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We are building a home. We selected a solid pine floor which comes prefinished. It has tongue-and-groove on the sides, but not the ends. The builder & installer did NOT cut the ends of the boards to ensure tight square butt joints, so we have a large number of but joints with out-of-square gaps. See photos.

The builder and installer said that the supplier (a third generation outfit in GA) told them they shouldn't cut the ends in order to preserve the finished ends of the boards. When I spoke with the supplier he said "I told them no such thing! They should have cut them and then used the can of finish that came with the wood to finish the cut edge." That is what makes sense to me. The builder's story doesn't make a lick of sense except that they were trying to get the work done fast and cheap.

What are the acceptable standards for installation of solid pine flooring?

Thanks much!
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208_man
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What you show is not acceptable. Without seeing the overall floor I couldn't say whether the whole job is unacceptable or just those few spots. It looks to me like his miter saw is off by a degree or a half. Some of the gaps along the long edge could be from the floor boards not being a uniform width but if that's the case you generally use those where it's not noticeable.

Platinum Goose
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I've never seen flooring like this installed without mitering the edges. Filling in those gaps with a wood filler and refinishing would look terrible. Tongue and grove is done for a tight fit and ensures a tight butt joint but the ends have to be cut. This is definitely unacceptable and you should be getting back with the installer,

JACK
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The agency that controls grades, tolerances, installation requirements, etc. is the MFMA, which started with maple flooring, but has beached out to include many species and grades. See below:

https://www.maplefloor.org/MFMAMainSite/media/Technical-Literature/MFMA-Resid-Broch-FINAL.pdf

This installation is not acceptable for most exposed flooring installations. (Maybe okay for closets, etc.).

There is nothing in the Code that requires specific tolerances for wood flooring. If you did not establish tolerances or installation requirements before work started, it will be difficult to reject the installation now that it’s complete. Did you say “like my neighbors house “? Or like the display at the local flooring store? If so, you could ask for it to be repaired.

Did the wood come pre-cut, with installation instructions, etc.? If so, you could show that it is not installed properly.

Installation instructions would also require the wood be acclimated and for how long, etc. If the boards were not acclimated then your worst problems are ahead of you.

Edit:

Contractors are required to be licensed. If he is not licensed where you live (call the local building code department) then you do not have to pay him. If he is, you could contact the local contractors license agency and ask their advice. They have committees that review problems like this and help resolve these issues. (Here it’s called the Builder’s Board.)

Lee Sam
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When I spoke with the supplier he said "I told them no such thing! They should have cut them and then used the can of finish that came with the wood to finish the cut edge."

Not sure what else there is to discuss.

There's no such thing as a home improvement police so you need to fight this with the builder yourself.

If you can get the supplier to repeat their words in writing, such as email, then that would be good to have.

MonkeyZeus
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