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[quote=mjh;373048]How many people are having issues with armstrong laminate floors? I know of three families in my neighborhood (including me). I know of one other person on this forum, and I think I read someone else said that they were having flooring issues, too.
I am not sure exactly all the issues you have with your floor, but mine are "peeling". They have cracks and splinters in many boards and I am finding more everyday. At first they told me it is because of the cleaner I am using, but then I went out and bought the Bruce hardwood cleaner and it is still happening. mjh- you mentioned about getting a refund. What my husband and I are asking instead is to have the hardwood replaced with ceramic in the kitchen and powder room. To the best of my knowledge, ceramic is less expensive than hardwoods. So they would be making out on this deal but the time involved is intensive. But either way I do not want that floor back again. My foyer just got replaced because it had a "dull" finish to it as compared to the kitchen. I agree with your meet up here in Charlotte, if we all stick together, we could get more accomplished, and in a more timely fashion. As far as the rest of the house and McCar as a whole, I would buy this house again, well actually I would build instead but time restrictions did not allow us. I have not had any problem with McCar as far as resolving the issues but like it was stated before, if you are a thorn in their side, they won't forget you are there and things will get done. Many phone calls and persistance pays off to get things resolved and if you are respectful to them, they will return the favor and help out in anyway they can. Its all a matter of you treat others as you would want to be treated in return. I would recommend a McCar home as they do give you more square footage for your money and if they have the responsible subcontractors, quality is not bad. IMO
How many people are having issues with armstrong laminate floors? I know of three families in my neighborhood (including me). I know of one other person on this forum, and I think I read someone else said that they were having flooring issues, too.
I am not sure exactly all the issues you have with your floor, but mine are "peeling". They have cracks and splinters in many boards and I am finding more everyday. At first they told me it is because of the cleaner I am using, but then I went out and bought the Bruce hardwood cleaner and it is still happening. mjh- you mentioned about getting a refund. What my husband and I are asking instead is to have the hardwood replaced with ceramic in the kitchen and powder room. To the best of my knowledge, ceramic is less expensive than hardwoods. So they would be making out on this deal but the time involved is intensive. But either way I do not want that floor back again. My foyer just got replaced because it had a "dull" finish to it as compared to the kitchen. I agree with your meet up here in Charlotte, if we all stick together, we could get more accomplished, and in a more timely fashion. As far as the rest of the house and McCar as a whole, I would buy this house again, well actually I would build instead but time restrictions did not allow us. I have not had any problem with McCar as far as resolving the issues but like it was stated before, if you are a thorn in their side, they won't forget you are there and things will get done. Many phone calls and persistance pays off to get things resolved and if you are respectful to them, they will return the favor and help out in anyway they can. Its all a matter of you treat others as you would want to be treated in return. I would recommend a McCar home as they do give you more square footage for your money and if they have the responsible subcontractors, quality is not bad. IMO
Not really sure if this helps, but, I had discussed the flooring about a year ago with one of the sales associates for McCar. She mentioned to me then that while she should not be saying anything to me (as it could hurt her job), that she had ironically just had a meeting about the flooring. (Again, this was a year ago) She said we, homeowners, should get together on the flooring problem with McCar and pursue some sort of resolution. Apparently, many other homeowners had voiced unhappiness about this type of flooring. She didn't come right out and say it, but, she felt the hardwoods listed for upgrade were misrepresented. Just some food for thought.
How many people are having issues with armstrong laminate floors? I know of three families in my neighborhood (including me). I know of one other person on this forum, and I think I read someone else said that they were having flooring issues, too.
I am not sure exactly all the issues you have with your floor, but mine are "peeling". They have cracks and splinters in many boards and I am finding more everyday. At first they told me it is because of the cleaner I am using, but then I went out and bought the Bruce hardwood cleaner and it is still happening. mjh- you mentioned about getting a refund. What my husband and I are asking instead is to have the hardwood replaced with ceramic in the kitchen and powder room. To the best of my knowledge, ceramic is less expensive than hardwoods. So they would be making out on this deal but the time involved is intensive. But either way I do not want that floor back again. My foyer just got replaced because it had a "dull" finish to it as compared to the kitchen. I agree with your meet up here in Charlotte, if we all stick together, we could get more accomplished, and in a more timely fashion. As far as the rest of the house and McCar as a whole, I would buy this house again, well actually I would build instead but time restrictions did not allow us. I have not had any problem with McCar as far as resolving the issues but like it was stated before, if you are a thorn in their side, they won't forget you are there and things will get done. Many phone calls and persistance pays off to get things resolved and if you are respectful to them, they will return the favor and help out in anyway they can. Its all a matter of you treat others as you would want to be treated in return. I would recommend a McCar home as they do give you more square footage for your money and if they have the responsible subcontractors, quality is not bad. IMO
md to nc----I do not yet have this problem with my floors, (keeping my fingers crossed) but, I've seen two neighbors with this same problem you've described, especially the cracking and peeling. They were told it was water damage or cleaners used. I've used Bruce since the day we moved in. I've had no problems with Bruce whatsoever. But, one of the flooring "guys" that had done some work on the floors said to use Bona (sold at Ace Hardware) and not Bruce. He said Bruce leaves a residue build-up. Well, I ran out and got that Bona and tried it right away. It left 'smearing' on the hardwoods. I did not like the way the Bona dried on the floors at all. Went back to using Bruce and my floors shine nicely. How long have you been in your home? (The two neighbors I mentioned have been in theirs just over 2 years and the major problem areas are by the front doors and the kitchen doors leading to the back decks.)
I am not sure exactly all the issues you have with your floor, but mine are "peeling". They have cracks and splinters in many boards and I am finding more everyday.
We have that problem, too. But, as I understand it, that problem is a symptom of improper installation. If there's insufficient spacing between the wall and the floor, differences in temperature will cause the boards to expand slightly. This can result in buckling (the primary symptom that we're seeing) and making the floors less resilient. As a consequence they chip a lot easier.
Quote:
At first they told me it is because of the cleaner I am using, but then I went out and bought the Bruce hardwood cleaner and it is still happening.
They tried that track on me, too. But we have used absolutely nothing but the prescribed cleaner. One of the subs who came in and worked on the floor was absolutely convinced that someone had wet mopped our floor - we have not. Apparently, this would cause the boards to expand, and excerbate any spacing problems. This same guy told us if we ever spill anything on the floors, we're basically doomed. First, I'm skeptical of this claim. But if true, why on earth would they recommend this floor as being a good choice for kids! And why would you ever install it in a kitchen?
Quote:
What my husband and I are asking instead is to have the hardwood replaced with ceramic in the kitchen and powder room. To the best of my knowledge, ceramic is less expensive than hardwoods. So they would be making out on this deal but the time involved is intensive.
McCar did this for one of our neighbors who was having problems with their laminates. We might try this, too. But, don't discount the cost of labor. I don't know the relative costs of tile vs laminate, but the total cost of the product to McCar has to include the cost of labor.
Quote:
I agree with your meet up here in Charlotte, if we all stick together, we could get more accomplished, and in a more timely fashion.
As far as the meetup goes, I'm not sure how we would go about this. I think the purpose would be to learn what the general problems are that we're having. If we all are experiencing the same problem, then we have some reasonable ground to stand on. If we're all experiencing completely different problems then there's very little point. The value of meeting is (I think) to identify common problems in order to suggest that the problem is widespread and suggest some other resolution than what's been done so far.
With that in mind, I think we first need to discuss what specific problems we're having. And if we can find common problems then I would think the appropriate response would be:
Each of us individually call the McCar warranty representatives that we've been dealing with and inform them that we've found a large number of other McCar homeowners who are experiencing the same problem as us. We'd like to discuss an alternative resolution.
If that doesn't work, then we compose a letter that all of us sign, stating that we wish to see an alternative resolution to the problem.
If that doesn't work, we need to contact an attorney.
I'm not a lawyer (and I don't play anything on TV . This is my best guess as to a reasonable approach. First, if you have a better idea, then by all means say something. Second, I think we need to give McCar every reasonable oppurtunity to rectify the situation. I think getting a lawyer involved should be the absolute *LAST* resort.
So, here are my specific complaints with my laminate flooring:
There are gaps in between the boards in several places.
There are several places where the boards are buckling at the seam.
There are several places where the floor visibly deflects when you step on it. You can feel this as you walk over it.
There are high and low points in the slab subfloor. You can feel them as you walk over them.
There are several places where the boards are chipping and falling apart.
The entire floor is impossible to keep clean. It smudges and scratches incredibly easily and using the perscribed cleaning products does not seem to help. This product was sold as a good product for kids. It does not stand up to even delicate treatment by adults.
We have that problem, too. But, as I understand it, that problem is a symptom of improper installation. If there's insufficient spacing between the wall and the floor, differences in temperature will cause the boards to expand slightly. This can result in buckling (the primary symptom that we're seeing) and making the floors less resilient. As a consequence they chip a lot easier.They tried that track on me, too. But we have used absolutely nothing but the prescribed cleaner. One of the subs who came in and worked on the floor was absolutely convinced that someone had wet mopped our floor - we have not. Apparently, this would cause the boards to expand, and excerbate any spacing problems. This same guy told us if we ever spill anything on the floors, we're basically doomed. First, I'm skeptical of this claim. But if true, why on earth would they recommend this floor as being a good choice for kids! And why would you ever install it in a kitchen?McCar did this for one of our neighbors who was having problems with their laminates. We might try this, too. But, don't discount the cost of labor. I don't know the relative costs of tile vs laminate, but the total cost of the product to McCar has to include the cost of labor.As far as the meetup goes, I'm not sure how we would go about this. I think the purpose would be to learn what the general problems are that we're having. If we all are experiencing the same problem, then we have some reasonable ground to stand on. If we're all experiencing completely different problems then there's very little point. The value of meeting is (I think) to identify common problems in order to suggest that the problem is widespread and suggest some other resolution than what's been done so far.
With that in mind, I think we first need to discuss what specific problems we're having. And if we can find common problems then I would think the appropriate response would be:
Each of us individually call the McCar warranty representatives that we've been dealing with and inform them that we've found a large number of other McCar homeowners who are experiencing the same problem as us. We'd like to discuss an alternative resolution.
If that doesn't work, then we compose a letter that all of us sign, stating that we wish to see an alternative resolution to the problem.
If that doesn't work, we need to contact an attorney.
I'm not a lawyer (and I don't play anything on TV . This is my best guess as to a reasonable approach. First, if you have a better idea, then by all means say something. Second, I think we need to give McCar every reasonable oppurtunity to rectify the situation. I think getting a lawyer involved should be the absolute *LAST* resort.
So, here are my specific complaints with my laminate flooring:
There are gaps in between the boards in several places.
There are several places where the boards are buckling at the seam.
There are several places where the floor visibly deflects when you step on it. You can feel this as you walk over it.
There are high and low points in the slab subfloor. You can feel them as you walk over them.
There are several places where the boards are chipping and falling apart.
The entire floor is impossible to keep clean. It smudges and scratches incredibly easily and using the perscribed cleaning products does not seem to help. This product was sold as a good product for kids. It does not stand up to even delicate treatment by adults.
What are your complaints?
Would it be safe to assume that this product is used in all states McCar builds in? My floors do shine, but, the floors are definitely not 'forgiving' to anything that falls onto them. Just about everyone I've talked to in my neighborhood hates the flooring. That's why I talked to the sales associate last year. (read above post) I'm thinking it's a builder-wide issue, not just a specific area. Then again, I don't know for sure. I've verbally recommended homeowners to call warrenty enforce, but, it seems many people just complain about the floors but don't actually do anything about finding a solution. So, it's kinda fallen by the wayside here.....
md to nc----How long have you been in your home? (The two neighbors I mentioned have been in theirs just over 2 years and the major problem areas are by the front doors and the kitchen doors leading to the back decks.)
dsolnmsol --I have only been in my home since end of November. I used the Swiffer wet jet for one month when I was told not to. I then started using the Bruce strictly. But on the foyer, the dulling was from the day we settled. The peeling started a month later. Although I stopped the wet Jet almost two months ago, they are getting worse. Its happening the worse around my island, not near the sink or door. More near my island and pantry. It is ironic where it is happening because it is not near water. In my powder room, it is happening near the door, not near the toilet or sink.
Because this single thread is getting a bit, well crowded, I've created a google group specifically for discussion about being a McCar Homeowner. You can get to it by going to:
http://groups.google.com/group/mccarhomeowners
It's open for anyone to join. But I would like for us to keep the topics related being a McCar Homeowner.
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. This is my best guess as to a reasonable approach. First, if you have a better idea, then by all means say something. Second, I think we need to give McCar every reasonable oppurtunity to rectify the situation. I think getting a lawyer involved should be the absolute *LAST* resort.
mcchar
