I had hardwood floors installed about a year and a half ago. They installed properly according to the contractor (glued). Over the course of the year portions of the wood have changed color, beyond what I expected. See pictures below:





I’ve had my insurance company look at the floor. They’ve said it’s the contractor at fault and I need to work it out with him. The contractor states he followed specs in installing. I also had a plumber inspect the house to determine if there is any leakage of water that might be at issue.

The pictures are from two rooms and a hallway. The two rooms share a common wall, with a couch over one section. The hallway has normal traffic for three people. The contractor states they can cut the wood to determine what is at issue, but the wood is no longer available from the manufacturer. I am at a lost as what to do next.

Any idea of what went wrong with the floor?

Any insight appreciated.

AJ

Ya, I know exactly what that is. But your not going to like what I say!

Litigation on this one is in the works!!!! If you need a professional opinion, I make road trips!


Geeeez, you are in a situation, that is fixing to get ugly.

How long has this floor been down? And what is the substrate? Concrete or wood?

Hey Floorguy,

Thanks for the response. The floor's substrate is concrete. We replaced carpet when the flooring was installed. Hmmm.

The floor was installed in August of 2003, with signs of these markings showing in December 2003 in the hallway.

Litigation? I hope not against the contractor, who has done excellent work for other friends and family. We purchased the wood from 'Home Depot' who suggest we make a case with the manufacturer of the flooring.

Not sure I could afford you making a road trip from Texas to California though

Any more insight or guidance you can give?

The only time I have seen flooring look like that is when it has been soaking from moisture. The flooring is rotting. You have a leak; it just hasn't been found yet. If it was a slab problem, I would think the damage would be more widespread. However, whether or not this condition existed prior to the installation would be hard to prove. Not a manufactoring defect. I think it will be difficult to prove installer error. Your best bet is to file a claim with your homeowners insurance. It maybe a leak in your roof that is traveling down your walls. Or another possibility is a waterpipe buried in the slab is leaking. Or a pipe in the ceiling. Water is getting in somewhere. Insurance companies sometimes try to say it is a slow leak and therefore will not cover it. Your best bet is to go after your insurance. If the flooring is no longer made and you do not have any extra for replacement, then you're looking at complete removal and a new floor installed. What part of Ca. are you in? I'm in Ca. as well and am a NWFA member and licensed contractor with 25 yrs. experience. Would be glad to have a look if you're in my neck of the woods.

Gary, If it was water it would have been more then what your looking at. The boards would not be flat or dimensionall effected.

Within 4 months black spots are noticed and growing.

How long does it take for a potted plant sitting on a wood floor make the black associated with moisture, and topical rot? More then 4 months, and I'm sure this is progressively getting worse.
How long does it take for an engineered to delaminate, sitting in water that would cause what you think is a water mark. Less then 4 months, I'd say.(overnight, with a scrap of engineered sitting in the bed of my P/U, after a rain storm.


I think they call the term, or should I say phrase... "Your home is sick"


Wood is organic, right?

Concrete is known to have moisture issues, right?

Can UV light get under the wood?

Is there air flow under the wood?

Do you want to tell them Gary, or should I.

Perry, you are more the expert at this sort of thing than I. You see many more failed floors. But I shall make an educated guess. Please correct if you deem me to be wrong. It is a fungus/mold growing. Typically, these start with the assist of excessive moisture but once it takes hold, it keeps going. If a latex adhesive was used, fungus/mold will use that for food, as well as the wood. It is a form of dry rot. I'll bet the wood is soft and "punky"; at least some of it. Unfortunately, no one is at fault that I can see, unless the installer did not perform a moisture test and the slab is considered to be too"wet" for a wood floor. A professional inspection is certainly warranted and needed.

Pretty dang good educated opinion.

Still wondering if it is cross-ply or solid, that is "glued" down


Look at the one picture of the HVAC return air vent.
What is usually located above that vent... The HVAC unit!

Condensation Pan over flow, or clogged drip hose. With evaporator coil that is dirt.

I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically San Jose. Looks like I'll need someone to look at this further, from what you (Gary) and the Floorguy are saying. I'm not sure how to go about finding someone to give me a damage assesment. Any guidance on this?

Appreciate all the insight both of you have given. Sites like this one, and responses such as the both of you have given, make me appreciated the Internet and others' experience everyday.

Either way it sounds like it's going to cost a pretty penny to get this fixed

Verbal...

Plain and simple, you have mold growing there. It is coming from the bottom up.

The HVAC has leaked! Maybe not even since that floor has been down. Could have been before the floor was installed.

A mold spore, is a mold spore. If there had been mold there in the past from a leaky AC pan, from the past, it wasn't have a mold redemption plan, and the home has always been sick. Now the band-aid is soaked threw.

Verbal, A little too far for me to travel. However, check with these companies.
http://www.finerfloors.com/
http://www.slaughterbeckfloors.com/
http://www.vanbrigglefloors.com/
http://www.sustainablespaces.com/

Good luck! Call if you need to discuss your situation.
(925) 778-4844 Gary

P.S. Something you should read:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html