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Anderson Hardwood Flooring Complaint - Failure to honor warranty - Mountain Hickory Hardwood Flooring
Mountain Hickory Hardwood Flooring - Complaint
CALIFORNIA -- Beauty is only skin deep!
About 2 years ago, we purchased some beautiful Anderson hardwood flooring. It was professionally installed by the firm which sold us the flooring. After about a year, we started noticing that the (acrylic?) finish at the ends of several pieces of flooring, at random locations throughout our home, was starting to chip and/or peel. We contacted the dealer and eventually an Anderson representative came out to inspect the flooring. He noted that there was no evidence of damage from water seepage under the wood, and explained that this would be displayed as cupping of the wood which he did not see. This was not surprising, since we had an epoxy floor leveling compound installed on the floor, and a vapor barrier placed above this, by the flooring installers.
The Anderson rep did say that the moisture measurements at some locations were as high as 12%, and that the maximum allowed under the Anderson warranty was 8% humidity. Eventually, we received a letter from Anderson Hardwood Floors stating that the defects were not covered under their warrant because of high humidity. More remarkably, he advised us that we must take exceptional care to keep the floor dry, and pointed out that even when using a spray wood flooring cleaner, we must only dampen a cloth and not spray directly onto the wood.
We find this amazing, considering that for the previous 11 years we lived in a home with comparable Harris-Tarkett wood flooring in the kitchen and all bathrooms, and that the bathroom floors were frequently wet after we exited the shower, and yet there was never any problem with the flooring. In our present home, the defective flooring is in locations that are not generally wet except for possibly water from our shoes when it rains – not too common in southern California.
Regarding the 8% moisture limit referred to by the Anderson rep, online research indicates that a maximum flooring humidity of 8% is not reasonable. At http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/techtalk/woodwater1.html we found the following text: “The ideal moisture content for flooring installation can vary from an extreme of 4 to 18 percent, depending on the wood species, the geographic location of the end product and time of year. Most oak flooring, for example, is milled at 6 to 9 percent.”
We then sent a letter to Anderson Hardwood Flooring asking them to stand behind their warranty, and their response was an unwavering no. They did write back that we had the option of paying for a second, independent inspection. However, the “independent” inspection they offered is not really independent, as their letter states “please sign and send back to me within 14 days of the date of this letter, so we can arrange the inspection.” Obviously, a second inspection arranged by Anderson Flooring can hardly be considered independent.
This flooring is not inexpensive, and we are very disappointed both in the product defects and moreso with Anderson Hardwood Flooring’s failure to honor their warranty.
We will not again consider purchasing a product of Anderson Hardwood Flooring, and pass this information along so that others may avoid the problems we are encountering. If you’re looking for good quality hardwood flooring made by a company that stands behind their product, I suggest that you avoid Anderson Hardwood Flooring products.
About 2 years ago, we purchased some beautiful Anderson hardwood flooring. It was professionally installed by the firm which sold us the flooring. After about a year, we started noticing that the (acrylic?) finish at the ends of several pieces of flooring, at random locations throughout our home, was starting to chip and/or peel. We contacted the dealer and eventually an Anderson representative came out to inspect the flooring. He noted that there was no evidence of damage from water seepage under the wood, and explained that this would be displayed as cupping of the wood which he did not see. This was not surprising, since we had an epoxy floor leveling compound installed on the floor, and a vapor barrier placed above this, by the flooring installers.
The Anderson rep did say that the moisture measurements at some locations were as high as 12%, and that the maximum allowed under the Anderson warranty was 8% humidity. Eventually, we received a letter from Anderson Hardwood Floors stating that the defects were not covered under their warrant because of high humidity. More remarkably, he advised us that we must take exceptional care to keep the floor dry, and pointed out that even when using a spray wood flooring cleaner, we must only dampen a cloth and not spray directly onto the wood.
We find this amazing, considering that for the previous 11 years we lived in a home with comparable Harris-Tarkett wood flooring in the kitchen and all bathrooms, and that the bathroom floors were frequently wet after we exited the shower, and yet there was never any problem with the flooring. In our present home, the defective flooring is in locations that are not generally wet except for possibly water from our shoes when it rains – not too common in southern California.
Regarding the 8% moisture limit referred to by the Anderson rep, online research indicates that a maximum flooring humidity of 8% is not reasonable. At http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/techtalk/woodwater1.html we found the following text: “The ideal moisture content for flooring installation can vary from an extreme of 4 to 18 percent, depending on the wood species, the geographic location of the end product and time of year. Most oak flooring, for example, is milled at 6 to 9 percent.”
We then sent a letter to Anderson Hardwood Flooring asking them to stand behind their warranty, and their response was an unwavering no. They did write back that we had the option of paying for a second, independent inspection. However, the “independent” inspection they offered is not really independent, as their letter states “please sign and send back to me within 14 days of the date of this letter, so we can arrange the inspection.” Obviously, a second inspection arranged by Anderson Flooring can hardly be considered independent.
This flooring is not inexpensive, and we are very disappointed both in the product defects and moreso with Anderson Hardwood Flooring’s failure to honor their warranty.
We will not again consider purchasing a product of Anderson Hardwood Flooring, and pass this information along so that others may avoid the problems we are encountering. If you’re looking for good quality hardwood flooring made by a company that stands behind their product, I suggest that you avoid Anderson Hardwood Flooring products.
Comments:
Posted by Gravel Girty on 2005-09-30:
You should hire a lawyer and sue the company. Looks like a sure win.
Posted by 978misty on 2009-01-08:
We also bought an anderson product and they failed to honor any warranty. Our floor is Bruce Dundee solid hardwood. Immediately after the professional installation I found splits and crushed edges. More than 30, some are 23 inches long. The store sent out a rep from Bruce and he claims our home conditions were to blame. Our home temp was 67 and humidity 44%. Everyone says this is within the suggested limits. I don't know, that is why we hired professionals to do the job. Does anyone have any comments that can help? The National Wood Flooring Association recommends us hiring an independent inspector but that will cost another $295.
Posted by Frustrated Homeowner on 2013-03-18:
A rep from Anderson Floors came to assess our flooring in the main level and sure enough he said that the air is too dry in our house and that caused the delamination on our floor. After setting his humudity tester on my table, he went ahead and talked to someone on his phone, a personal call it seemed while walking around my kitchen. He then open my trashcan and throw some trash without asking permission, how rude. He said his humidity tester reads 27 when our whole house humidifier is set at 40. I went upstairs to see my own humidity reader and it is at 50. I am waiting for the letter from them denying my warranty claim before I counter. We have engineered wood floor in my entire basement and have no problem with it.
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