After a month of the flooring being laid, I started complaining to the Flooring manager at Lowes in Knightdale, NC about the scratching on the floors. He is also the person that calculated my materials list and placed my order. A few months later I started having separations between the planks , so I complained to the same person.
At no time was installation a factor. After Cali Bamboo sent in a flooring inspector and asked what my biggest issue was and I said it was the scratching, they came back with that since I hadn't put in a T moulding, that I had installed it wrong and voided the warrenty. Even though the separation was somthing that can be fixed and the scratching they said needed to be refinished, which bamboo can not be refinished.
They took a cop out way to not correct the problem. Lowes sided with them, even though the store assistant manager, the flooring manager told me what materials were needed and he said nothing of a T moulding in that location. Cali Bamboo makes a faulty product that in no way lives up to the product advertising.
Karl
Clayton,#2Author of original report
Thu, September 12, 2019
The problem with the floor isn't due to expansion its from shrinkage, therefore epansion gaps in no way play a factor. If the problem was from lack of expansion spacing then the flooring would have buckeled. I did extensive reasearch and nothing showed the T molding where they said it should be and if the molding were there the gap would have bee too wide for it to cover the space as well.
I have installed T&G hardwood flooring that I have never had an issue with and its more difficult than snap together floooring. As far as the scratching, I have had T&G Oak flooring with a poly finish in my current house for ten years and I had it in my previous house for 18 years (The new buyers commented that they were glad that they didn't need to have them refinished before moving in) and the the current house is still in great shape.
Glue down bamboo can under some circumstances be refinished, but floating bamboo can only be recoated which will not hide the scratches. That information is from the National Wood Flooring Association.
Robert
Irvine,#3Consumer Comment
Wed, September 11, 2019
At no time was installation a factor.
They seem to disagree with you. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the installation was done by you. As if the installation was done by an Independent Contractor you would be going after them and mentioning that they forgot to put in the appropriate moulding.
The problem is that if you relied on what some employee at a store stated for installing the flooring, you really had no business doing the install. As it sounds like you failed to leave an appropriate expnsion gap, which in turn as the wood expanded caused the floor to separate. It is possible that an inappropriate installtion can void a warranty regardless of the issue.
The scratches may fall under the same type of lack of knowlege. No type of hardwood or bamboo floring is scratch proof, for you to get several scratches does make one wonder what exactly you were using on the floors. Also, contrary to your statement Bamboo flooring can be refinished.