Kitchen flooring complaint

ROSENMARSH

We bought new Kitchen flooring through woodfloorwarehouse.com in Feb 2020.  The flooring was made by Egger and was advertised as water resistant and suitable for kitchens.  The flooring EHD003 Oak Gentle White is currently advertised on Amazon as 'Waterproof surface and excellent moisture suitability'.  The product is made of vinyl and wood.  We started noticing that the flooring was affected in areas where there had been spillages of water e.g. by the sink and the washing machine.  It also showed signs of water damage where a door mat had been put over it by the back doors.  We had some of the flooring by the washing machine replaced about a year ago but the floor continued to degrade particularly by the sink and backdoor and we have now made enquiries with both woodfloorwarehouse.com and Egger about why the floor is affected so badly in these areas. 
We have been told by the retailer: 
"It is the same with all flooring apart from tiles that if something wet is left on the floor for a long period of time, no matter if it is water resistant or not, it will affect the flooring.  The issues with your flooring look to be that something wet has been left on the floor for a long period of time, that is why there are dark water stains all over the floor, this is what Egger will tell you and I am 100% certain you won't get a claim from them.  The fact that the rest of the floor is in perfect condition but this one area which looks to have had a lot of abuse from the elements is why the floor is coming apart.  It has been exposed to a lot more than damp clothes and drips from washing your hands."

Egger have stated: "I would say looking at  the photos that water does appear to have been left on the flooring for quite a while, Egger Design is a wood floor and no wood floor is waterproof only water resistant"

The kitchen floor has had less than two years usage as we were away during COVID.  The kitchen has been used as one would expect with a family with two young children.  There was no flooding, no excess moisture underneath the floor and all water spillage was cleared up immediately.  

It's not possible to just replace the damaged areas as the new Egger equivalent range is  is 7.5mm thickness rather than what we bought which was 5mm and in any case why would we considering how easily damaged it gets from water ingress.  We cannot replace with another non Egger product because of issues different fitting systems used. We are faced with replacing the whole floor again of several thousand pounds. In my view the floor is not fit for purpose and has been misadvertised.  Can you advise if there is a Trading Standards Agency or some such equivalent where I can take any dispute?

sheramber

While the surface of the planks iae waterproof , since they are made of vinyl, unless the joins are sealed water will seep through them  to the backing.

Aylesbury_Duck

ROSENMARSH said:

We bought new Kitchen flooring through woodfloorwarehouse.com in Feb 2020.  The flooring was made by Egger and was advertised as water resistant and suitable for kitchens.  The flooring EHD003 Oak Gentle White is currently advertised on Amazon as 'Waterproof surface and excellent moisture suitability'.  The product is made of vinyl and wood.  We started noticing that the flooring was affected in areas where there had been spillages of water e.g. by the sink and the washing machine.  It also showed signs of water damage where a door mat had been put over it by the back doors.  We had some of the flooring by the washing machine replaced about a year ago but the floor continued to degrade particularly by the sink and backdoor and we have now made enquiries with both woodfloorwarehouse.com and Egger about why the floor is affected so badly in these areas. 
We have been told by the retailer: 
"It is the same with all flooring apart from tiles that if something wet is left on the floor for a long period of time, no matter if it is water resistant or not, it will affect the flooring.  The issues with your flooring look to be that something wet has been left on the floor for a long period of time, that is why there are dark water stains all over the floor, this is what Egger will tell you and I am 100% certain you won't get a claim from them.  The fact that the rest of the floor is in perfect condition but this one area which looks to have had a lot of abuse from the elements is why the floor is coming apart.  It has been exposed to a lot more than damp clothes and drips from washing your hands."

Egger have stated: "I would say looking at  the photos that water does appear to have been left on the flooring for quite a while, Egger Design is a wood floor and no wood floor is waterproof only water resistant"

The kitchen floor has had less than two years usage as we were away during COVID.  The kitchen has been used as one would expect with a family with two young children.  There was no flooding, no excess moisture underneath the floor and all water spillage was cleared up immediately.  

It's not possible to just replace the damaged areas as the new Egger equivalent range is  is 7.5mm thickness rather than what we bought which was 5mm and in any case why would we considering how easily damaged it gets from water ingress.  We cannot replace with another non Egger product because of issues different fitting systems used. We are faced with replacing the whole floor again of several thousand pounds. In my view the floor is not fit for purpose and has been misadvertised.  Can you advise if there is a Trading Standards Agency or some such equivalent where I can take any dispute?

I think the bolded part is where your argument comes undone.  Water resistant is not waterproof, and the retailer and manufacturer seem to agree that you expect the flooring to be waterproof.  Water resistant flooring means that it will resist damage from temporary exposure to water, such as drips, splashes or even light mopping, as long as it's wiped and dried soon afterwards.  What they contend has happened is that you've exposed parts of the floor to prolonged or repeated wetness.

Your only recourse is to have an independent inspection done (at your cost) and hope that it tells a different story, and that the flooring is faulty.  Then you can take action against the retailer (via small claims if absolutely necessary) and they would have to replace, repair or partially refund you (taking into account the two years' use you've already had).  You'd also get the cost of the independent inspection back.