I am a homeowner, recently purchasing a home in Nov 2013. I researched wood floors and decided to hire a contractor for the job. He used three coasts of Glitza on Peruvian Olive wood. I was careful in checking the reputation of the company, ensuring they were licensed, bonded and reputable.

When I inspected the finish, I noticed several issues:
- Dish-out from drum sander (in a very prominent location)
- Holes throughout the floor either not filled or the vacuuming process pulled the filler out prior to finishing.
- Cupped holes that had been filled, but are cup shaped.
- Repaired holes that had been re-filled, but the finish of the filled hole is flat, causing these filled holes to stand out.
- Dents in stair treads next to unfilled nail holes. These dents are from the nail gun.
- Dents in the stairs not next to nail holes.
- Heavy finish marks (looks like brush strokes) on the stair risers and treads.
- Dents in the floor at various locations.
- Tread on one step has “tear-out” condition on one side. The saw blade did not make a clean cut, causing a very unsightly edge that is splintered with wood being torn away.
- Picture framing, uneven sheen.
- Chatter marks from sanding.
- Large circular circles from disc sander.
- Cratering varying in size from 1/2 inch to 2 inches.
- Pooling of finish at walls and other areas creating lines and uneven finish.
- Hair, brush bristles and other debris in finish.
- Finish does not fill the grain of the wood.

Because all of the furniture was removed from the house and the lighting was inadequate, I used a flashlight to do my inspection. I marked all of the issues with post-it notes and met with the owner of the company. He stated that to inspect with a flashlight was unreasonable, and that most of the flaws were difficult to see without the light. He told me my expectations were too high, that it was a floor not a piece of furniture.

I compromised on the hair/debris issues, as he said they would disappear once the floor was walked on. He also said the pooling was not noticeable, as it was mostly along walls and not too noticeable without a flashlight.

I have now been out of my house three weeks because there are unresolved defects in all rooms. I would like to know what issues the members of this board think are reasonable, and where I might be too critical.

Thank you all in advance for helping me wrap my head around the issues I have identified.

All your concerns are legit.

a well performed job shouldn't have so many noticeable defects.

The proper way to view a floor job is eye level viewing in normal lighting.

However: if you are using a flashlight, magnifying glass and crawling on your hands and knees, you may be over doing it.

even then a well performed professional job would pass even that test.