Incorrect piece of flooring supplied and laid

tightauldgit

Alderbank said:

The advice often given on these pages is to use one company to both supply and fit, because issues like this are so hard to resolve.

The fitter will probably claim that his contract was to fit the planks provided by the OP, which he has done.
The supplier may accept that one pack or one plank did not conform to contract but will state that his liability is limited to replacing or refunding the faulty item.
He will almost certainly point to his T&Cs saying that:

• the colour and appearance of the planks is only approximate, and
• before fixing, the planks should all be laid out and randomised and that the overall appearance should be deemed acceptable.

pretty much this. 

The floor supplier has obviously made a mistake in supplying one plank that is wrong but I think would legitimately argue that it's not their fault someone laid it without checking it properly and has caused you a significant loss. 

Floor fitter seems more responsible to me as I think they have a duty of care to check if something looks off but they will fall back on 'we just fitted what you gave us, as asked' 

In your situation I might consult another independent fitter for their view on what it will cost to fix to confirm what fitter 1 is saying. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Alderbank said:

• the colour and appearance of the planks is only approximate, and

I don't think the boards are real wood but are printed with x number of variations, the board OP has highlighted, judging on the photo given alone, appears to be a rouge board in the wrong box.   

On the one hand the supplier is liable for the costs associated with replacing the goods (including labour) or if the supplier refused to do anything OP could seek a price reduction for the one board and damages for the rest of their expenses.

On the other hand as pinkshoes points out flooring such as this is typically laid out to ensure the repetition in the boards isn't obvious by spreading repeating patterns in a way that the eye isn't drawn to*. Failing to do this could be a lack of care and skill but failing to notice a completely different board would certainly be in my view.

*The OP's photo appears to show 3 different colours of flooring, 1) the rogue board 2) the boards to the left 3) the boards to the right, it may be the light but would be interesting to see the whole floor. 

OP I don't think you confirmed if this is glued down? If it isn't the boards will just lift up. I appreciate it seems obvious they are glued from what's been said but the floor fitter missed that board I'd question anything else they might be saying  

Other option is stick a rug over it. 

Quiet_penguin

Thanks everyone.  It's tongue and groove flooring and, yes, it's glued down. The rest of the floor looks great - yes there are variations in the planks but they are in keeping with each other because it's the all the same floor type.  The rogue plank is the only one with a different look to the rest. 

pinkshoes

Quiet_penguin said:

Thanks everyone.  It's tongue and groove flooring and, yes, it's glued down. The rest of the floor looks great - yes there are variations in the planks but they are in keeping with each other because it's the all the same floor type.  The rogue plank is the only one with a different look to the rest. 

I think the suggestion made by @tightauldgit of getting someone independent to take a look is a good one.

Ultimately, the supplier is not at fault (other than having to supply one plank that was wrong), but you need to show that the fitter was incompetent by fitting it. You would need to get an independent fitter in to take a look and see whether they would deem that as acceptable, or whether the fitter should have not used it. If you can prove the fitter incompetent and having therefore not done the job properly, then they would need to rectify it at their expense. 

If I were the fitter, I would feel mortified at such a f*ck up and offer to put it right. 

MorningcoffeeIV

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Alderbank said:

• the colour and appearance of the planks is only approximate, and

appears to be a rouge board in the wrong box.   

It's more of a light brown than rouge... 😁

Belenus

I know next to nothing about this type of flooring but I will ask this anyway.

Is it possible to remove the rogue plank only, remove the tongue from a replacement plank and fit that?

If done very carefully and precisely, the result may well be acceptable.

Aylesbury_Duck

Belenus said:

I know next to nothing about this type of flooring but I will ask this anyway.

Is it possible to remove the rogue plank only, remove the tongue from a replacement plank and fit that?

If done very carefully and precisely, the result may well be acceptable.

Yes, it is.  I've done it before.  With the floor being glued down, it's even better because there's no chance of the new plank bouncing around in the hole.

Alderbank

I've done it too, for a family member who had damaged the floor dragging a freezer over it.
I used a plunge router to cut out the bulk of the damaged plank, leaving a margin of about 1cm to keep the tongues intact. I then chiseled out the 1cm strips and any remaining glue from the floor and popped the spare plank in. Took less than an hour all in.

A surprisingly large number of men have some degree of red/green colour blindness, often without being aware of it. If your unfortunate fitter is one of those men he might be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Quiet_penguin

Thanks everyone.  We're negotiating with the fitter and I have now found another fitter who has offered to come and replace just that one board, so that will be far cheaper and more satisfactory.  Unfortunately, now a small section of the floor near our fireplace is a little bouncy - so the original fitter is going to have to put that right. He's a bit frustrated but does at least concede that the bounciness is something he needs to rectify.  If we have to just pay for the replacement board, then...well...ok.  It's looking like it will be cheaper than buying 5 new bloody boxes of flooring. This is all coming towards what I hope is the end of a lengthy insurance claim for a leak. It may yet be the end of me. But thanks so much for all your help and, yes @Alderbank, I suspect he may actually be a little colour blind but not quite sure how to suggest that without causing more frustration and offence! 

MikeJXE

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Belenus said:

I know next to nothing about this type of flooring but I will ask this anyway.

Is it possible to remove the rogue plank only, remove the tongue from a replacement plank and fit that?

If done very carefully and precisely, the result may well be acceptable.

Yes, it is.  I've done it before.  With the floor being glued down, it's even better because there's no chance of the new plank bouncing around in the hole.

I would go for that too as it's the cheapest solution, less hassle than fighting supplier and fitter 

Don't try to cut the board out along the joints you will spoil adjoining boards, start from the middle and work you way to the edges 

Just go for it and move on