New engineered hardwood floors

kimr5 · #1 Oct 5, 2007, 11:58 AM

We installed new tongue and groove engineered 5/8" hardwood flooring in our kitchen this spring. I was hesitant because I didn't know how the wood would hold up in a kitchen, but we were going for a rustic look. The flooring guy at Home Depot said the hardwood would hold up just as well or better than the laminate options and we liked the look alot more. As far as I know, we did everything right. We replaced almost all of the plywood subfloor and even some of the floor boards. We bought a hardwood floor nailer and air compressor and nailed them hard and tight against each other. We also left 1/2" gap around the perimeter.

I know that hardwood expands and contracts, but that's not what this is. We had a hard time eliminating the gaps during installation because the tongue and groove didn't want to fit together very well. We spent a lot of time getting each piece to fit well. We have gone through spring, summer and now into fall and the gaps still remain. I would say it wasn't even a month after installing that we started noticing the gaps getting wider. Now you can see where dirt falls through the cracks.

My questions are can this be fixed and how - and how do you clean the floor without moisture damage to the floor and subfloor? Even though it was prefinished should we go over it with some kind of sealer? Even then I don't think the gaps would be sealed. We are completely depressed because we spent a lot of time getting it perfect. To add insult to injury, anything and everything seems to dent the floor. Of course, when we moved the fridge back it left huge gouges in the wood, even with furniture sliders and cardboard. It did not penetrate the finish but the gouges are deep. Is there any way to repair these? I think it would look too obvious to use wood filler. Should I try to find some kind of poly that would fill the gouges and still somewhat match the finish? I did hear that moisture, a towel and a hot iron might raise up the wood fibers, but it didn't seem to work on the sample piece I tried. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Also, the planks are solid wood with a cherry walnut type pre-finish.

Thanks,
Kim

michealb · Oct 5, 2007, 12:18 PM

Generally real wood floors get glued together not just nailed. The glue is what keeps the water out and fills in the gaps. To fix it if this step wasn't done I guess you would have to pull the whole floor up and redo it. Hopefully someone else will give you an answer you want to hear but I can't think one.

michealb · Oct 5, 2007, 12:21 PM

Oh and never trust the employees at the hardware store they have no idea.

michealb · Oct 5, 2007, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballengerb1

Micheal, who told you wood floors are glued and nailed??

Who knows thats why I speak generally unless I'm certain on things. I always thought that glue was required for real wood floors. I've only ever personally done laminate flooring and tile. One of the reasons why I mentioned that I hoped someone would have a better answer for her.

kimr5 · Oct 5, 2007, 12:43 PM

Wow, you guys are quick!

Ok, let's see. I'm gonna go try to find the manufacturer's instructions, but I'm pretty sure they said to nail them down. I'll also attach a picture shortly so you can see what material it is. We did make sure to acclimate the wood. The boxes were down in our basement (with dehumidifier) for a month or two, but we brought them up and sat them in the living room next to the kitchen for at least a week.

As far as refinishing them or sanding them down we might have a little problem. While it is solid wood, it is "distressed". The floors are smooth and the finish is solid, but there are small ridges that run horizontally with the length of the wood. We would have to sand down quite a bit to get them smooth, and then we wouldn't have the distressed finish anymore. I'm afraid any kind of product I try will vary so much from the finish that was applied by the manufacturer. Of course, the gouges are smack dab in the middle of the kitchen, so filling them would look pretty obvious.

I'm going to take some pictures and get them uploaded. All I have right now are pictures of the installation. I'll add those and try to get some good pics of the damage.

Thanks everyone!

ballengerb1 · Oct 5, 2007, 12:46 PM

Kim, just read your last post and I think that basment caused your problem. Dehumidifer or not its very likely more humid in the basement than the living area. this doesn't help with your cure but it explains what happened.

kimr5 · Oct 5, 2007, 01:21 PM

Okay, here are a few pictures. The darker ones without the flash are closest to the actual color. Anyway, I found the instructions and they say this product can be glued down or nailed down. But it doesn't say anything about both. They also say to allow 24-72 hours for product to acclimate. There is a limited 25 year wear-through warranty (which does not apply to scratching), and a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. Of course, they say that "scratches, gouges or indentations are not factory defects".

I suppose the basement could be part of the problem. I would actually have to check with my husband on how long the floor sat where. It was in the garage first, then we brought it into the basement, and then upstairs. It might not have been in the basement for very long, and I know it was upstairs for much longer than recommended. In any case, it's a total bummer!

Do you think I should fill all the gaps with wood filler and cover the whole floor in poly? What happens when the wood needs to expand again?



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