Do I need to accept this? (Henderson: houses, neighborhood, contractor)

RecentlyRetired · 11-01-2014, 03:35 AM

I purchased allure vinyl flooring from Home Depot and had it installed in both my master bedroom and bathroom by a local neighborhood handy man. As you can see from the photo, the grout lines do not match up where the bathroom meets the bedroom.

Also, there is a large gap where the two floors meet. The installer says that he wants to put a metal door jam strip over the gap, and feels that he can do nothing about the grout lines not lining up properly.

I told him that the reason the grout lines do not match up is because he laid the flooring in the bathroom to the door jam, and then laid it in the bedroom starting from the opposite wall and working back towards the bathroom. I feel he should have continued from the bathroom into the bedroom as one continuous flow.

Am I wrong? Would anyone accept this as quality workmanship? I want him to tear out the flooring in the bathroom and re-lay it as a continuous flow from the bedroom making sure that the grout lines line up. Doing so would require another three boxes of flooring at a cost of $155.

I also feel that there should be no need for a metal door jam strip separating the two rooms. Am I being unreasonable in refusing to accept the job as it currently is?

lvoc · 11-01-2014, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RecentlyRetired

I purchased allure vinyl flooring from Home Depot and had it installed in both my master bedroom and bathroom by a local neighborhood handy man. As you can see from the photo, the grout lines do not match up where the bathroom meets the bedroom.

Also, there is a large gap where the two floors meet. The installer says that he wants to put a metal door jam strip over the gap, and feels that he can do nothing about the grout lines not lining up properly.

I told him that the reason the grout lines do not match up is because he laid the flooring in the bathroom to the door jam, and then laid it in the bedroom starting from the opposite wall and working back towards the bathroom. I feel he should have continued from the bathroom into the bedroom as one continuous flow.

Am I wrong? Would anyone accept this as quality workmanship? I want him to tear out the flooring in the bathroom and re-lay it as a continuous flow from the bedroom making sure that the grout lines line up. Doing so would require another three boxes of flooring at a cost of $155.

I also feel that there should be no need for a metal door jam strip separating the two rooms. Am I being unreasonable in refusing to accept the job as it currently is?

Cheap flooring guys use metal strips. Properly you align it all to a coordinate system before you lay any. Be cautious however. The grout lines may be different enough in the bath room that you get a pronounced angle with the wall.

MSchu · 11-01-2014, 09:03 AM

just wait until the vinyl begins to shrink in the summer months...

ddrhazy · 11-01-2014, 10:44 AM

Vinyl is usually only installed in kitchens and bathrooms. Any reason why you installed it in your master?

Michael-MS · 11-01-2014, 12:27 PM

When using "local neighborhood handy man" you basically become the contractor/supervisor. Gotta watch over them like hawks while they are working, not after.

WestieJeff · 11-01-2014, 12:49 PM

My guess is you probably paid a cheap price and got a cheap job.

I would probably ask him to tear out the bathroom and re-do it, but at this point, you have to assume you're getting a shoddy job all the way around.

ScoopLV · 11-01-2014, 12:54 PM

It cannot be fixed. It can only be torn out and replaced. (Obviously, tear out the bathroom because it's smaller.)

Your "handyman" isn't going to do it, especially if he has already been paid. This is the kind of work you can expect in the valley. This is why I do these sorts of things myself.

You could have read any of the many threads about flooring that send people to Floor & Decor in Henderson. That isn't the cheap option. But it's the "no headache" option. I've used them for two complete houses and I've been happy both times. (And I bought all the materials for my house and did it myself. So I'm happy with that, too.)

NLVgal · 11-01-2014, 04:37 PM

A good quote I read on LinkedIn: If you think hiring a professional is expensive, try hiring an amateur.