ComplaintsforPryor Floor Company Inc

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Pryor installed flooring May 2023.Significant cracks began to appear within 4-6 months.**** came out to assess the situation, not even removing his boots.He took a humidity reading and immediately blamed us for the multiple significant cracks throughout the main level of our home.We have our humidifier set at 35%.He looked at a few but not all of the cracks.He offered to fill and attempt to color match only the cracks in the kitchen.***** (other owner) called to set up the filling and refused to take any responsibility for the cracks.He said if our home wasn't at 35% humidity, we would see cracks.I asked him if this was such a crucial piece of information, why didn't Pryor notify homeowners upon installation of the vital role of humidity?He refused to take any responsibility. If hickory is the problem, why weren't we advised? He said the filling of the few cracks would only be a temporary fix.When asked what the permanent fix is, he said there isn't one. Which led me to express that we believe that the significant and varied cracks are due to installation error. He immediately dismissed the possibility.How dare I make such an accusation? He was unwilling to personally assess the situation and make a judgmen;.it appeared that he was simply repeating the standard response given to all homeowner experiencing cracking.He didn't ask to see pictures of widespread significant cracks.This is our excuse, period.I told him that it was interesting that the majority of the cracks are in a particular area where one certain installer was working, also leaving a gash in the kitchen cabinet and a space too wide for the floor board to cover.He did not even want to accept an ounce of responsibility that these significant cracks could be Pryor's fault.He laughed at me for suggesting such a thing.I asked him to do the right thing. Having the floors redone will be very inconvenient for us.We thought we were doing business with an upstanding one who would stand by their work.many pics

  Business response

  05/08/2024

  Pryor Floor submitted a proposal to the Mitchells on 7/9/22. The Base Bid was to add x 2 #1 common red oak flooring in the living room & family room, then to sand & finish the existing flooring in the entry, hall, dining room, kitchen, garage entry,closet, & stair ledge. We were asked to provide an option (Opt 1) to remove the existing 2 red oak flooring & furnish, install, sand & finish new x 5 character grade hickory flooring in the above areas. As with any proposal we submit for flooring 3 wide, or wider, we included the Wide Plank Disclaimer (attached)
  
  We submitted an amended proposal on 10/17/22 to substitute x 3 character grade hickory. This was the option chosen by the Mitchells.
  We received a signed proposal from the homeowners on 10/26/22. The work was scheduled to begin on 5/8/23. Even though we received a price increase on the material between 10/26/22 & 5/8/23, it was decided not to increase the price to the homeowners.
  The job concluded on 5/17/23. It appears that a window seat was added at no extra charge to the homeowners.
  We were asked to inspect shrinkage cracks on 5/2/24.There were minor shrinkage cracks observed throughout. The relative humidity was documented at 26%. It was explained to ********************* that if the humidity level could be raised to 35% then the shrinkage cracks would eventually close up naturally. She was mostly concerned about the cracks between the island and cabinets. It was decided that we would send a technician out to spot fill these cracks with a soft filler that will push up once the flooring has closed up.She requested a specific technician of ours to perform this work. When we reached out to schedule this task, she declined.
  Additional information was emailed to the homeowners (attached)describing in more detail the hygroscopic nature of wood flooring.
  We live in a very dry climate, hardwood flooring will expand & contract normally depending on the conditions that it is exposed to.

  Customer response

  05/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 21672965
  
  I am rejecting this response and would like to correct misinformation and get answers to a few questions - rather than a cut and paste copy of an article.

  1.  I am concerned about ALL of the cracks in my less-than-a year-old floor, not just the cracks in the kitchen.

  2.  I did not ask for ***** to come out to repair the cracks but to get a second opinion.

  My questions:

  It appears that we need to define "crack or split in wood flooring".  What I consider significant, you refer to as small (even though you haven't seen all of the cracks).

  1. What is the acceptable size of a crack/split between boards?  Define small?  Define significant?

  2.  Why only fill some of the cracks?

  3.  How long or what humidity level will return the boards to their original shape?

  4.  May i see pictures of Pryor's previous crack filling and floor matching work on hickory with a natural finish?

  5.  What happens to the putty that gets pushed out?  Do you refinish the floor?

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  05/15/2024

  The articles provided came from the ************* Flooring Association. They are the recognized representative for the wood flooring industry. The **** offers industry-wide accepted standards.
  
  You did ask if ***** could come out and render a 2nd opinion. During the initial inspection, I was under the impression that you were most concerned with cracks near the island and a hole at the top of the stairs (see bid dated 5/2/24) and ***** could address those when he was out.
  According to the ****, 1.35mm shrinkage cracks between the boards can be expected in a 2.25 wide strip flooring. Wider width flooring will shrink more, it is a matter of volume. A wider board will shrink more than a narrower board.
  If the proper humidity level can be maintained, the flooring should eventually regain its original dimensions. It would be a waste of time and resources to fill the entire floor if it is expected to close up.
  It took an entire year for the flooring to get to where it is today. I would expect that if a 35% or higher humidity level is maintained it may take up to a year to grow back to its original size.
  We do not have photos of this available, because it is a natural occurrence.
  It is a soft filler. It would get swept up with normal sweeping/maintenance.

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hired this company to ******************* the floors in our new home and the stain didnt produce the color we wanted. We were going for a medium brown but ended up with very light brown with pink and orange tones. When we mentioned this to the owner, he became argumentative and said thats too bad, its not their fault and they wont make it right. He said it was due to the variations of our wood but I think they should have mentioned that as a potential issue and provided some guidance during the consultation when we were choosing a color. We were instructed to choose a color based on a 1x1 sample of stain that was applied to the sanded floor. The gentleman applying the stain said it was brown and wouldnt have any red undertone and he was wrong. The finished floor is very different than the sample! We also ordered custom wood vents to match the floor and the vents are the correct color of brown but they dont match the rest of the floor. The owner was unwilling to resolve the issue in any way and demanded full payment.

  Business response

  05/05/2023

  Our process for letting the customer choose the stain color is very straightforward. We sand a large area on the floor and apply whatever colors the customer wants to see. The size of the samples are usually around 1ft x 1ft. This sufficiently covers approx. 6 boards wide which reflects the variations of color on that particular floor. In this case the floor is a red oak, white oak mix which means that every other board will have a different color. The stain that was chosen does not have any red in it but the color of the boards does show a reddish tint (every other row). During the meeting with the homeowner it was decided that the only option to change the color was to resand and stain the floor. Pryor Floor agreed but was not willing to do this at no cost to the homeowner. Pryor Floor does not take responsibility when a customer picks a color and then decides that they do not like it. Pryor Floor is always willing to make a customer happy  but that doesn't mean that Pryor Floor is automatically responsible to pay for it.

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