There are two issues:
1) After the floor was installed we noticed a good number of holes in the wood. we were told in the Stroudsburg, PA store that the "Natural" wood would have knots but they would be flat without any holes' These ARE flat, but have actual holes that you can feel with your hand and put a pin or larger object in. There are a lot and would have hoped that the LL (Lumber Liquidators) installer would have seen this and let us know before nailing to the floor or try to use the existing "good" wood more expeditiously.
The warranty was voided out immediately and no one came to the house to look at the holes in the floor. We have since looked at some of the wood in the boxes which was not used and have noticed that the tongue and grove are not milled to snap together but rather loosely fit.
2) We were never told that American Cherry was a "softwood" we were given the impression that the wood could handle what we had in our dining room. Within a day we had indentations on the floor from moving things back into the room. We did love the look of the floor when it was first put down, but had we known how soft the wood is we would have chosen another type of wood that would have closer matched our needs based on how we use our dining room.
The floor has been down for 5 months and you can see the discoloration when the furniture is moved.
We then decided to watch the video’s on the LL web site and there were a number of discrepancies as to how we should take care of the new floor
Between the LL store and the LL web site. we would have hoped that someone would have double checked with us since this is really soft wood to make sure we were good with this. This could have taken place anytime during this process, pre-sale in the store, to the install at the house before work began on the floor.
Please explain to us how you would like to have the issue(s) reserved:
1) Not sure what needs or can be done. We don't want the large number of wood pieces cut out and glued back as this may affect how the floor lasts. The problem with leaving the holes is the chance for moisture to seep in and eventually rot away what is there. Rather than tearing up the floor, is there a way to fill in these holes and seal them? Can we get the installer to do this?
2) Again, not sure what can be done short of starting over. The floor was irreparably damaged basically in less than a day after install. Needless to say we were upset. I installed hardwood oak floors in the rest of the house myself and thought we could use the new floor as we do the rest of the house. The oak floors have been down over 20 years and they still look great. The finish is still ok (but the indentations in the wood are obvious. We would be up for suggestions for this one.
LL Response
Toano,#2UPDATE Employee
Thu, January 08, 2015
Natural Grade Characteristics. Reads in part: imperfections in face-work which cannot be wholly removed by an ordinary method of sanding; slight variations in angle of end matching; varying wood characteristics such as spots, streaks, slightly open checks, and pin/worm holes; small splits, broken knots or knot holes;
While this is considered acceptable as far as grading and waste factor, I would agree, based on the photo, this should not have been installed. They could have used the board for cut ins or starter boards. Please address this with your installer.
The tongue and groove are purposely milled loose. Wood floors will have a certain amount of give when walked on whether glued or nailed. If the tongue and groove were milled to be a tight fit, you would have a squeaking sound when pressure is applied to the boards. Squeaking is caused by two boards rubbing together or rubbing against a nail, etc…
American Cherry is not a “soft wood” the Janka rating is 950 which is only about 25% less than Red Oak and actually is more dimensionally stable than RO. This is also something that we really do not know what the conversation was. To us it is only hearsay.
Patina, all floors will have this in varying degrees. It is not a defect. Some are affected more than others
The “holes” can be repaired; however, they will not be able to match the finish and sheen. Board replacement would be the best way to repair. As long as the repairs are properly done, board replacement will not affect the structural integrity of the floor
The flooring in the kitchen and other high traffic areas will tend to take more abuse than other areas of the home. Even the hardest of wood flooring species will be affected by heavy traffic, furniture and improper maintenance. We suggest you look at our floor care section found on the company website under "Flooring 101". This will help you with your long term care of the floor using the right products and interior maintenance of the floor, or call Customer Care at 800-366-4204 for assistance.
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We are sorry to hear these concerns have led to some dissatisfaction, and the claim as expressed is not something we typically set up for an independent inspection because they're not known to be manufacturing defects. We are happy to assist with some product to conduct repairs, but when you review the following feedback this may be helpful to answers some of your concerns starting with the product description:
Natural Grade Characteristics. Reads in part: imperfections in face-work which cannot be wholly removed by an ordinary method of sanding; slight variations in angle of end matching; varying wood characteristics such as spots, streaks, slightly open checks, and pin/worm holes; small splits, broken knots or knot holes;
While this is considered acceptable as far as grading and waste factor, I would agree, based on the photo, this should not have been installed. They could have used the board for cut ins or starter boards. Please address this with your installer.
The tongue and groove are purposely milled loose. Wood floors will have a certain amount of give when walked on whether glued or nailed. If the tongue and groove were milled to be a tight fit, you would have a squeaking sound when pressure is applied to the boards. Squeaking is caused by two boards rubbing together or rubbing against a nail, etc…
American Cherry is not a “soft wood” the Janka rating is 950 which is only about 25% less than Red Oak and actually is more dimensionally stable than RO. This is also something that we really do not know what the conversation was. To us it is only hearsay.
Patina, all floors will have this in varying degrees. It is not a defect. Some are affected more than others
The “holes” can be repaired; however, they will not be able to match the finish and sheen. Board replacement would be the best way to repair. As long as the repairs are properly done, board replacement will not affect the structural integrity of the floor
The flooring in the kitchen and other high traffic areas will tend to take more abuse than other areas of the home. Even the hardest of wood flooring species will be affected by heavy traffic, furniture and improper maintenance. We suggest you look at our floor care section found on the company website under "Flooring 101". This will help you with your long term care of the floor using the right products and interior maintenance of the floor, or call Customer Care at 800-366-4204 for assistance.