Karndean flooring prep query..

Hi,

Recently built a small 3 x 4 mtr single story extension for my daughter that extended her small cottage size kitchen to a nice open plan kitchen diner.
Despite being a relatively small extension it still worked out a lot of money to build for my daughter and her boyfriend ( approx 25k), so for that money they wanted a great finish.

I bet you know what's coming next ..! I employed a flooring fitter who came recommended to me , but whom I didn't know, to fit the Karndean Van gough. I was away offshore when he did fit it so wasn't there when he priced and quoted , but the figure seemed about right so my daughter booked him up.

Unfortunately the finish isn't what we expected and really don't think it's acceptable as where the old kitchen floor meets the new there is a distinctive hump where the old back door would have been and across the transition point from the old wood floor to new screed .
The new screed was level as was the old wood floor, but there was a high spot where the old back door was that I would have expected to prepped and with the latex and hardboard the 'hump' could have been overcome.
It's not the biggest of high spots but it stands out terribly as the the Karndean isn't very forgiving when you look down the length of it.

The result is that everybody who had seen it comments and what should have been a premium product finish is now an eyesore and I have got a very upset daughter.

I phoned the fitter and explained politely (not easy) that he'd done an excellent job apart from this one small area and would he just come round and see how we get over this problem .Well, he didn't take it well, tried to waffle a bit and blamed other trades as to levels etc .
I suggested that even if that was true , he should have explained at the outset that he would either need extra money to prep ( not a prob ) or that the floor wouldn't be right I that area .
He maintained that he couldn't get over it and that he'd spent an age grinding down that high spot and used three bags of latex....which tells me he knew it was high and wasn't right .!

So what I would like to know from you guys is where do I stand now ?...I've had somebody else out to look and he said that we could take out a dozen planks and re prep and thought it wasn't right .
I haven't paid as yet , but I think he should have at least offered to come back and discuss and now I'm thinking I should take the cost of somebody else putting right off his invoice .
I appreciate it's a highly skilled trade but it's what people really look at when you do an extension as you've increased the room size.

 

Sorry for oversize pic

 

The pic shows a line where off floor boards meet new concrete screed

 

Old floor boards

 

Ok, thanks .

No, I think it needed more prep which equals time and cost understandably...which he never did

 

This is why I price jobs now.
Plywood floorboards
Screed concrete level to ply.
Fibre screed whole area.

Prob is don’t win as many jobs as most customers want cheaper job.


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Yep, poor prep in the subfloor. Should of use thicker ply and more levelling compound or taken out the high spot before prepping. He’s blaming the subfloor for not being flat but he should of either refused to go over it until the builder levelled it or priced higher to fix the unlevel floor. This is the reason I never guarantee a price on jobs before they are built. The last 2 customers I’ve said this to have promised me the floor will be as flat as a pancake and if it isn’t they will get the builder to level it as they don’t want to pay a floor layer extra money for prep.


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Thanks for replies and input...much appreciated

I'm going to try agian to get him to come and sort , but from his attitude I don't think he will and to be honest I don't think I'd want him back as I know he is going to have a chip on his shoulder .

My only other question is how successful do you think it would be to take out the Karndean from a localised area , re prep and lay ...?
Is it possible to get it right without re doing the whole job ??

 

It’s possible to make it better if it’s just that one area.


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Well, we're gonna have to do something about it and chance, it as I'm a great believer in things can nearly always be put right ...just it may cost more .

Had Karndean and Amtico in my previous houses and always had a fantastic job and finish. Sadly that guy retired .

Can't accept it as it is , cos it's just a crap finish and flooring is the thing that draws everybody's eye on a new build or extension .

Thanks again.

 

You are right it can be put right, just depends on the task to put it right. How far it needs stripping back each end, wrong thickness in ply means it may all need taking up and starting again (<that's being last resort by the way)

Where are you based?

 

Live in Great Holland , near Frinton on sea , Essex.

The guy who is going to sort it said much the same , that the two options were trying to locally lift Karndean and make it at least better or starting again and plying out the extension part and latexing the whole area ....messy and costly ..I really hope its not gonna be that , so we are hoping the first option works!

So frustrating as the rest of his work was good and it should have been done right in the first place!

When he left my daughters he actually put her kitchen bin over the hump in the floor ....like that's gonna make it ok

 

There you go, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Wonder if he took the ply couple inches over the concrete? Doesnt look like it as you would have a neater line where they both met. Hard to tell by the picture but could beed 3/4 of it taking up and repreping.

 

*need

Admin sort out an edit button ffs

 

Instead of going to the expense of ripping up an reprep and new material 9mm ply the whole area and over the concrete area f3 it down as well as drill plug and screw at 6" centres then relay new karndean or use a cheaper alternative to keep the cost down.

 

Really