Here is another photo of an area where it looked like the finish pooled in certain areas and they came back to spot correct it (not the duller looking 4 spots in the middle of picture). Unfortunately, the spot correction still looks awful and will not be covered by a rug.

Lines in the floor:

And one last photo:

Not a quality job, sanding is terrible, finish is applied poorly...

If you have them resand (and if they agree) you are losing a sanding off your floor in the future, I don't think a screen is going to fix this

I wouldn't accept this and once you do, you'll kick yourself. Hope you haven't paid in full. Is this waterborne poly or polyurethane finish, btw?

We haven't paid anything for the floors yet. Our GC has been great, but unfortunately, in this case, I think his flooring sub is not so great.

This is a swedish finish.

It's so upsetting and DH doesn't want to move out again (for a third time) just to give the same flooring sub a third opportunity to fix it. :(

That is terrible. Did they use a product they have never used before?

I would be very apprehensive about having the same sub out to correct this. They have had their chance to fix it and failed, miserably, from what I can see in the pictures. Your GC needs to step up to the plate and get someone else in there to correct this. As ajc71 points out, you are losing surface of your flooring with each sanding.

"I am left to wonder how much of these finish issues are truly acceptable across a 1400 sf area?"

The kinds of issues depicted in your photos are reasons why I might decide to have my floor refinished; they do not depict what I would expect my floor to look like AFTER it was refinished. None of those finish issues look acceptable to me. Truly or otherwise.

"Our GC has been great, but unfortunately, in this case, I think his flooring sub is not so great."

A GC is only as great as the people he brings in to do "his" work. It is his responsibility to provide you with quality subs who provide quality work. If he doesn't, he isn't so great.

Not acceptable at all. I wouldn't let them touch it again....insist that someone else does the repair.
I am really sorry you have to go through this.

Sounds like your gc would agree with you that someone else needs to tackle the job.

Is this an engineered or solid product? Engineered has limited layers for sanding so a real concern.

We had a Swedish finish applied about 15 years ago & had the orange peel look. In our case, the floor finisher said it was a defective batch of product. A representative from the company came out, inspected it & paid for the floors to be redone, which required resanding. I know this type of finish is also more difficult to apply & you don't want to use someone who doesn't apply it regularly.
This time around, I couldn't find anyone who does a Swedish finish. We went with a water based finish. From what I've read, water based finishes are a completely different product & much improved than they were 15 years ago. There are also no fumes that require you to vacate your home.
I'm sorry you are going through this. I still remember how stressful it was to come home & see that finish. It's not acceptable.

"Engineered has limited layers for sanding so a real concern."

Not in all cases, we use a engineered floor from a well known source and the 6MM wear layer is pretty much exactly the same thickness as a the wear layer on a solid wood floor....even on a lower level (price) engineered floor you will still have 3-4MM to play with

xactly the same thickness as a the wear layer on a solid wood floor

Just an aside - isn't the wear layer on a 3/4" solid oak floor 3/4"?

"Just an aside - isn't the wear layer on a 3/4" solid oak floor 3/4"?"

Not on a T&G floor...the wear layer is the distance between the top of the floor and top of the groove

Got it (makes sense)

" ... we use a engineered floor from a well known source and the 6MM wear layer is pretty much exactly the same thickness as a the wear layer on a solid wood floor."

ajc71, who is the manufacturer of this flooring?

"ajc71, who is the manufacturer of this flooring?"

Carlisle

Thank you!

Thank you all for your feedback! It is extremely helpful and comforting to know we are not alone in how we feel or the level of expectation for this part of the process.

Our GC does not have any other solution besides using the same flooring sub and letting him try to fix the problem. Sadly, at this point, it seems we will need to contract with someone else to get the job done correctly.

spartans99, I think that's the smart move. I'd be very leary of the last guy causing even more damage. I don't really understand your GC's postition on this though, since it has already been repaired once by that sub. How many attempts would the GC feel is reasonable before he got someone else?

Have you talked with the flooring sub to see if they are experienced using a Swedish finish & if it could be the product. Those circular, almost "water spot" marks & the orange peel is just what our floor looked like. They resanded & used a different batch of product (I believe it was Glitsa) & it was perfect.
Or go to a water or oil based finish.

@ jellytoast - I don't understand GC either. He is suggesting that flooring sub is willing to do whatever to fix the issues and has proposed a screen and recoat. The funny part is when I asked what happens if that doesn't work and GC said that the flooring sub would then re-sand/stain/finish the entire floor. So basically, GC seems fine with letting this sub come back to my house not only one more time, but then a fifth time (counting the spot fix) if the issues still exist. I just don't understand why he thinks that is reasonable either.

@ romy718 - yes, we did talk with the flooring sub and the Swedish finish is what he uses on the "majority" of projects. He indicated it could have been related to the humidity despite how he handled the interior temperature. I haven't asked about the possibility of batch issues yet.

What a nightmare, spartans99 ... just the inconvenience and stress of having it turn out badly twice already. I feel for you.

" .... and [he] has proposed a screen and recoat."

Isn't that what he just did??

spartans99:

Your third picture shows obvious operator error in operating the floor sanding machine. The only way that dip is coming out is to sand the floor around it down.

You had an obligation to let the sub repair it; he took his shot and missed. You have no obligation to let him try a third time.

Why wouldn't a GC check the condition of the floor after sanding and before proceeding with the finish coats? Seems like a whole lot of wasted work on the sub's part, and unnecessary grief on the homeowner's part that could have been avoided if someone (the GC) had been keeping any eye on the job.

"Seems like a whole lot of wasted work ... could have been avoided"

Seems like? Prices go up unneccesarily with this type of wrecklessness, on what are already expensive projects for consumers. I wonder how many floor layers the homeowner has lost for future sanding, to sand out these dips and such. Would love to know if the GC was trying to save money{{gwi:807}} with his sub selection and what made him think he was good for the job to begin with. What criteria for the job he was meeting.

Maybe they need to replace it now and give you the brand new floor you paid for. Installed by a professional. Don't accept it unless you are satisfied with your purchase. It's too bad and a catch 22 that we have to pay into these things before we see them.

And good luck resolving and living thru all this!

P.S. Who is paying for the expense of your moving out each time this is re-done? I hope it is not costing you more money to have to do this, just the inconvenience.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Sat, Sep 13, 14 at 14:48