Water damaged engineered oak flooring - repair or replace

[benjiman]

Hi All,

If you had a job where about a quarter of an engineered floor had been damaged and needed replacing, how would you go about's the job. The flooring is quite old, but still a modern click system, but no one knows where it was bought from.

If only replacing the damaged section, you would have to probably spend considerable time finding a close match, with same click system, size etc.

Would you charge for this time? If so how much.

Or would you turn down the job of a patch job and recommend the full floor replaced?

 

[KenGMac]

benjiman, HI.

This one could turn around and bite you if you offer to patch the floor.
There is the obvious problem of getting a match for colour and the dimensions of the click joint.

Even if you can get a match on the name of the original product, by now the colour of the replacement product could have altered, the producer using a different finish, and the timber used varying in colour.

As for the click joints, the precise dimension's of these joints may alter by a tiny amount, just enough to cause a problem in such floors.

you could go running around all over the place, and spend a considerable time researching colour and the click joints. then you present your findings to the client only to find that the client does not like your choice, so why should they pay you, then an argument ensues.

Worst case scenario, you go chasing around, spend a load of time sourcing what appears to you and the client a dead match, you then rip up the floor and undertake the patch only to be told after the floor has been re-laid that the client does not think the match is as good as could have been obtained, you are then faces with an irate client and an up hill battle to get paid for all the work including research of the product.

One way around the last is to get the client to source and you just undertake the rip up and replace for which you will get paid as you had no part in sourcing the product.

IMO rip up and replace only!

Ken

 

[benjiman]

Thanks Ken! Yes this definitely seems like one that could bite! Agree with your solution, rip out and replace makes total sense. Think the time spent sourcing would just not be worth it.

Cheers!

 

[D_Hailsham]

If the flooring has been damaged it could be an insurance claim. So it might be down to what the insurance company will pay for.