I just received a bid from an installer in my area, and I'm wondering if the language he has in an "addendum to Estimate" is standard. It says "they will not be responsible for cupping, curling, cracks or insect infestation."

I would think that the installer would be responsible for that, assuming the wood is good and has been aclimated. Isn't that partly what I'm paying for?

Randy

Cupping can be your fault, just depends how long after the installation this happens. Within a month, it is installation.

Same with curling. what ever that is. I'm assuming it means buckling/heaving.

cracks can be your fault too, or manufacturing, so it won't be on the installer, unless they are installed with visible cracks to begin with.


How can insects be installation related???

Hardwoods are kiln dried and that is assumed to kill all the larvie of powder post beetles, which lay eggs in oaks primarily. However, on a few RARE occassions, the larvie will not be killed and burrow out a hole in the wood. It is rarely a problem and usually is only a board or two which can be easily replaced. Other insects are more of a problem and may infest a floor after installation. That may include termites, carpenter ants and carpenter bees. The bees rarely pose problems in floors and usually are in walls. The ants you would see. So insect infestation is rarely a problem. Cupping and buckling are moisture related. If the crawl space is damp and the subfloors are at an elevated moisture content, the installer should not lay the floors until those conditions are corrected. Cracks in boards can be installer error if they install cracked boards. Boards do not crack unless they are subjected to extremely dry conditions. As a contractor myself who supplies wood flooring to my customers, I do not list those exclusions because if a job is installed properly and the purchaser is well educated on proper floor care, those things do not crop up UNLESS there is a leak in the plumbing. Then it becomes a homeowners insurance claim.

I'm not concerned about insects - should have left that out...

Could you help me understand how cupping and curling could be my fault? I'm really trying to understand... I'll be buying Kahr's Castle & Cottage Oak Pineau which has 5-stars for installation, and I'll be following the installer's suggestion of acclimating the wood for 1-week inside (I live in Sonoma CA), and the installer will decide if the subfloor is in good enough condition. I could see if he told me the subfloor was marginal and I said to install as is, but I'm relying on the installer's expertize - otherwise I'd install it myself.

So, do most installers have this type of clause, or do they limit how long after install they will stand behind it?

Randy

California state law requires a one year warranty but only related to installation or product defects. Accidents, misuse or abuse are not covered. An example of a non-covered problem would be a plumbing leak/burst pipe where the flooring got flooded. This could cause some warping and delamination of the flooring. Neither the installer or the manufacturer would be responsible. The installer is responsible for determing if the conditions are acceptable at the time of installation. If the conditions are acceptable and meet the manufacturer's guidelines, then the installer is good to go. However, let's say, for the sake of arguement, that next winter, your crawlspace floods badly and there is some cupping of the floor due to excessive moisture under your house (that wasn't there at the time of installation), that would not make it the installer's responsibility because:
1) It was an event that took place after the installation
2) It is not normal or acceptable to have flooded crawl spaces.
3) There is nothing the installer, in the scope of his trade, could have done to prevent that.
4) No negligence on the installer's part but on the homeowner's part for not maintaining the home properly, which includes proper drainage to ensure the crawl space does not flood.

Having said that, I do a survey of the crawl spaces and exterior to check the best I can to see if there could be a drainage or flooding problem in the future. If I see a potential problem, I notify the homeowner about a condition I thinks needs attention. It then becomes the homeowners responsibility to rectify that problem, if it is a problem. But very rarely do engineered floors cup over wood subfloors even if there is a temporary moisture elevation. They can but not nearly as readily as solid wood flooring.