This is a pretty common problem with “budget” floors. Over at hardwoodflooringtalk.com, a couple of unhappy homeowners tell their stories about having to get their floors replaced. One commenter had her floors re-installed 3 times and still had issues with splitting and cupping. Some of the suggested causes are very instructive:

• “In reflective light; do you see small round bumps along the edge? If so, maybe too much compression is causing the brad/staple to go too deep. This causes the tongue to break which, in turn, raises the wood surface at the nailed area.”
• “If the splintering is along the edge lengthwise and about one inch in length, I suggest it is due to hitting the flooring together with the mallet.”
• “It sounds like you need a good site-finished floor.”

Are You Disappointed In Your Current Hardwood Flooring Company?

Our hearts go out to excited homeowners who are just trying to finish construction so they can move into their brand new residence. Unfortunately, issues with cheap floors and inexperienced installers are quite common. When the supplier and the manufacturer each blame the other, customer satisfaction suffers.

At Residential Floors, we take responsibility for your total customer experience. We won’t sell you a low-grade floor with known quality issues. Plus, our Metro DC area installers are part of our company – not subcontractors. If something went wrong with one of our floors, we would have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. That’s fine with us! Our motto is “Dedicated to Perfection”. We pride ourselves on ensuring that every floor is installed the right way the first time. For a no-charge in-home consultation, contact us today.