Floating Installation Issue

We had nice wood flooring installed above grade. I requested a floating installation to save money.

Turns out the sub-floor in this room was not level and in hindsight the floating installation was a mistake. There are noticeable 'spongy' sections here and there.

I believe the issue is my fault - I insisted on the floating installation. So I really can't fault the contractor.

Question: is there anyway to correct these 'squishy' sections short of pulling out the installed flooring?

Unfortunately, covering the problem with heavy furniture won't work as the problem areas are not in places where furniture can really go.

Note: this is a guest bedroom - the floor will not be heavily used.

 

When my sister had an engineered floor installed the installer discovered a deep "wow" in the floor. It dipped about 3/4 of an inch to maybe a full inch in about 14 feet and then rose back to the original level. He told me he could go ahead and install it but it would be wrong and there most definitely would be problems down the line. I asked about using a self-leveling compound and he said the necessary depth at the worst was really pushing the limit for standard SLC. He ended up using a rather expensive two-part polymeric filler that increased the cost by $1,000 but he guaranteed the floor would last.

So, to answer your question I think you need to pull up the floor and do it correctly.

 

I can't think of a way to fix this with the flooring in place.

 

Part of me tells me that the installers should have checked this out in advance of the install. You requested a floating installation, the installers should have given you what you wanted. Even if it meant leveling the floor. Did they even mention this to you prior to signing the contract? You did your part (you paid them) and it is not a manufacturer defect, therefore it is an installation error.

Does the area you wish to correct run perpendicular to the lay of the floor or parallel? Are we talking about remove and replace of the whole floor or pulling 3 feet or so to correct?

 

Thanks for the excellent feedback. Here's a draft of my pending Angie's List review:

Quite a story with a happy ending.
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First sub-contractor sent to do the installation botched it badly.
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Hodge made good on it without delay and no argument. They immediately arranged to have the poorly-installed flooring pulled up and replaced by another sub-contractor.
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The second crew - the Zimmerman brothers - did outstanding work.
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I have serious concerns about the first sub-contractor - that failed installation should never have happened. When he pulled up the old carpet he could not have failed to notice a serious issue with the sub-floor. What he should have done: Call a time-out, bring it to our attention, and consult with Hodge to work out a solution. What he did: Installed the flooring over the defective sub-floor. (Rather sloppily, too.)
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So while the first sub-contractor was irresponsible and negligent and incompetent, all ended well thanks to Hodge's outstanding and classy response and the fine work by the Zimmerman brothers.

 

Nice! The owner probably lost money on this job but you're willing to recommend him to others now so it's a long term win. I would bet he doesn't use that first sub any more....

 

@mitch17 - That's spot on. The owner has my business for good, and he'll get plenty of positive word-of-mouth advertising.

 

That's how a reputable contractor works - he wants you to be happy even if it means he takes a loss on the job. There are a lot of people like that out there, it's just the lousy ones who tend to garner most of the attention.