Gotta Vent - Homeownership!!!! Arggh

[rob07002]

I just have to vent somewhere right now. I'm sooooo pissed. I get woken out of bed last night at around 3:30 to a loud crash. Something downstairs fell and smashed all over the floor. I jump out of bed thinking it maybe a burgler, but my alarm didn't go off and it wasn't the kitty cause he was sleeping in our room and was scared $hitless. So I grab my 14" Gerber Bowie and a flashlight and go down to see what the hell happened. Half aslpeep I turn the kitchen lights on to see a ceramic decoration that was hanging over one of the doorways smashed in a hundred pieces. I had it mounted using one of the pos 3M double sided tape hooks that are rated for 5lbs. Well I look up and its just about falling off so, so much for that crap..

Upon further inspection is see two gashes in my hardwood floor where the pos decoration hit... WTF!!!!!!!!! the disgust just washed all over me. I spent umptine thousands of dollar for this floor and now I have two strips that are crap.... I just hope this can be fixed! Can't wait to hear how much this is going to cost...

Any contracters with this experience, please chime in to tell me what I can do..

Sorry for the rant, but not having a good day....

[gearbanger]

Okay, first of all, get a d@mn gun. You go and try to scuffle with a burgalar with a knife and you are liable to wind up looking like swiss cheese. Nobody hand to hand combats anymore. If the guy is armed, which he is an idiot if he isn't and he is breaking into someones house at night while they are home, he ain't gonna have a knife or a pair of brass knuckles.

Otherwise, sorry for the floor dude, Yes home ownership has it's ups and downs. I am still waiting for the ups.

[Rick Dorion]

A shotgun doesn't need too much aiming

My oak hardwood floors have some nice 'patina' too :)

[TonyL]

theres a few things you can do.

1st sand the floor down, and fill the gash with filler.

Is it a pergo type tounge and groove floor? or are we talking 1/2 inch or bigger actual hardwood?

Pergo can be replaced easy. A skilled guy with a razor knife can remove a plank and replace it without removing the whole floor.

[rob07002]

I hear you about the guns, but I don't own any.. Jersey's a real pita about getting a permit, plus my wife probably thinks it might accidentally go off in her direction one day, LOL! I figured holding a blade was better then holding my johnson....

Tony, its real 3/4" oak hardwood, tongue and groove... I already spoke to the installer and they are calling back with an estimate. As I understand they have to cut the tongue on the strips that are damaged and remove the are and replace, glue, and done.. What sucks is its only 2 4' long strips that are dmagaed but if the floor place doesn't have any lying around I have to buy a box which will be a few hundred $$ plus labor...

[TonyL]

yep. Depending on the size of scratch, you can fill some of the smaller ones. Some guys can make it impossible to tell.

[Rick Dorion]

I would think they'd have pieces left over from other jobs.

Didn't know you'd need a permit for a shotgun :)

I understand the angst

[Norwoodx55]

If they try to make you pay for a whole box, call someone else. It comes in bundles, banded together, with random lengths. Like Rick said, there is always some left over from other jobs. Several pieces usually end up in the dumpsters on the job sites I'm at. If you have a hard time getting just your 2 pieces, let me know, I'll get them for you. No charge. Good luck.
Brett

[toxicz28]

Didn't know you'd need a permit for a shotgun :)


He lives in Jersey, you need a permit for a water gun there.

[muthstryker]

I hear you about the guns, but I don't own any.. Jersey's a real pita about getting a permit, plus my wife probably thinks it might accidentally go off in her direction one day, LOL! I figured holding a blade was better then holding my johnson....

Tony, its real 3/4" oak hardwood, tongue and groove... I already spoke to the installer and they are calling back with an estimate. As I understand they have to cut the tongue on the strips that are damaged and remove the are and replace, glue, and done.. What sucks is its only 2 4' long strips that are dmagaed but if the floor place doesn't have any lying around I have to buy a box which will be a few hundred $$ plus labor...

um permit to own a gun?? i thought you just needed a permit to carry a gun at all times? if you need a permit to own a gun in that state then pfft to it. get a ar15 :) and yes you should just beable to fill the gashes in with filler then stain then clear. if they are 2 big maybe have the floor shop that installed them come out and replace them should be easy fix, we get gashes in the hardwoods at some of our houses from all the subcontractors dropping stuff on them. could have saved all this with some anchors :P

[shmoov69]

Filler! Don't waste your money in replacing it for just a couple scratches! It (or something like it) will prolly happen again!
IMO

[BonzoHansen]

Really. If they are the only scratches in a wood kitchen floor, you are lucky.

Still sucks though...

[DaveO]

IAny contracters with this experience, please chime in to tell me what I can do..

Sorry for the rant, but not having a good day....

how deep are the gashes. if they're not too bad, try this:

sand down the area around the gash with fine sandpaper (120 or higher). get a wet handkercheif or clean rag and place it on the gash. get an iron - ya, the kind you use on clothes. put the hot iron on the towel in the area of the gash. if the fibers aren't too broken up, they'll swell back in place or at least it'll be close. then sand lightly again to smooth it up and put a little clear over the area to match (they also make a spray finish that works well, you can get it at a flooring store).

if that doesn't work, it's actually not too hard/expensive to cut out the strips. good luck!

[DaveO]

btw, if you want to talk about the joys of homeownership, we had a house on a golf course and a golf ball got sucked down one of the filter pipes and lodged itself in there so tight it actually deformed the cover. that golf ball cost me $600 and a melted filter. Most expensive golf ball ever. I almost framed it.

[shep]

2 weeks ago on Sunday I was in the basement working on the PC and heard a loud crash like something fell over upstairs. I went up and looked and didn't see anything so I went back downstairs. My wife came home about 20 Min later and asked if the mail box was laying in the street when I came home. I went and looked and some A$$hole ran over my brick mail box and knocked it about 15 feet down the street. It rolled through my yard a few times and left huge holes in the yard, I just put sod in last summer. After the cops showed up we looked at the piecs left in the street and determined that it was a light blue chevy truck. It is goingto cost $800 in labor to replace the mail box if we have enough brick left from when the hous was built other wise we will have to buy more brick too. Owning a home has not been fun this year, We have to have the siding replaced on one side of the house because of a hail storm earlier this spring.

[toxicz28]

some A$$hole ran over my brick mail box and knocked it about 15 feet down the street.
Just imagine what the truck looks like, and laugh! Your situation sucks, but laugh at his.

[aonghus]

Not to rain on the already angry parade, but why would you use 3M Command hooks to permanently hang something? Nail and hammer is awful hard to beat...

[rob07002]

He lives in Jersey, you need a permit for a water gun there.

LOL, right!


If they try to make you pay for a whole box, call someone else. It comes in bundles, banded together, with random lengths. Like Rick said, there is always some left over from other jobs. Several pieces usually end up in the dumpsters on the job sites I'm at. If you have a hard time getting just your 2 pieces, let me know, I'll get them for you. No charge. Good luck.
Brett.


Thanks Brett, very nice offer, but I already booked them to come down and fix it. I know its bs about not having any leftovers around but what you gonna do? I was just so pissed about it basically cause the house is only a year old and I'm meticulous about keeping it nice. $388 to fix with the wood, Ouch! I just told them whatever I just want to never be able to tell it happened....

As far as the 3M hooks, I know, I know, highinsight is 20/20, I thought because it doesn't weight that much and I really trust 3M's products, and still do for the most part, it would be fine. This may sound stupid but I didn't want to use screws because my wife changes the decor like I change Um underwear? lol , but she does like to switch themes frequently, so I figured this would prevent future spakle and touch up jobs... Right now we have a Tuscon theme in the kitchen, last year was apples, next year who the hell knows... Its basically her fault...LOL

Anyway live and learn, such as life and all that good stuff.... my floor should hopefully be fixed Thursday... Fingers crossed..

Thanks Dave, replied

Shep, I hate to admit it but your story makes me feel alittle better...LOl just kidding... I feel your pain.... It sucks have nice stuff sometimes... you never see the $hitty house or car getting scratched or damaged... Oh well, i'm thankful for actually owning a piece of the American dream, whatever the pitfalls..

It does feel good to vent.... Group hug!

[Jim Nilsen]

Sorry to hear about the crash in the floor , but don't worry about the repair. Any good carpenter can repair it and you will never know. As for buying a whole box? Remember GOD made that wood and it is just a piece of a tree and all oak trees have to grow the same as other oak trees that are the same kind so GOD has you covered there. You can buy small pieces of oak at any lumber company and stain it to match. For the amount you need it shouldn't cost more than $10 including the stain. You also might consider buying a box so you have some to be prepared for future accidents, they will happen according to Murphys law. Having some to repair with later and watching how they do it will give you the opportunity to do it yourself next time. It really isn't that hard to do ,it just takes patience and knowing that you can destroy everything right up to the good part and not worry while you do it and if you do mess up you just replace more. Remember you can't ruin something that is already ruined ,RIGHT!
So relax and know that it can be fixed.
Goodluck with the repair guys and charging $388 to fix it makes me think about getting into the floor business!!!!!

One last note: Find a throw rug for now and cover it up, you will feel better when you can't see it staring you in the face.

Jim Nilsen

[Bill Howell]

Filler! Don't waste your money in replacing it for just a couple scratches! It (or something like it) will prolly happen again!
IMO

As a contractor I second that. Don't have a cow, life happens. If a hard wood floor doesn't have a couple "beauty marks" it is not lived in. Personally, I would rather have a scratch than try and replace the bad boards. There will ALWAYS, did I say ALWAYS, always be a squeak if you mess with replacing them. Yes, you can remove the under groove and it will LOOK fine, but beleive me, it WILL squeak sooner or later. BTW, most houses have solid headers over the doors, so just put a screw or small nail in it next time. Drywall repair and paint is a lot cheaper and easier fix.:hammer:

[rob07002]

As a contractor I second that. Don't have a cow, life happens. If a hard wood floor doesn't have a couple "beauty marks" it is not lived in. Personally, I would rather have a scratch than try and replace the bad boards. There will ALWAYS, did I say ALWAYS, always be a squeak if you mess with replacing them. Yes, you can remove the under groove and it will LOOK fine, but beleive me, it WILL squeak sooner or later. BTW, most houses have solid headers over the doors, so just put a screw or small nail in it next time. Drywall repair and paint is a lot cheaper and easier fix.:hammer:

If it was just a scratch I would probably just live with it but its bad. It looks like I shot my floor with a 9mm, splinters and everything.. So replacing the strips is the only way IMO. I'll keep the sqeeking in mind and make sure they glue the ***** out of it.

Thanks Bill...

[Kenova]

......It looks like I shot my floor with a 9mm, splinters and everything.
:eek: Damn! Just exactly what was it that you had hanging over your door? A ceramic small block chev?
Ken

[rob07002]

:eek: Damn! Just exactly what was it that you had hanging over your door? A ceramic small block chev?
Ken

It was a plaque with grapes and vines and crap with a banner that read la dolce vita or livin lavita loca or some crap like that... It really isn't that heavy but its got jagged edges and did fall about 8' or so....