I did a very complex HW floor install myself and had it professionally sanded/finished by a large firm. I paid top dollar because I know that low bidders gernarally do poor work.

There are actually 2 rooms. One room is near perfect in term of sanding. If I lie down I can find a few uneven spots but I'm very happy with it. Here is a pic.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p120/alexh1000_photos/GoodRoom.jpg

The other room has some drum marks (a few are OK IMO) but the floor also has what looks like dishout everywhere. There is really not 2 sq ft of this floor that does not have dishout or wavyness. Although I took the pics in reflected light, it looks even worse at night with normal room light because you can see the whole floor. I have been told this is normal but honestly I can't believe most people would accept this.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p120/alexh1000_photos/BadRoom4.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p120/alexh1000_photos/BadRoom3.jpg

Often the dishout occurs right at a board end but it's also common mid board. Do your think they spent too much time on the buffer with soft pad? I know there are lots of techniques now to reduce dishout such hardplates, special 3M pads etc. and a top firm should employ these methods.

Other problems that make me think this firm is sloppy-

1. One of the cherry strips has nail holes and had maple filler in them because they rushed the dry time on the filler and the cherry filler was partially sanded out. I had to drill them out and refill myself(this was after the sealer was applied). The next day they told me they check everything but then why did they apply sealer over an obvious defect!#$
2. Almost all of the nail filler holes have pinholes and are shallow.
3. There are light orange stains on the floor. I selected tinted Bona sealer and perhaps it settled more in the rough spots but IMO this should not happen. I can see some cases where the stain runs across boards so I think it is related to sanding and not so much grain variation. Here is a pic where it occurs on a drum mark.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p120/alexh1000_photos/P1010627.jpg

They coming tomorrow to do a recoat since they admit that there are lots of brush marks. They say this might help the dishout but I think it will actually make it more obvious!

I called a NWFA Inspector but I don't really think I have much recourse here. I can live with the floor as is but nearly everytime I enter the room (depending on current lighting) my eyes focus on the waves.

Thanks for any comments

bad Room 1

bad Room 2

Stain (I'm thinking this may have been caused by the cherry fill)

Nice floor.