Uk Flooring Direct - Faulty Enginerred Flooring

daisydoom

Hello - just a newbie here - despite reading the forums for ages - I've never needed to post before! but hoping some of you lovely folk can help (or tell me to stop wasting my time! )

Item bought: Engineered Wood Flooring
Bought from : Uk Flooring Direct - purchased online
Paid for: with debit card

Problem: Flooring was bought acclimatised for 5 days and then fitted by a professional joiner (40 years) in my bedroom = 5/6 days later in 3 separate areas the engineered veneer had started to lift.
My first though was - the flooring is faulty.

I emailed UK flooring direct and send them photos, they said this could be rectified by re-sticking down the veneer that had been lifted off, the sent me some glue and instructions and also a pack of flooring.
The joiner came out and his first thoughts were that the flooring was faulty - but he agreed to glue & weight down as I was hoping this would be a easy fix!
Unfortunately 2 areas were now impossible to get back down flat and despite gluing these, and weighing down with a 12kg/20kg/15kgs of weights & kettle bells - the repairs were not successful. I was also advised to buy a room thermometer and a humidity reader (note I live in Scotland in a modernisih bungalow with no damp/humidity issues, I have double glazing, air bricks and cavity wall & loft insulation all in place)

Then another section lifted - I contacted UK flooring direct again - advised then that the glue had not worked and another section had lifted.

Uk Flooring Direct then said they would arrange for an independent inspector to come out and check the floor. Before the guy came a 5th section lifted.

The guy came out on the 14th of September - I got the report on Monday the 28th of September and the independent inspector paid for by UK Flooring Direct had ruled in my favor and deemed the flooring as faulty. UK Flooring Direct I was asked what I would like done and on advice from consumer advice I asked for a refund and consequential loss (as I need to get the floor lifted and another floor fitted - so I got a quote from the joiner and passed this on to them). The guy I was dealing with couldn't process the refund and said he would get back to me.

He called on Friday the 2nd October and said UK Flooring were not in agreement with the independent inspector and that he felt humidity was to blame - the inspector had provided a reading from one section of the engineered flooring in the report which read at 12.9% humidity - UK Flooring have said that the ideal range is 8-12%.

So because of 0.9% (0.9%!!!!!!!) of humidity in one section being above what the deem as normal - UK Flooring Direct are saying this is my fault and will not refund the flooring, nor pay for the consequential loss.

Any advice - or is a 0.9% rise so significant that it would cause veener to come away from an engineered flooring?

I have been tripping over raised bits of flooring for 45 days and counting, my floor is a mess - I have asked for a refund under the sale of goods act - I am just totally stuck as to what to do/who to approach for more advice/help - or is this something I simply need to walk away from and this 0.9% humidity reading is what swings 45 days of hassle/faff and flooring coming apart in their favour?

Sorry for the long story - and thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read this.

Just totally and utterly stuck as to what to do next

pinkshoes

Surely humidity will change from day to day??

Did the floor boards come with a humidity rating? Did they say they were suitable for bedrooms?

Marktheshark

If you have the full report from a mutally agreed expert that found against them then just sue them in county court for the whole amount paid.

neilmcl

Have you contacted the flooring manufacturer or looked on their website to see what they state.

daisydoom

Huge thank you to both of you for reading my post!

I phoned the joiner tonight and he also confirmed that humidity would change from day to day - and anything from an open window to a shower could also cause a change.

I have not looke don the manufacturers website - thank you - I will check that out! On the Uk Flooring Direct site it does say that the reading should be between 8-12% - the reading on one part of my floor was 12.9% (it is this 0.9% extra which is causing them to disagree with the report)

Keep_pedalling

Engineered wood should be better at handing variations in humidity than solid wood flooring, unfortunate there is a lot substandard Chinese stuff sold and what you have seems to be rubbish. Under normal conditions there is no way that this should happen unless it's been laid over a newly layer concrete floor.

I purchased some for my hallway in a end of line sale at B&Q left it in my shed for 2 years before I got round to fitting it, and despite that poor treatment it has been fine for the 3 years it has been payed.

Armed with that report that states the flooring is faulty, I would write then a letter stating that unless they resolve the issue within 14 days, you will be filing a claim in the small claims court.

When you get replacement flooring make sure it is manufactured by a reputable Euopean company.

Keep_pedalling

daisydoom wrote: »

Huge thank you to both of you for reading my post!

I have not looke don the manufacturers website - thank you - I will check that out! On the Uk Flooring Direct site it does say that the reading should be between 8-12% - the reading on one part of my floor was 12.9% (it is this 0.9% extra which is causing them to disagree with the report)

Anything sold for home use should be able to cope with our climate, and quoting what the humidity of the material should be, is meaningless, it is the humidity of the room that is important, your flooring may have been delivered with a high moisture content, and the drying out process may have caused the issue.

daisydoom

Thank you.

All your replies have helped me so much - I will contact Consumer Advice and ask for some help on monday as to how to now proceed further. I just find it sheer madness that an independent report can be disputed - Uk Flooring Direct did state this is the first time in 4 &1/2 years the independent inspector report has ruled against them so I can't help but think - they only got this carried out as they didn't think it would go against them. It all just confuses me - why did they pay for it to be done, if they were not going to pay any attention at all it it??

It crazy how something so daft (its a floor not the end of the world!) has got to me so much.

Thank you all again for taking the time to read and respond.

bris

Just send them a LBA for the cost of the flooring and your consequential losses. Make it clear the report will go in your favour, courts love this type of evidence and there is no way they will not allow a report from their engineer to stand. It should be an easy win.

daisydoom

Hi Bris

Thank you - one daft wee question what is a LBA?

( apologies I have googled this )

neilmcl

LBA = Letter Before Action