Polyurethane Wearing Away On??Bruce Dura Luster Wood Floor

Question:

Do the warranties with Bruce wood floors ever get the consumer a replacement ? I have a 7 yr dura luster floor that is has some spots where the Polyurethane is gone and I have bare wood. Not sure it’s worth the hassle of being put on hold at Bruce’s 800 number.

Dave

Answer:

Dear Dave

I don’t think you will or should get a replacement. With hard, hard use anyone can wear out any factory finish, in a few areas. And if the floor has got a 20 year warranty on the finish you should be at least entitled to having the floor resanded and refinished. After all the wood hasn’t worn out, only the finish has. You might take the time to read the Floored News article on wood floor maintenance. You must have been pretty tough on this floor to wear out this finish in seven years. I’ve got customers with this same finish, and I talked to them recently. After now 13 years they say the finish in the living-dining room is still just fine. But of course I gave them good instructions on how to maintain it.

When you have the floor resanded they will have to remove quite a bit of wood. This is so the little micro-bevels are eliminated. Else no new finish will stick to the old finish on those bevels. So in effect you are doing a great deal of wearing of the wood itself by resanding. And this will take at least 1/6 of the total life of the floor off. At this rate you will have a very short lived floor. 6 times 7 years is only 42 years. Maybe the floor is in a kitchen ?

Does $2 per square foot for refinishing and 1/6 the value of the wood sound worth the hassle ?

Anyway, Bruce does deal with a lot of warranty repairs, but not usually replacements, when the most of the wood is sound. And as long as it is not a pro rated warranty, you should be able to recoup the cost of refinishing the floor,and if you really persist, the cost of removing 1/6 of the life before it’s time. Funny thing my sand-on-site finished floors, have lasted 22 years so far, and they are still going. But I know lots of secrets, that most floor finishers don’t. So if and when it comes to that be sure to ask for our Pro Series article on Oil Modified Polyurethane. And if you want we can take the particulars of your floor’s problems ( pictures ), see if you did anything untoward to the floor, and help you lobby Bruce for some compensation. I am about to do an article on warranties, so this may help you and others. We can at least report to our readers just how Bruce handles it’s warranties, it will make an interesting read. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.