Yes that is the whole report. The only stuff I cut out of it was the top with my info and the company I purchased it from etc. as well as a couple of pictures with measurements he took. Do you think Dave would be mad if you contacted him? I'm just all worried about the report because it seems to go back and forth about some stuff. Can you pm me your email address?

As much as I like David, I would get a second opinion. I'll PM you later.

Thank you! I owe you!

Within this conversation I see a great opportunity that sets a contractor aside of the competition that few, if any in our business focus on. Thanks SP! You're a great source.

Good luck Vince.

From 3rd paragraph:

How can anyone know if it acclimated properly if they did not check the moisture content prior to installation.

I have a job where wood just got in, the GC asked if I can install it asap, in 3 days. I said no. Great nice guy but I already told him this several times. No one listens.

It is beyond my comprehension as to why installers will not buy a wood meter and a digital camera to protect themselves. And secondly, why don't the retailers insist?

I used to do that (acclimate a few days and install) when I first started doing lots of wood but got me a meter after Ken ragged on me about it. That was about twenty years ago I think. At first I thought he was talking about a concrete meter. lol

Perfection is not the standard by which a hardwood floor is to be judged. The "standard" is typically summed up as "what would be acceptable to 90% of homeowners". Certainly, a homeowner could contract to have meticulous work done at an agreed to price. Otherwise, the job merely needs to meet the quality standards typically found in that locale and for that type of project. Production type installations in hundreds of apartment units are not held to the same standards as floors put into very high end homes. This new home is very nice for its sub-$500K price point. The quality of this installation would be typical of what is regularly found in homes costing 1-1/2 to twice as much. The dealer told the homeowners that the cost of the wood job was $6400.(other items were on the same contract). $6400 for 2000 sf of engineered,pseudo-hand scraped Chinese flooring installed.
My task was to provide an overall assessment of the job so that the parties may come to a settlement. Manufacturers have production tolerances. Installers have "field tolerances". Homeowners have expectations. Dealers have headaches when all of these do not perfectly allign.
Not all complaints are product defects or installation errors. Some are specification errors. Some are maintenance issues. Some are unrealistic expectations. There are plenty of causes of an unhappy end user. They all must be considered.

I'm sorry it was a typo. It was 1000 sq/ft

David:

Thanks for joining in. Always nice to have informative folks on board! Sit a spell, hope ya'll come back now.

Is it really possible to use the existing floor and not ruin them in any way? they are literally brand new and when we have it replaced, i don't want the boards to look worse than when we initially had them done. I asked a few installers today and they laughed and said it would take forever to take each board out without ruining it in some minor way. i know its not a million dollar home but i work very hard for it and want what i was promised.
I spoke to the Kraus rep earlier, and he said they do not recommend putty for fixing poor workmanship. slight imperfections yes. the one area is over 3ft and i can fit a nickel in it until it goes under the refrigerator. how to i add pics??

The question may be. If there are end gaps how can you fit new in? What size are the problem ones? Is this a one length type engineered product? IE 48 inch only? I don't think an engineered stapled floor is that difficult to repair if they used 18 gauge staples. But the sheer number may be what those installers are thinking.


That poses another problem because you're working with one set width. The new is going to look the same as the old, unless an entire section is pulled out and replaced tight. By the way, why not an area rug in front of the fridge. They should be used in this location anyway

Personally I don't see any problem with filling the gap. I worked with some products in the past that required tubes of caulk. And these were in some million dollar homes (Sanibel Island FL) believe it or not. Of course they were white floors too and ....well...long story.

Pics? Best way is to create a Flicker or photobucket account and post the image url here. But we do have an upload section, but it's always been too screwy for me. I wish Keith (missing phpbb board guru) had a better option.

how-display-images-from-the-gallery-post-t6035.html

The boards are all different sizes. The problem boards are all of them. Not just one particular size. The other thing is that in a few areas the boards aren't evenly matched width wise. We don't want to use area rugs in the house. We love the look of the floors minus the imperfections. Can you pm your email so I can send a few pics showing the boards?

Pictures..




.............

Stephen is absolutely correct this does not follow an NWFA Inspection Report Format and testing is the only way an NWFA report would allow the kind of report that would produce a conclusive result.
Moisture content of subfloor and wood should have been taken using a slide hammer with insulated pins to document readings of the subfloor and hardwood. Top and bottom measurements of hardwood standard for gapping. Relative Humidity of home taken so that using the moisture chart from the Wood Handbook, RH and MC will tell us what it was at the time of installation.
10 board and/or 20 board measurements should have been taken then using a micrometer measure each board. This is basic procedure for gaps or release from the floor.
Most of this report seems to be based on observation. It would never pass an annual inspection. I would ask for his NWFA inspection number or also you can go to http://www.woodfloors.org and look up his name or any inspectors in the USA.

That said it seems unlikely that most of the floor has no end gaps and only a select few do have them. Yes it might vary but not to this degree.
NWFA Format is:
Commissioning Party:
Location to be inspected:
Description of Product Performance Concern:
Claim History:
Physical Description:
Testing:
Applied Industry Standards:
Conclusion:
Cause:
Signed with License Number
Also a typical inspection averages approx 100 photos documenting each and every measurement taken. This is the only acceptable proof in court.

It's a lot of work. So yes looking at this report doubtful he is an NWFA Inspector.

Engineered Floors are more stable than solid. However, engineered floors expand and contract equally in length and width therefore the longer the board the bigger the gap or end lift. We all know wider solid boards create bigger gaps than narrow ones. An engineered board 4 feet long will expand or shrink more than a 2 foot one. Have seen this many times when inspecting gaps. Get a digital micrometer and take pics of the width at time of installation. Stephen is absolutely correct when he says protect yourself by taking readings of the subfloor and wood before and after installation. Best bet is take photos of readings and keep for proof of conditions at the time of installation and when it is complete. Do not let builders have you install before all wet work is completed and the house is at the expected RH and Temperature of occupancy when the install is done.

Engineered hardwood expand and contract equally in the width and length.
Ends are always the problem because the longer the board the bigger the gap just as the wider the board in solid the bigger the gap.
There is no way gaps would occur that quickly. In my store with RH at 10% to 15% for the last 15 months the largest end gap can barely take a penny.
This is why end gaps and end lift are prominent in engineered woods particularly during periods of low humidity.
Most cases when I ask if anyone saw blue tape holding the wood together no one can remember it. Anyone who has glued down engineered wood will tell you it will not stay in place until the glue as set enough to prevent it from moving. Also many times one needs to weight down boards that bow excessively. Engineered wood is 95% more stable than solid wood but it still contracts and expands but no where as much as solid wood.