Parquet Floor Restoration Issue

[Stevewoody]

Hi

A local firm said he could restore our 1950’s parquet floor (3.5m sq x 3.4m) which had some ( water?) staining from previous owners of the house, saying it would look fantastic when he had finished. His method was sanding then 3 coats of matt varnish.

This is the result. What do people think? We believe its unacceptable. Are we within our rights to demand a refund?

 

[Lons]

I certainly wouldn't accept that.

 

[Windows]

Did you have a discussion about the limitations of the method used? Apart from the persistent water stain, filling gaps with black filler is a poor choice for a floor that has no existing knots.

If the guy sold you “sanding & varnish”, that would be one thing, but sounds like he sold you “beautifully restored floor”. You haven’t got that.

 

[Windows]

Before “demanding a refund”, you should simply let the firm know that you’re not happy with the results if you haven’t already.

 

[niall Y]

You should let them know that you are not satisfied, as the staining is still evident.

Applying varnish can be like a " magic colouring book". and imperfections are really high-lighted. It was at this stage they should have stopped and had a discussion about what else could be done, including bleaching.
The staining could well penetrate so deeply into the wood that it cannot be completely eradicated. It is after all an old floor and not a new one

 

[Stevewoody]

Thanks for the responses.

We did speak to the guy on the day but only as he was finishing up. His response / backpedaling was that he can only work with what he has ie the floor, and suggested we wait for the varnish to fully cure, claiming the floor will mellow and even out. I called him two days later and as nothing had changed, politely asked for a refund as we did not think the finish is acceptable nor anything like the fantastic floor he promised. He admitted it wasn't as good as he had hoped but refused a refund. I did ask why he didnt stop & discuss before varnishing. He said he couldn't tell if the stains would disappear until after varnishing! After some further discussion he offered £200 ( his profit) which we have refused. He is missing the whole point. Our choice for the floor was simple, to replace with new or have it restored to a like new condition, if that was possible hence calling in a local expert. He told us when quoting his price that he could restore it, no problem as he has 22 years experience and good references etc. There was no mention of any potential problems dealing with the stains. If he had any doubt we would have not engaged him & put a new floor down.

He believes the floor is acceptable - we don’t. I posted here to see whether or not we are being too picky.

We’ve had to move stuff back into the room to use for a houseful over Xmas so I see a bit of a battle in the New Year. I should have paid by credit card instead of his choice of bank transfer.