and three sanding crews. BUT. I am fair with all, and realize that human error can be forgiven if the errors do not repeat themselves on a daily basis. If a new crew cannot conform to my installation procedures after a fair testing period, they are quickly looking for work elsewhere.
I establish all procedures for this company, and they are not necessarily totally based on our industry standards, but on my own standards. (extremely precise). The owner of the company allows me to "think outside the box" and since we do everything from low end tract housing to individual high end custom jobs, I sometimes have to be very creative.
By the way, I love hardwood flooring and take a great deal of pride in my job, and the work of the men under me.

As to your question, the type of fractures you are describing are generally caused at time of installation and should not continue to manifest themselves as time goes by. However there may be couple you havent discovered yet that may rear their head(s) during future cleaning processes.
Individual boards can be replaced without affecting the surrounding boards, but make sure the floor is not under tension from elevated humidity during the replacement. I have seen the space where a board is removed close up as much as an 1/8th of an inch during the brief period from board removal to the insertion of the new board, when done at the wrong time.
As an aside, the Vintage product you chose is an extremely high quality product, and we install at least one floor using Vintage every day.

Ok thanks Dennis. That is reassuring to know that the individual boards can be replaced. And not require a huge section of the floor to be removed at the same time.

The owner of the hardwood company will be dropping by next week to "take a look". Will see where we go from there.

And as you said...I might later find more of these "fractures" as I do more cleaning. Hopefully not though. Which is why I asked the owner if I shouldn't wait a little longer before having my 5 spots serviced. Fixed. But I think he warranties his work for at least a year if not more. The Vintage hardwood I believe is 10 years.

Do you do any work in your free time now that you're "retired"? Please PM me.

"free time"? "retired"? lol