work needed to rectify floor installation - who pays?

Grimbal

Just after a bit of advice before the builder comes around tomorrow.

We've had a builder in to totally renovate our existing house & build a substantial extension. Whole build has been brilliant, and we remain on very good terms with each other.

As part of the build, we went for an engineered wood floor.The builder (after advice from the floor distributor) laid the floor on a thin layer of plastic type underlay. This hasn't evened out the lumps & bumps on the floor & the wooden planks are now clicking out from each other when you walk on them. Whilst you expect a floating floor to move, the extent of this movement just can't be right.

The builder is popping around tomorrow to take a look for himself. As I said, he's been great throughout so he may take a look, and agree to take it all up, put ply or something down & then re-do it all.

Just in case though:

1. how should a floating engineered floor be laid ? (we have screed, then this thin layer of what looks like wrapping material, then the floor)

2. should we be financially responsible for the rectification work, or should the builder have taken into account the uneven surface right at the beginning of the floor laying?

TIA
Liz

southcoastrgi

i'm slightly confused you say you have a new screed floor so why is there "lumps & bumps" a new screeded floor should be flat, one other thing to consider is that a new floor needs to be allowed to dry as a rough guide 1" = 1 month so if you have say 65mm of screed then really you shouldn't lay any kind of floor (tiles inc) on it for 3 months, so you may find that the wooden floor is swelling due to damp from below as the screed dries.(with or without a plastic membrain) in fact this membrain may be making things worse as it will make the screed sweat & keep the moisture in rather than let it out.

Grimbal

sorry not to have been clear. The screed is in the new extension, which opens onto the existing part of the house. Imagine an L shaped room: one bit of the L is the old part, with its old floor, and the other part is in the new extension with the screed.

Very interesting point about the membrane inhibiting the floor drying out - many thanks for that

would you say that the builder needs to fund the cost of rectifying the floor?

southcoastrgi

he should have known about letting the floor dry & advised you accordinly, unfortunately due to the mess & upheaval involved in building an extension most customers want shot of the builders asap & wouldn't want to wait & then have them back to fit a floor some months later, i'm not saying this is the case with you, but sometimes that's how it works.

let us know how you get on with the builder

cyclonebri1

Only a pointer but the floor may need a liberal layer of latex based floor levelling compound.

The floor my be floating but you should not notice that, it simply means it is not fixed at the extremeties and can move with expansion, no way you should feel that underfoot.;)

Grimbal

thanks both - good to know options available to us.

We're still on very good terms with each other & I'm hoping we can come to an amicable agreement about this. He's done a great job with the rest of the house - just want the floor to be up to the same standard