Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Professional installation gone bad ... i think?

We need your help! We just had a laminate installation done by a professional and are very unhappy with it. I will tell you why and was hoping you could tell if I am right to be unhappy. The installer laid the laminate with the same pattern. This means there is basically a diagnal line across the whole room in every room. He spaced each new row about 8 inches apart. He didn't stagger the pattern but repeated it over and over. Also there are transitions into each room (even though it is all laminate. On top of it the laminate bevelled edges on each side of the laminate do not match up. I thought they should atleast be consistent. Lastly, there are lengths that were cut to be only 4 inches and less which looks really funny. Please tell me your opinion.. I need to know if I am crazy. Thanks so much!

Can you take some pictures, post them to a photobucket.com site, then paste the IMG url back in here?

The seams should be staggered, and they should have pulled planks from seperate boxes to keep the pattern alternating.

Did they put down a vapor barrier?

Definetly need some pictures to get a better idea, just like HotinKC said.

As far as transition strips are concerned - Was this to be a "true floating floor"? Or just a laminate floor installed over a plywood subfloor?

What was the manufacture of the hardwood flooring? Some manufactures, not many mind you will sell you flooring that is all the same length, (bamboo flooring is mainly like this). If this was the case, and the flooring was not Random Length - the installer should have explained options in laying out the floor. As far as the shorter pieces, it sounds as though he was running out of flooring and was using all the scrap pieces as he went. Normally you order 3-4% extra flooring for waste factor.

Did you provide the flooring?

Will Wait to hear back...

Greg - Retired Hardwood Floor Installer/Refinisher
Maine

Wilsonart has in there instructions, to stair step as you described. I don't do it but it is acceptable to every manufacturer as long as the end joint spacing is right.

Every floating floor manufacturer REQUIRES a "T" molding between rooms with doorways less then 5 feet wide, some manufacturers are more, so slightly less, but a 36 inch doorway gats a "T" molding to maintain the expansion space and keep the warranty intact. There is also a running length maximum, that a "T" molding is used right in the middle of the room, if it is big enough. Some it is as little as 22 feet before a "T" is required.

4" boards work, if they are the ends, and glued in.

Have you even read the installation requirements??? Sounds like your installers followed the book, as they should. It is the salesman that didn't educate you before the sale, so your expectaions could be met. Too late now.

Post some pics. The seems should be staggered. I know a 4" piece would be fine for and end piece, but 2"? Sounds like he was messing up on his cut/measuring on the piece before the last not leaving enough room for a decent size piece. Everything else seems right as far as the transfer's and such. Just my 2 cents.

i guess he disappeared :-( . i wonder what happened with the floor. but if i understand him right, that floor would not look good to me.

That floor sounds just like every floor that i go to repair here in Florida. The geniuses will put in expansion joints in the doorways, and then nail it right to the laminate on both sides! As long as that wasn't done that the floor should be sound at least.