Laminate Floor is Buckled, Normal?

[infrascan]

Hi Everyone!

The contractor that installed our 1000 sq' of laminate floors said it's normal for the floor to lift approximately 2" in some areas (6 areas) and will settle in time and he absolutely refuses to fix and walked off the job. I know this is completely untrue and the problem is spreading throughout our entire finished basement because the floor is flush against the wall and is unable able to breathe with the warm temperatures approaching. I would greatly like to hear what others have to say!

Thankfully, the contractor is coming back and said he'll do whatever it takes to make the job right. Thanks Everyone!

 

[Ernesto]

I see this all the time Steven. These remodel/contractors just see dollar signs and want a piece of the action for everything on the face of the earth without knowing what ther heck their doing. Sub it out to the most ignorant lowballer out there and then hope it holds untill the check is cashed.

I am wondering what underlayment was used since this is a basement, correct? If the wrong underlayment was used and no moisture tests on slab (rh and temp in the correct zone) performed you may have to take it all up and start over again, no corrections may be possible.

 

[infrascan]

Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the underlayment that was used but was most definitely intended for a concrete floor. Thank goodness, the floors are only coming up where joining up against walls and columns so I feel once the laminate is cut to allow for expansion everything will be okay.
Being a roofing contractor for 40 years, I perfectly understand how many business owners will sell a job and get the lowest price possible from a subcontractor hoping that everything will be okay in the future without once checking up on them to make sure everything is being done correctly.

 

[Ernesto]

Being a basement you would need extra protection, a 2 in 1 underlayment most times will not cut it. They all say to use six mil under them if moisture content readings are high, and usually they are high in basements.

Nice to talk to another contractor who is familiar with the bidding routine. That said you shoulda had reservations about a drywall/painter doing your floors.

BTW, is Jimmy Hoffa buried under your basement slab?

 

[infrascan]

This contractor was originally referred to us by http://www.homeadvisor.com and had 85 plus five star ratings and reviews for painting and drywal so we thought we had a quality contractor. When I asked Mr. Cruz the owner of DC Drywall & Finishing have you ever done laminate floor installations before, he said yes many times, just very time consuming but turned out he never did.

No telling what's underneath our basement floor being that it's an 3200 sq'

 

[Nick]

painting and drywall is a different hat then flooring .

Best left to flooring guys who do it for a living .

 

[Incognito]

would you consider that company to do roofing for you---------anywhere, anytime, in any context?

No one respects a roofer til the rain is pouring into his home and destroying his precious..........WHATEVER.

The work is unprofessional and HE OWES YOU what it might cost on a fair basis to repair the HORRIBLE laminate, HORRIBLE carpet and HORRIBLE drywall/paint.

The MF'er can't even do drywall and paint?

WOW!

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Ken]

Being that I live in an area that was affected by Hurricane Sandy, I am seeing a ton of jobs like this where some knucklehead tried to make an easy buck and made off with the customer's money. Personally, I would have a rep from the manufacturer come out and get you a report you can use in court. If thats not an option a possible fix could be to use a toe kick saw and an oscilating tool to cut in expansion gaps. The guys are definitely right about the underlayment though, you may want to check that out as well. Good luck!

 

[FloorMaven]

painting and drywall is a different hat then flooring .

Best left to flooring guys who do it for a living .

Even then it's an iffy proposition.

 

[FloorMaven]

I would greatly like to hear what others have to say! Please see video of problem areas...

I like your video. File a complaint.

http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Report-Licensee/

 

[FloorMaven]

This contractor was originally referred to us by http://www.homeadvisor.com and had 85 plus five star ratings and reviews for painting and drywal ...

Home advisor used to be servicemagic. It's in home advisor's best interests to not display poor ratings.

 

[FloorMaven]

Is this your guy?

 

[FloorMaven]

I was perusing the Commonwealth of Virginia statutes a bit and it seems that the DPOR can not force a contractor to correct deficiencies. You would have to get a civil judgement first, then if the contractor did not make restitution you can apply for monies from a fund the state has set up for that purpose.

A complaint against the contractor would be for alleging he was doing something illegal. In this case if your contractor was licensed to do "commercial improvment[sic]", he was unlicensed to do your residential project. At the most that could amount to a fraudulent practice. At the very least you may be able to use the complaint process as leverage in getting your floor repaired.

 

[rugaddict]

the easiest cure for your situation is to remove the baseboards and undercut the sheetrock--all you really need is a utility knife--this will solve your problem but will give you no satisfaction---you need to ask yourself what you would prefer

 

[Floorist]

He sent me a PM telling me that the contractor is coming back to fix it. He said he would let us knows how it comes out.

 

[FloorMaven]

He sent me a PM telling me that the contractor is coming back to fix it. He said he would let us knows how it comes out.

Great...I noticed in his video a numerous and repetitive H stagger. Tells me lack of expansion is just the tip of the iceberg.