Skirting Boards and Flooring Advice

[ashbash112]

Hello, we hired a joiner to lay our vinyl click flooring and fix the skirting. I was so unhappy with the finish we asked him to come back and fix, but I'm still not happy. He initially said that we couldn't have the flooring without thresholds (even though it's all the same flooring going through three rooms and the hall) and we agreed to that, but then didn't even attempt to make cuts in the door frame / architrave so that the flooring would sit under it. The pictures with the gaps are what he left it as, apparently a bit of filler would sort it out... When he tried fixing, he's ripped off the door checks and put them back on, but they're all damaged and cracked and he's screwed them back on leaving big indents in the wood (didn't take pictures of these).

The skirtings.. I have no words. It looks like I could have done a better job. He was full of excuses. He's also made a lot of gouges in our freshly plastered and painted walls, and has pushed through the plasterboard in some areas. Unfortunately I wanted him out as quick as possible so just paid him so that he would leave. I'd rather not contact him again to fix anything so just wanted some advice.

Is it worth contacting another joiner to take a look at it and re-do, or is it not as bad as I think?

 

[opps]

I don't think that he has the skills to improve the finish.

He should have used an oscillating saw to enable him to slide the boards under the door frames. That would also have made it possible to run the floor continuously without the need for threshold bars.

I recently fitted a floor for a mate and ran the flooring out in to the hall. Setting out did take quite a bit longer but it looks so much better.

On the upside once you re-lift the floor, you won't have too much wastage.

Out of interest, how did you come across him in the first place?

 

[Loofah]

You paid?!!
That's bloody awful work. I'd take plenty of pictures of "finished" work and the damaged caused and ask for the money back; you won't get it of course but you have the option of small claims.
Do you have any flooring left over as you'll need some to make good.

 

[ashbash112]

I don't think that he has the skills to improve the finish.

He should have used an oscillating saw to enable him to slide the boards under the door frames. That would also have made it possible to run the floor continuously without the need for threshold bars.

I recently fitted a floor for a mate and ran the flooring out in to the hall. Setting out did take quite a bit longer but it looks so much better.

On the upside once you re-lift the floor, you won't have too much wastage.

Out of interest, how did you come across him in the first place?

I agree, I don’t think he is experienced.

When you say ‘once your e-lift the floor, you won’t have too much wastage’ do you mean you recommend lifting all the flooring and starting again?

We were recommended him by a friend, but looking back now we didn’t really research him and we’re looking for a quick job. Our own fault really.

 

[ashbash112]

You paid?!!
That's bloody awful work. I'd take plenty of pictures of "finished" work and the damaged caused and ask for the money back; you won't get it of course but you have the option of small claims.
Do you have any flooring left over as you'll need some to make good.

Yes, I just wanted him out the house. Looking back now, I shouldn’t have paid. No flooring left, we bought 10% over to cover and damages and he ended up using everything and we ended up having to buy two more boxes. Think he probably damaged a lot

 

[Loofah]

Well you have my sympathy, tradesmen like that are the pits

 

[opps]

I agree, I don’t think he is experienced.

When you say ‘once your e-lift the floor, you won’t have too much wastage’ do you mean you recommend lifting all the flooring and starting again?

We were recommended him by a friend, but looking back now we didn’t really research him and we’re looking for a quick job. Our own fault really.

I am assuming two rooms off a hallway- remove the skirting on the walls in the rooms facing the hallway. Lift the last row of flooring. You seem to have the click type flooring (it happily unclicks). Get a proper carpenter to cut away the bottoms of the door frames. Then cut new bits to run out in to the hall.

You will then need to remove the skirting on the other side of the wall and jig the hallway flooring around.

A decent carpenter should be able to deal with it.

Based on my limited experience, the only slightly tricky bit was banging the boards together that pass under the door frames (given that you can't tilt and click them). I used something similar to one of these.

Pulling Iron 94748 | ROMUS | Hand Flooring Tools | Laminate & Parquet Installation | Engineered Wood

The ROMUS Pulling Iron 94748/194746 is used for shunting laminate planks with a rubber mallet. This is regarded as a hand flooring tool used for Laminate & Engineered Wood Floors.

kennedyflooring.ie

 

[foxhole]

You need a tradesman with a tape measure and no guide dog .

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That work is appalling, certainly not a tradesman.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Sad to say, I've snagged worse (ah, the joy of price work!) There's certainly a major lack of attention to detail; he could do with learning how to use grip adhesives properly - and alsi what mitre adhesive is and does (look at the mitres); he needs to learn to remove pins left sticking out, or alternatively punch them under (extra holes get filled and sanded at the end of the job when you do the final walk through, as do minor chips); and that if you put pencil marks on things you also need to take them with you, when you leave (i.e. smaller, neater and lighter to start with - rubbed out when you finish using a dampened cloth). The work is scruffy and uncaring. It's the sort of standard I'd expect from a (poor) second year apprentice, not a paid joiner