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.

 

[Lons]

Did you get the quote in writing as that can make a difference if you pursue a claim. A verbal agreement whilst binding can be far more difficult to prove as it's his word against yours. If it escalates, does he have a website, Facebook profile etc as the suggestion that you could leave negative feedback including photos will be something he doesn't want if he's local and values his reputation.

I would keep pressing gently but firmly and would back that up asap with a complaint to him in writing sent by recorded delivery so he can have no doubt that you intend to go down a formal route. At this point keep talking though as he might capitulate where heavy handed will make him dig in his heels.

PS His comment "not knowing if the stains will disappear until after varnishing" is bulls**t from someone supposedly experienced.

 

[Stevewoody]

Thankfully, the quote was in writing. Yes, we will write formally to back up what we have said to him. He is being a bit canny as he did mention that without a recording its just his word against mine. So we will focus on the wording of his quote vs what he delivered or didnt.

 

[HOJ]

I'm curious, do you have pictures from before the job was done? and you say water staining, seems odd that its a strip down one side and the middle from what I can see.

Presuming moisture isn't coming up through the floor, has the MC been checked.

Just random thoughts.

 

[Stevewoody]

Its possible that the water could have been from a leaking central heating pipe ie dirty water that accumulated around a heavy object the corner and ran under the window and then down the middle of the floor. The floor blocks are actually fixed on wooden strips which are nailed into the bitumen coated concrete floor. MC hasnt been checked. The stains were visible before but as the floor was darker they were not as obvious as they are now. I dont have a before of the empty room although the sander guy took a few. Below pic shows the darker blocks.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

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?

It's hard to say if it would be fair to ask for a refund. To be honest, I find the before appearance more attractive than the after appearance. The before appearance has a mellow honeyed look to it whereas the revamped floor looks cold and pale. I don't like that cold look which, as you now know, has emphasised the water staining and I wouldn't have agreed to the contractor going for that look or doing the job that way.

But the question is: did you discuss the final appearance options with the contractor, e.g., stains or dyes, polish tinting possibilities, and so on, because, after all, the job is a wood finishing job, and that's a highly skilled profession? If that conversation didn't occur I'd be asking why the contractor didn't initiate such a conversation (even if you didn't think to start that conversation) because all of those options I've mentioned, and more, are within the knowledge base of a skilled floor (wood) finishing contractor. But not every floor finishing contractor is truly knowledgeable or skilled. Some just do the limited things they know about. Slainte.

 

[Windows]

Was your floor flat to begin with and is it flat now? Did the dark areas actually get the same amount of sanding as the rest of the floor? Are you able to lift any of the darker blocks to see how deep the colour goes?

The pattern of dark blocks is really weird. You could see these same strips prior to him starting work?

Did the guy actually fill any of the gaps in the floor? I can’t tell from the photos whether I’m seeing gaps or filler.

And when you complained, the guy didn’t offer to do a deeper sanding job? Is he going on holiday or got other work he’s juggling before Christmas? How long did it actually take him to sand the floor?

 

[Stevewoody]

It's hard to say if it would be fair to ask for a refund. To be honest, I find the before appearance more attractive than the after appearance. The before appearance has a mellow honeyed look to it whereas the revamped floor looks cold and pale. I don't like that cold look which, as you now know, has emphasised the water staining and I wouldn't have agreed to the contractor going for that look or doing the job that way.

But the question is: did you discuss the final appearance options with the contractor, e.g., stains or dyes, polish tinting possibilities, and so on, because, after all, the job is a wood finishing job, and that's a highly skilled profession? If that conversation didn't occur I'd be asking why the contractor didn't initiate such a conversation (even if you didn't think to start that conversation) because all of those options I've mentioned, and more, are within the knowledge base of a skilled floor (wood) finishing contractor. But not every floor finishing contractor is truly knowledgeable or skilled. Some just do the limited things they know about. Slainte.

We too preferred the darker finish. The contractor said he didn't want to stain after sanding as he couldn't guarantee an even finish given the existing patina of the blocks. So we agreed to a natural finish thinking it would be a safer bet. So yes, discussions were had & finish agreed before we engaged his services. We trusted in his experience. It does seem he is more of a floor sander rather than a floor finishing professional.

 

[Stevewoody]

Was your floor flat to begin with and is it flat now? Did the dark areas actually get the same amount of sanding as the rest of the floor? Are you able to lift any of the darker blocks to see how deep the colour goes?

The pattern of dark blocks is really weird. You could see these same strips prior to him starting work?

Did the guy actually fill any of the gaps in the floor? I can’t tell from the photos whether I’m seeing gaps or filler.

And when you complained, the guy didn’t offer to do a deeper sanding job? Is he going on holiday or got other work he’s juggling before Christmas? How long did it actually take him to sand the floor?

The floor is laid on wooden stats. Its fairly flat but does move and creak a bit. Its almost a sprung floor. For this reason the contractor said he would not run over it with a screed filler as he normally would on a solid floor, saying it would crack & crumble with the flexing of the floor. So we would be left with the existing gaps. The whole floor seems to have been given an even sanding. The stains were, he said, right through the blocks & further sanding would not remove them. It now seems to me He hoped the varnish would magically fix everything. The darker strips were there before but not as obvious as the floor was darker. We just wanted the whole floor to have a consistent even look.

The sanding began at 8am and varnishing began around 12 noon. They were gone by 2pm

 

[--Tom--]

Oh dear, can see why you’re disappointed. It will need careful treatment to get the water stain out- with no guarantees of success.
I refinished the 1920’s pine parquet in my own house and some of the heavy staining took gentle bleaching and then careful sanding to get the floor even. I then finished with a floor oil as wanted it to mellow in colour again and be easily retouchable.
Hard to tell from pics but is your floor oak? The stains remind me of where tannins have reacted and darkened