Laminate floor damage - builder blaming us!

T

TedStriker71

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Hi All,

Long story short we're in a new build property just over a year old and have had issues with the flooring. It has recently been replaced and we have noticed some damage on the end of a plank. The builder is saying that as we didn't report it immediately they are not liable and that we must have damaged it since installation. I have added a picture below showing the damage. Can anyone advise how this is likely to have happened? There is the main chip, which is a couple of mm across and white marking on the board. Looks like damage during installation to me. The flooring is Audacity 12mm Laminate.

Thanks,
Ted

IMG_4971.jpeg
 
Without photos before and after the builders story is plausible especially after a year of occupation. Impossible to say who caused it and how. The plank looks fairly inexpensive cheap, can you not buy a replacement pack for this and any future damage.

Blup
 
blup said:
Without photos before and after the builders story is plausible especially after a year of occupation. Impossible to say who caused it and how. The plank looks fairly inexpensive cheap, can you not buy a replacement pack for this and any future damage.

Blup
Click to expand...
Hi
We moved in a year ago but the flooring was replaced only a couple of weeks ago due to other problems. We 100% did not cause this damage. It's not so much about the cost of the panel, but the labour involved in ripping the rest of the floor up to get to it.
Cheers, Ted
 
freddiemercurystwin said:
How long after they replaced the floor did you notice and then report the chip?
Click to expand...
It was about 10 days. You don't really see it from 5/6ft up when you're walking on it, it was only noticed when I sat on the stairs by it so I was lower down. A bit of googling about how the floors are laid suggests it was caused by a tapping block slipping, which would make perfect sense. We've had the same floor in the rest of the house for a year and there's not a mark on it, it seems extremely tough.
 
TedStriker71 said:
It was about 10 days. You don't really see it from 5/6ft up when you're walking on it, it was only noticed when I sat on the stairs by it so I was lower down. A bit of googling about how the floors are laid suggests it was caused by a tapping block slipping, which would make perfect sense. We've had the same floor in the rest of the house for a year and there's not a mark on it, it seems extremely tough.
Click to expand...

I have no idea who is responsible, but given that you have a click flooring, I can't see how it is related to tapping blocks.

I have used tapping blocks/bars when running laminate flooring from one room through to the hallway, but that was only because I was running the floor backwards.

It may be possible that the installers damaged it, but it is hard to say.

Can you zoom out to take a photo of it in context.

The easiest option might be to use some artist paints mixed in with filler.

The cheapest option would be to use some grey 2 pack filler (with acrylic artist paints to tint it).

It is a 5 minute job to make it nearly invisible.
 
You might find colorfill in a suitable shade, the stuff kitchen fitters use

Blup
 
I understand it is frustrating on a new floor but unfortunately you cannot prove it and so they are unlikely to budge. This type of damage can happen at any time, if something is dropped or something is scraped. It is most likely to have come out of the packet like that but impossible to say for sure.

I have used colorfill on much bigger chips than that and it is almost unnoticeable even when kneeling.
 
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