Carpets, Lino & Flooring

Causes of tenting with solid oak floorboards laid on concrete floor

Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 2.52 PM

5 months ago, we had solid oak tongue and groove floorboards laid on to concrete floor. Our builders put a thin foam underlay over the concrete floor before laying the boards. It is difficult to ascertain what adhesive, if any, has been used to secure the floorboards in place. Two months ago, the floorboards started tenting in different places, to a height of 10 centimetres! The builders came to examine the problem and said that the tenting had been caused by water coming in through the patio doors and as such, they were not responsible for this. We have examined the patio door thoroughly and there has also been heavy rainfall since that time and no water has come into the house and so we have ruled this out as being the cause. Further, in trying to establish the cause of the damage to the floor, the builders pulled up quite a few of the boards quite haphazardly which caused further damage and just left them in the garden. We have really been left in the lurch here by these builders. Not surprisingly, our insurance company has said that they believe that the damage has been caused by contractor negligence and so there is no claim to be made. The builders are maintaining that they are not responsible for the damage and are not prepared to make good. They have made no concessions but have said that they will replace the boards in the damaged area for a fee and that we will have to pay for new floorboards! Apart from the underhanded way that they are behaving, I simply do not trust them any longer to carry out a satisfactory job and am also concerned that the entire floor and not just the damaged area, will now need replacing as it has not been laid properly. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the possible causes of the tenting and also what redress, if any, we have against our builders? Many thanks, Michael