Would you settle for a patch job on new flooring or make the plumber replace the whole floor?

Question

I had the plumbers in here on Friday to install a cutoff valve in hopes of getting a new refrigerator soon. I just had a "floating" vinyl floor installed 6 months ago. Good Armstrong high quality flooring. When the plumber moved my old peg-legged (no rollers on this baby) refrigerator he tore and "X" 4 inch by 4 inch section of my new flooring. They want to patch it. I say replace it. If it had been 4 or 5 years old I could live with a patch. I saved a long time to get this flooring installed. I paid cash for the materials and installation. What would you do??

Well good news!!! The plumbing company has agreed to replace my flooring. The President of the Company came out himself and said "if it was my house I would want it replaced too". End of story - problem solved. Thank you all for your answers. And oh Bob, nanananana!!!

Answer 1

Of course the contractors will tell you to patch it, they don't have to live with the floor. Is it too much to ask that the appliance be moved properly, is this his first job. A responsible contractor carries a set of furniture, appliance movers to avoid this situation. There is no way to patch this floor without leaving an obvious defect. Demand a new floor and if they don't respond, call the plumbers association and the better business bureau. That's the cost of doing business carelessly. If he broke your sink would you let him patch it, if it's a real business, he has liability insurance. Once you agree to a patch you are relinquishing your claim

Answer 2

Uncle Bob is funny. The plumber screws up your floor and it is somehow your responsibility too. Why can't people just admit they made a mistake and fix it ? But back to your question. Take a couple of pictures of the damage, just so you have a record of what it looked like. Then give them a chance to fix it. If you're still not happy then go for complete replacement of the area necessary to eliminate the damage. If the damage is on the south side of your kitchen, why would you replace the vinyl on the north side ? I've had my floor patched before (different type of vinyl) and you couldn't even tell if you didn't know where it was. If this doesn't make you happy ,then push for a new floor.

Answer 3

It's difficult to fix all the blame in one place here. This kind of thing happens when homeowners, who do not understand construction, schedule their projects out of sequence. The plumber should have taken care to have all the equipment needed to move the appliance, but I'll bet the homeowner didn't empty the fridge to make it easier to move, knowing the fridge had NO WHEELS. Don't you think the cut-off valve, what ever that is, should have been installed prior to the new floor going in, so the old fridge only had to be moved once more to be replaced, rather than risk damage to the new floor with multiple moves with NO WHEELS. Then again a set of wheels (costing about $20.00) could have been installed to the fridge while the new floor was going in. There seems to be plenty of blame to go around. Take the Armstrong approved patch, professionally installed, and learn the lesson to think ahead when planning home improvements. The floor covering is NOT going to last forever anyway.

Answer 4

if it was an independent contractor I would probably go for the patch, just because of human compassion. If it was a big company that was probably going to be able to write it off I would probably insist on a new floor. I am sure either way they didn't do it on purpose and a patch on an Armstrong floor will work fine and not even be noticeable unless you point it out. An independent would probably cost a weeks wages for your floor. Could you live without a weeks pay? I don't mean that as a smart alec. I just wonder if the contractor could live without a weeks pay.

Answer 5

How is it which you probably did no longer fall for the duration of the hollow or perhaps word? besides, you may sq. it up with a around observed after ensuring no wires, plumbing and so on. is interior the way. Set the intensity of the blade to easily previous the thickness of the plywood so which you do no longer decrease too deeply into the floor joists. Trim it so as which you disclose a million/2 of the floor joists to the two ingredient. they must be sixteen" aside. in case you're actually not constructive of the thicknessof the plywood, take it to a ironmongery save (lumber) and locate certainly one of equivalent thickness. now and lower back you do no longer ought to purchase the completed 4 x 8 ft sheet. lower back on the homestead , placed the plywood over the hollow, and from below scribe with a pencil the define of the hollow. Draw an arrow to orient it to a minimum of one process your figuring out on. decrease the board to the periphery of the line you drew, and you're quite much completed. turn it over and place it over the hollow, preserving the arrow pointed interior the same course you initially drew it. Nail it (or screw) into place and sprinkle talcum powder around the sides to maintain the timber from squeeking in a while. timber expands and contracts with the humidity, so it is going to squeek finally in case you do no longer. Sounds complicated, despite the fact that this is not particularly. have exciting.

Answer 6

The plumber's mistake was in moving your refrigerator at all. He should have told you to move it out of his way so he could do his job, which is PLUMBING, not rigging and moving. Wouldn't it have made more sense to install the valve when the new fridge is delivered instead of moving the old, wheeless refrigerator twice?

Answer 7

I assume this flooring is not glued down if it is not he may not have the option of patching because if the glue is applied around the patch and the rest of the floor is floating the patch will not expand or contract with the rest of the floor

Answer 8

You assumed liability when you hired the plumber. Your fridge had pegs instead of rollers, to bad. It's not his fault.
Had he hired five people to come in and move it would you pay?
I have done this, with people like you, it has come out just fine but they still cry, the court will rule for the plumber.

Answer 9

if it is a true floating floor its not a sheet and can easily patched but if you have a sheet of vinyl its not very old
if they hire a good flooring guy it to can be patched at least let them try you might be surprised with the results

Answer 10

depends on how well the patch will look when its done. If you think its possible for it to look the same as it did before or so close that any normal person wouldnt notice it then let him patch it. But if you think it cant be patched without it looking like crap then replace it.