A year ago we had Teragren Strand Bamboo installed as a floating floor throughout our downstairs living area. We purchased the materials and hired a contractor for the installation. This is a person we had used for previous projects and he assured us that he was capable/knowledgeable about floating floor installation. We trusted that he knew what he was doing.

Immediately after installation we noticed some issues with extra 'bounce' in the floor, a few areas in particular were very spongy. The contractor came back and attempted to fix this, blaming uneven subflooring. At this point we had him sign a letter stating that he would guarantee his work and be responsible for any issues that crept up with the flooring installation.

Here we are a year later and the bamboo has separated in multiple places, shrunk away from the baseboard to where there is more than a quarter inch gap in areas. The inspector that Teragren sent out, as well as the inspector for the contractors insurance have cited improper installation as cause for the issues.

He did not acclimate the flooring at all. It was unwrapped, and installed the same day after sitting in our garage for 2 days. There are no transition pieces and we do not have a whole house humidifier. All things that void the manufacturers warranty.

We would like the floor to be ripped out and have a new one reinstalled.

Our contractor would like to rip out the floor, add transition pieces and reinstall the old material where able. Obviously this will save him money, but I am concerned that this is a bandaid and it would be better to start fresh and install a new floor the right way. Is reinstalling the old material even feasible? Am I being unreasonable to think that it is a bad idea? i really have no clue if this is a viable option and am at a loss as how to proceed to get the results that we paid for in the first place.

Any opinions or advice would be appreciated.

Well first off I am not impressed with Teragren's installation guidelines as far as acclimation goes. The recent install I did ( Craftsman II) was not strand but solid engineered, floated. Installation instructions did say acclimate in box. I called them and disputed this and got their permission to acclimate out of the box, sticker stacked. Consumer has a humidifier and I educated them on rh in the home.

If the Rh was within the zone when installed which is totally possible, then it is your duty as a consumer to maintain the rh and temp, not the installers. I take it the installer didn't document this with pics/time/date stamp etc. Many times rh and temp are similar in the garage depending on the weather.

I was not at all happy with the multitude of bowed planks. Other bamboo manufacturers say this is common and not an issue. I say baloney.

You can reinstall most click lock floors a few times without issue. When they first hit the market I had several people tell me the Europeans take the floors and Cabinets with them if they move, some tax loop hole i believe thus the original idea behind a floating floor is so you can remove and reinstall it . Anyway It's feasible that you can remove and reinstall. Of course you will need some more material because you will never be able to take it up and not damage some of the planks. As long as the locking system isnt damaged it should work without issue. The transitions are a necessary evil, no one likes them but with that strand woven product they are unavoidable if you do not control the big swings in r/h inside your home from season to season. Also anytime a manufacture sends a rep out to look at a problem 99% of the time it's the installers fault, kind of the path of least resistance I suppose. If your installers was unreasonable he wouldn't have came back for the repair or even offered to reinstall. He is loosing a ton of money because you chose an unstable product and it reacted to the environment in which it was kept. I would give him the opportunity to correct it, in my state you have to by law or you dont have a case.

Thank you both for the insight! We certainly have learned a lot during this process. I do understand that we shoulder part of them blame for these issues, having a whole house humidifier installed ASAP and hoping that paired with fixes that the contractor offers will result in a better functioning floor!

Strand can take lots of time to release and gain moisture content, like months to weeks depending on your zone or low rh. Be patient and always read the literature provided. Most times it is right on the box. I know Teragren has it on all their boxes although they don't convey all the information they should.