Quarter sawn oak for livingroom
I recently installed Three Towers Quarter Sawn white oak in my livingroom. This flooring is the WORST I have ever worked with. To start, I was short-shipped 15sq feet from my order. The flooring is irregular in depth and height (by 1/16" to 1/8"). Each and every end had to be sanded before installing....or the finish would break off when boards were butted together. I had 72 boards that were 18" or less in length from 385sq feet. Several of the boards had grooves milled on both ends, and 3 boards were straight cut on both ends. The wood is VERY soft and dents easily. Over 1/4 of my order was not cut on a quarter sawn. And, when all of the above was brought to the attention of the General Manager, I was not responded to. Further, the wood is finished in Georgetown Ontario...and they encourage the customer to travel there to collect the material. I am extremely dissapointed with this product, would NEVER buy from Three Towers Flooring again, and STRONGLY encourage others to steer clear!!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $2,400.00
- Company Response
This customer purchased approx 400 square feet of flooring and called in with complaints about the bevels chipping during install and that she she didn't have enough wood to finish the job. She argued with us before coming to pick up the flooring because she wanted free delivery, and we informed her this was not possible as delivery is a contracted service. Regarding her complaints, we asked to speak to her installer so that we could get to the cause of the problem. She replied that she was installing the floor herself and she knew what she was doing. We informed her that our own installers had installed the exact same floor on an order much larger than hers and the material was perfect. We mentioned that perhaps she should check the pressure on her compressor, and maybe she should try using a different nailer/staples/cleats in case. We informed that we will stand behind the product and that she should stop installing if she thought wood was defective, in which case the wood would be replaced at no cost to her. We informed her that since she is in Hamilton and we are in Toronto, and since she had a relatively small order it might take a few days for us to get a chance to get out to see her. She proceeded to install and sent her husband the following day to pick up an extra box of flooring, which was given to them at no charge. We checked the packing slip and verified she received enough wood, we checked the bevels and didn't understand how it was possible for them to chip. We tried nailing them on plywood, we tried banging them with a mallet and we couldn't see any chipping. We had installed the exact same material a week earlier on an order about 10 times the size of hers and had no issues at all. We called the installers who did that job and asked him if he had any issues with that material, and he said it was perfect. Since the customer had already installed the floor, she was from out of town and it was a relatively small order we closed the file and have never heard back from her. With regards to the customer saying we expect them to pick up in Georgetown, stock items are held in Etobicoke, custom orders are in Georgetown. I can't change the location of the plant, and if your budget doesn't allow you to pay $100 for delivery, than you are welcome to go to the factory to pick it up for no charge.
We install approximately 85% of what we sell, and we recomend that you use a professional installer to install your hardwood flooring.
Do it yourselfers tend to have a lot more problems during their install and tend to a seek a great deal of guidance when they install their own floors. While some people may consider themselves handy(they may have installed 2 or 3 floors in their lives, that does not make them a professional. A professional, certified installer will have installed hundreds of floors a year, and that in itself can make all the difference in the out come of your floor. Obviously there are certain qualities and expertise that make a professional a professional. Many problems experienced by do it yourselfers and weekend warriors are due to among other things: improper climatization of the wood, setting the pressure on the compressor too high or too low, using the wrong type of nailer, using cleats when they should use staples, or using staples when they should be using cleats. It might entail removing and replacing a board that was damaged or cracked, and you might have to replace a board after it's been installed.
What we all have to understand is that there are guidelines and mechanisms in place to judge the quality of the floor, but how are we to judge the quality of the installer?
While we can't make everyone happy, our policy has always been if there is a problem we will do the needful to fix it. The general rule in the flooring industry is "if it's laid it's paid". So unopened boxes are easily refunded or replaced in the unlikely event they are proven to be defective. However proceeding to install material that you claim is defective will void your warranty. Rest assured we will stand behind our products. No ifs, ands or buts. We are never happy when a customer complains, but we do find that job site complaints are resolved much more smoothly when there is a professional installer on site.