Help wood floor disaster (paint, sand, stairs, color)
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I hired someone who I 'thought' was a professional and it has been a disaster!
I paid 3/4's of $6100It started out fine, the sanding looked like it was going along pretty well.
But when they finished and started to apply the stain, it looked blotchy. I stopped him and asked him about it. He said it was minwax, but not what he uses normally because the Zar (?) was out and he said they are made by the same company except the Zar (?) was the professional grade.
He insisted it was the 'shadows' in the house and said he was going to finish and that I would LOVE it in the morning.
Well morning comes and it's a sloppy, scratchy, blotchy mess. THE ENTIRE FLOOR! Plus I said - DO NOT get paint on the railings as I didn't have the money to have them repainted and that every painter I spoke to said it was pricey and difficult to do a good job because it tends to drip. Well, you can see what they did....
They also used a funky stain that is tacky and sticky on the stairs and railing. I asked him if he used the same stuff that left the floors ruined, and he claimed he did not (I was gone an hour to run to work) but there is an empty gallon of the stuff they swore they weren't going to use anymore. Hmmm.
I've attached some pictures. I have hundreds of them since the entire 2000 square feet (both up and down) are ruined.
So, they begged to resand and to start over. Great, except they aren't sanding it all off (the grain is still stained dark. We chose dark walnut) and I'm worried if the grain will be super dark and well, grainy. I believe the floors are oak. I don't have my inspection report with me and the MLS doesn't list it. (This is a house we just bought. It is 18 years old)
What should I look out for? How can I tell they are using the right stain and not the gel? He claims the product HAD to be defective and that is was thick.
The pictures are in the post below because I had to learn how to resize them. They were taken with my phone. I'msure which ones are showing up, but I have tons more. Some are easy to see than others.
Last edited by WestPalmHereIcome; 09-11-2014 at 07:37 PM..
I can't see your pictures, but I totally believe it's a disaster. We just had a new fence stained, and they totally ruined it. They did not clean it and prepare it properly, which caused the stain to be blotchy, and there was visible dirt under the stain in places. They send sanded it, but didn't sand it evenly, and restained, so it's now even blotchier. They then tried to blend it all in by applying more stain, and now the fence is blotchy plus a deep awful color that I never wanted. I'd say talk to the paint store about the best stain to use and make sure that's what they use, and then watch like a hawk and stop them the minute they screw up.
I can't see your pictures, but I totally believe it's a disaster. We just had a new fence stained, and they totally ruined it. They did not clean it and prepare it properly, which caused the stain to be blotchy, and there was visible dirt under the stain in places. They send sanded it, but didn't sand it evenly, and restained, so it's now even blotchier. They then tried to blend it all in by applying more stain, and now the fence is blotchy plus a deep awful color that I never wanted. I'd say talk to the paint store about the best stain to use and make sure that's what they use, and then watch like a hawk and stop them the minute they screw up.
Man, I am so sorry that happened to you. I am SO disappointed and very scared as this is inside my living areas. We've had floors sanded and re-stained and I KNEW there was a problem but he just made one excuse after another.
I will watch like a hawk, video tape and take more pictures. The pictures don't show the amount of damage they have done. I wish I could just get ALL my money back and hire someone else.
However I must say that to me, at least from the pictures you posted, that your new floors have an aged, antique look to them. This is just me, but I'd consider that a plus.
However I must say that to me, at least from the pictures you posted, that your new floors have an aged, antique look to them. This is just me, but I'd consider that a plus.
That's what I thought too!
I have a friend that just paid through the nose to have floors with that worn, uneven look to them.
Ah, but there's a HUGE difference between wanting/expecting "warn/used" and wanting/expecting showroom fresh. I just had my floors done too, but it's a 1930 built house so I knew that the floors were going to have character. As we moved along, they showed me just how much to expect (I barely watched my crew after the first hour) and with one minor issue the floors turned out better than expected. The minor goof was a patch/lace job over some old HVAC vent holes that were no longer used, the wood was WAY too bleached white... but they dyed/stained it to match.
The work above just looks sloppy. Someone who was too new to know better, to lazy to do it right, or the OP picked the cheapest contractor and expected results that it'd cost more to achieve (based on time spent). Not sure why they were paid anything, at ALL, before the floors were finished. That's just the biggest red flag imaginable... refinishing floors is nearly all labor when it comes to the cost breakdown. Not like anyone needs to run out and buy expensive materials... if they don't own their own equipment and need money up front to rent it, red flag again....
Anyway, OP... you're in a pickle. If you haven't involved the owner of the company (or corporate offices if a big company), then you're missing the boat there. Next step would be to document Everything as best you can remember... names, times, places, phone records you can back up with bills, transcripts of what was said and from this instant on, all conversations either in writing or recorded (make sure you know your state laws, some require both parties to agree to a recording, others only require You to agree), and then get legal counsel. This is something that can be settled in court, with either a refund or a "fix it to your satisfaction" scenario. It Will take a lot of time, some money, and a significant load of frustration (lots more than what you've dealt with so-far). But if you're willing to be tenacious, you can have the floors you wanted for within a $1000 more or less than what you're already out.
No reason not to take to social media with this as well... ESPECIALLY if the "company" is doing anything with social media. Anywhere they have a presence, you can be there to be a thorn in their side. Put some pressure on them in the form of bad news, heck if they were recommended by anyone, let Them know too... I've had situations resolved through a 3rd party before because of recommendations (the guy took his word seriously and let the company know they would be losing out on a lot of referrals if they didn't make me happy).
It seems obvious that the floors were not sanded well enough. Those scratches across the grain just should not be there on a well sanded surface. I have stained a few of my own oak floors over the years and I'll tell you this, It's tricky. I have gotten great results and I have gottern horrible results. My living room and dining room in the house I have now are stained black because the lighter stain I put on looked terrible. I could not sand the floor any more, it was right down to the nails and so I just stained over with ebony stain. I like it actually.
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Here are someimages taken from my phone
