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Lumber Liquidators review: bella wood 50

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Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

We are building a new home. We ordered 88O square feet of 3/4" X 3.25 inch natural birch Bellawood flooring with a 50 year warranty. A lot of good that warranty will do. Our professional installer installed a portion of it and it is so uneven, with gaps between the boards and different depths of the wood. What a HUGE disappointment. Our local store in Green Bay, Wisconsin was of absolutely NO help. Our professional installer said that he sees this all the time with Bellawood. We have decided to have the entire floor sanded down and refinished. Again I am so glad I have a 50 year warranty on the finish! DO NOT buy Bellawood! Your installed floor will NOT look anything like what you see in the showroom. This company is does not stand behind its product and their products are defective.

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Michael Kendall
, US
Mar 22, 2018 9:40 am EDT

Do not buy Bella Wood from Lumber Liquidators! Our Lumber Liquidator's store gave us a 100 year warranty on the finish. How could we go wrong? Our warranty was even transferable to a new owner. After the install everything was great for the first 18 months. Then the first problem surfaced which was a horrendous nasty looking sliver ready to sink into someone's bare or socked foot. We had three little grandchildren running around and were very concerned that sliver could work its way into one of their tiny feet. We purchased over 1100 SF of Red Oak from their store in Boise, Idaho. We followed written instructions prior to placing the flooring with respect to acclimating the flooring, installing new T&G 3/4" OSB sheets, testing the moisture, and culling the boards as necessary. We settled a claim with Lumber Liquidators for this first problem. Now we have much more serious issues. Our product is now 3 years old. We have gaps showing up all over our floor. This allows all sorts of nastiness to get down into those cracks. I have a serious compromised immune system and now my floor will probably be making me sick. We are so disappointed! We will have to tear out and replace narrowed and shortened boards, sand our 100 year warranty boards, and refinish our entire floor. What a terrible experience! Do not purchase anything from Lumber Liquidators. Their product cause too much heartache. michael.emptyk51@gmail.com

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earthling 317
Nevada, US
Nov 26, 2013 2:24 pm EST

We purchased flooring from Lumber Liquidators store in Mansfield, Ohio. The flooring was put down in Feb., by June it had already started to have edges swelling. We contacted the company and they wanted pictures for proof. We sent them pictures and all we got was a letter telling us it was our fault. We must have gotten it wet. If we wanted to pursue this we needed to get an inspector at our expense to prove it wasn't our fault. Of course they suggested an inspector to use which I'm sure would have been for them. It was a pretty floor but it is very very poor quality.

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FriterK
, US
Aug 02, 2016 4:04 am EDT

Refusal to accept return after 30 days, even though their salesmen recommended more that I buy double the amount of adhesive actually needed!

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beverly thurmond
longlane, US
Aug 02, 2016 4:04 am EDT
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i spilled some hydragen poroxide on th floor about a 2ft square area, , i cleaned it up immediatly and washed with water, , , it immediately buckled on the seams and pushed up the seam areas, , will not go back down it was not left standing with 3 min the spill was made and cleaned up, , it needs repaired or replaced had it installed about 1 yr ago''has a 15 yr warrenty on it [protected]

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239John Adams
, US
Nov 10, 2015 6:54 am EST

I am an installer of hardwoods for over 23yrs. In my time I have had 4 floors put in magazines. I am a professional through and through. My customer paid for 5"x 3/4" Bella wood, Brazilian Teak. During my nail down process I was having a difficult time getting the floor tight. I began to more thoroughly check the product. What I noticed made me sick. The width and the thickness were inconsistent from one board to the next. On a 1400sq.ft. job with 10% waste I knew I'd be short because of the horrible product and even after I get the homeowner to buy 10% more I knew I couldn't get this floor perfect. Please. As a homeowner purchasing hardwoods do ur research. U do background checks on ur installers, make sure the company is on the up an up. Why would u do any less on ur product purchase. DO NOT BUY ANY HARDWOODS FROM LUMBER LIQUIDATORS

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Nick Cee
, US
Feb 04, 2015 5:47 pm EST

Like many stories online about lumber liquidators and Bellawood (same company) I bought 1/2 inch engineered hickory flooring pre finished . The Floor was put inside to acclimate for a few months and was installed. The floor looked great for a few months after installed, then i noticed random planks were splitting and cracking down the center, some planks are warping, some pieces remain in a perfect state. I open up the unused portion on the wood and find some of the same defects on the uninstalled planks. Lumber Liquidators wont help or come look at the problem, when i purchased the floor Lumber Liquidators claimed there was a 100 year warranty. This floor is less than a year old and having problems and Lumber Liquidators has not offered a solution to their defective product and corporate is avoiding me and not returning my calls. Lumber Liquidators is shady and substandard . DO NOT BUY

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Jason Fobes
, US
Aug 11, 2015 4:42 pm EDT

I have the brazilian koa. Left it in the room to install it for 2 weeks. Made sure humidity levels were correct. Still had huge separation problems. The whole room has boards that are separated. And what upsets me more is I bought a much less expensive wood floor for other rooms and have had no problems with it whatsoever. Please include me if there is a class action, or if anyone else has any information that would be great. Thanks, Fobesy at gmail .com Email is done this way so i don't get bombarded with spam. Thanks.

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OldPeople
, US
Jul 05, 2015 7:13 pm EDT
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I've been trying to get relief from Lumber Liquidators for 3 years. They gave me instructions as to how to file a claim, which we did, and I never heard from them again. The problem: noisy floors. Cracking sound wherever we walk. And it gets worse with time. The floors were installed per instructions with the laminate we purchased, but apparently something was left out of the instructions. My husband and I are old, with no resources to take the flooring up and have new installed. We did this to apply the LL flooring in a new configuration, but were sorely sorry we did it after the new laminate was so noisy. Bad move!

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THERESA GUY
Clinton, US
Jul 22, 2014 2:22 pm EDT

Purchased prefinished hardwood flooring from lumbar liquidators raleigh. Nc, the flooring was of tavern quality, multiple ruined pieces, half of the order was scrap, this is not the quality i ordered or purchased, i was told it was a closeout item, so to bad so sad from the raleigh store. Never, buy from this store

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SLOWJAWPHYLA
Amherst, US
Apr 22, 2013 2:51 pm EDT

MOTHER FOCKING THIEVES! YOU SOLD ME A FLAWED FLOOR, TOLD ME TO FILE A COMPLAINT, KEPT 5 BOXES FROM MY ORDER, SOLD THEM TO SOMEONE ELSE, AND CHARGED ME FOR THEM. PIECE OF CRAP! I WILL NEVER ORDER FROM YOU AGAIN!

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Sharon Grie
, US
Mar 09, 2015 10:49 pm EDT
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I have been fighting them for a year now. Mandy at the LL Customer Care Center wont call me back either now. She sent an inspector and of course they said it was my fault. If you google problems with engineered hardwood flooring, you will find that they don't recommend selling engineered hardwood floors in arid areas where the humidity is less than 20 percent. Our humidity like your is less than 10 percent on average. I have had a whole house humidifier in my house since they said it was my fault that the humidity in my house was 20 percent the day the inspector came...done deal for them.. But after reading a lot online I found that the installers should have checked the humidity in the house when the floor was delivered, they didn't. Nor did they check the day they installed. I just know this floor has been a problem from day one. I too have boards that look perfectly fine and other that are cupped and cracking. Even tho I have the house at 40 percent for 10 months now the floor continues to get worse. Don't trust that just because your floor acclimated for a few months that that means it was ok to install. Inspector told me he had a floor that took a year to acclimate. You can only tell by checking the wood with a moisture meter and the humidity in the house. Do some reading. I have complained to the Contractors board to see if perhaps it was installed to early. They are sending an inspector in a week or so to come see the floors. If it ends up not being a install problem I'm going to get a lawyer to sue them. All the time I investing in getting to the root of the problem needless to say about the same money you have invested. I'm just ticked at how they treat you with disregaurd and of course it's your fault every time. Lumber Liquidators is already in hot water over the high levels of formaldehyde in the core below the laminate, maybe everyone else will heed this and not but any floors for them. Customer support is nill unless you call several times a day everyday until weeks later they call you back. Not sure I would let them send an inspector, because they will blame it on lack of humidty...leading to why LL doesn't tell you you need a humidifier in the first place ! The Hardwood Association say the engineered floors should never be used in arid areas but yet LL still sells them...WHY. Best of luck let me know what you decide to do.I''l try to update this post after Contractors Board tells me something.

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forno mama
Bullhead City, US
Mar 08, 2015 5:48 pm EDT
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We purchased Bellawood 1/2x 3" Hickory and put it in our family room, kitchen, entry hall, hallway, guest bath and master bedroom. It was installed with the recommended Bostic seal & grip at 9 units @ $179.99 each for a total of $1619.91 just for the mastic. $6287.40 for the wood flooring. It was installed in November 2013 after sitting in the house for over 1 month for assimilation. We too live in the desert in Arizona and are having the same problems, splitting on top, cupping, etc. Called Bellawood and am waiting for "someone" to contact me. I registered the flooring but the 100 year warranty is worthless if they won't even contact you after you have called. Bob Villa recommends Bellawood on his tv show of This Old House. I wonder if he has had the same problems. My contractor was so careful in picking out the best pieces and making sure the floor was even and ready for the job. I watched every day as this flooring was installed. This product is garbage as we are now finding out. I guess we too will have to file in small claims court.

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Sharon Grie
, US
Feb 05, 2015 1:01 pm EST
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I have the same problem for a year now I have been fighting LL. They sent an inspector and the outcome they said was low humdidity in the house. So I'm screwed. But recently the installers called me to ask if the floor was replaced. They say they called inspector and the inspector said that is not what his report that he sent in said. Claiming LL changed the findings, to meet their needs. How about that. So I contacted Chanel 8 news Michelle Mortensen and she looked into it and said that some woods should not be sold here in the dessert. He best recommendation was to take them to small claims court, which is what OI may have to do. There are a lot of class action law suits agains LL you may want to look into. I was hoping Michelle would put it on Air so ppl would klnow what LL was selling.

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Mrs. Weber
Washington Crossing, US
Jan 16, 2014 10:01 pm EST

My natural oak 3/4 inch Bella hardwood floor is a mess. It was installed seven years ago but is chipping and pieces of wood from the edges of individual boards are coming off in many places. I have cared for this floor with ONLY natural wood cleaning products recommended by LL. There are many areas where it looks worn even though it is only my husband and I in the home with just normal foot traffic. When I called Lumber Liquidators to try to find anyone who could refinish it or at least put another coat of sealant on it to try to stop this from continuing to happen, they could not give me the name of anyone who would help me. I didn't even want a warranty repair, I was willing to pay for it. However, since it is so heavily coated with the oxide finish, no floor refinisher will want to use his/her equipment on this type of flooring. Therefore, I feel my only option will be to ultimately rip out the entire floor and put in something else. My floors also squeak horribly. Try to use Facebook or other social communication method to warn all your friends and family members about this horrible product.

Chirco Construction Inc
Chirco Construction Inc
Anahiem, US
Jan 14, 2014 5:19 am EST

Hello and sorry to hear that so many people have had such similar problems with Bellawood and Lumber Liquidators.
I am a licensed General Contractor since 2008, I have been in the construction industry for over 15 years and we have installed wood flooring of many types and manufactures and never had any problems.
In May 2013 I had been hired by a homeowner client that we had perform three large remodel projects for them at their home in Newport Beach Ca. This was our fourth remodel project for them in which included, kitchen, baths room additions and of course hardwood flooring.
Homeowners went to our local L.L. looking for a nice exotic wood flooring, they explained to L.L. store manager salesmen at L.L. that they have a new construction home with cement slab sub-floor and foundations, Homeowners really liked the Brazilian Teak, the sales rep instead of suggesting a manufactured laminate flooring sold them 3/8" x 3" solid Brazilian Teak wood flooring and Mapei 955 eco. This is a moisture barrier and adhesive in a one step application.
2310sq' of Bellawood BEL Cumaru 3/8x3" Select @ $5.29 square foot (sq') total $12, 219.00
Along with Sixteen 5gal containers of Mapei Moisture Control Adhesive ECO-995 @ $200.00 ea. Total $3200.00
This client of mine and I had become friends over the years of my construction company providing them with our grate services and competitive pricing. We charged them $5, 400.00 to install the wood, a very good price for that kind of installation.
Homeowners had spent a total amount of $20, 819.00
I warned them about how delicate solid hardwood flooring is especially installed over a concrete slab using a glue down procedure.
After all said they were still very set in their ways and after consulting with L.L. they felt very confident in moving forward with the install.
Our construction firm picked up the wood from their branch and delivered it to the house, we removed the plastic sealing the boxes and spread them out throughout the house in the rooms where it was to be installed.
The wood was left to acclimate in the house for over 3 weeks while the house had A/C and heating working to accommodate myself and employees while we were completing the kitchen remodel and other repairs we were living in the east wing of the house to avoid traveling back and forth since the job was a 2 hour drive one way from our office.
After completely upgrading their new house we began our last task, Installation of the wood flooring.
I had completed 3 Calcium Chloride tests put in place for 60 hours to detect the humidity vapor emissions from the cement slab subfloor, all readings were within the allowable amount of vapor emission posted on the Mapei Eco955 moisture control adhesive. we also uses a non intrusive humidity detector throughout many areas, all within good allowable amounts according to Mapei.
We began our layout and cleaning of the sub floor and installation, we used a very effective and recommended installation method measuring out 5 rows of wood, snapping a chalk line and applying Mapei Eco955 with the trowel clip on ends that are provided in the adhesive pale, applying a full consistent spread of the adhesive moisture barrier keeping within our squared and measured chalk line, installing plank after plank leaving 3/8 to 1/2 inch of gap space along all vertical walls and obstructers to allow proper expansion and contraction of the flooring during climate changes.
Upon completion the floorings looked and felt beautiful. We packed up our tools and returned to our base in Anaheim California.
Home owners were ready to begin enjoying their newly remodeled house.
They were so happy they created a Fan Page on Face book about the great work our company did, all was great until I received a call from the homeowners about 8 weeks after the install, they were saying that the wood had started to cup and was uneven throughout 75% of the house! I immediately drove out there and in fact the flooring was cupping, I recommended to them that they needed to keep the house acclimated by using the central A/C system due to the fact that the hot summer had began explain once again how wood reacts to changes in the relative humidity, I also recommended them to open a investigation claim with L.L. and they did but they did not use the A/C at all, leaving the windows and doors open with the heat of the summer in full.
The wood flooring began Tenting (when it detaches from the concrete slab causing trip hazards.
Again I returned to their house and began removing some parts of the hardwood that had lifted off the sub-floor, We found a full spread of glue on the concrete and on back of the wood planks with mildew growth where the wood was in contact with the glue.
Soon after the Inspector hired buy lumber liquidators came out to the house and took some pictures and one small wood plank out of the 2400sq" installed, 2-3 weeks later he sent his results to their house, The findings were that the adhesive was not applied correctly and that L.L dose not cover for cupping of wood flooring.
I myself hired a National Hardwood Certified Inspector and he had explained to us that part of the cause was due to a site related issue about not keeping the house properly acclimated after the install.
The home owner has now put in a complain against my Bond, The Contractor State license Board as well as a lawsuit for $35, 000.00 against my company. I understand their frustrations but both homeowners and I both know the products that they purchased after consulting with the sales reps at L.L. were not a reliable good fix especially for a solid natural expensive wood flooring.
The home owner did a 360 turn on me and has pointed all his frustrations towards me, knowing that is easier to go after a small firm like myself then getting what they deserve refunded from Lumber Liquidators, given the fact that their warranties is no longer valid after installation.
I believe that the products Lumber liquidator in conjunction of Bellawood manufactures and Mapei adhesive and moisture barrier are not sufficient to use when applying solid teak over a concrete slab are not sufficient and are at high risk of loosing very expensive investments that a homeowner are sold on by their staff.
I am very unhappy with the outcome of their warranty and how they had handled this matter, I offered to perform all the demo and re-install a new wood flooring, hoping L.L would refund the homeowners their material at least in store credit.
This puts myself and my company in hands of layers, Layers that will fight for our rights and protection, they are going to process a cross complaint to Bellawood, Mapei adhesives and most of all Lumber Liquidators.
Terrible customer service and THEY DO NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR WARRENTIES.
If you need help in your law suit or would like to join mine, feel free to email me at chircoconstruction@gmail.com

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barb1123
Gretna, US
Aug 03, 2013 10:41 am EDT

We have Bellawood in two rooms of our "shotgun" style house. The house is approx. 80 - 100yrs. .old. We used Brazilian teak. In the room that was done first, (3yrs ago), the floor has not only cupped, but is lifting up in portions of the room. We are sick at the prospects of redoing the floor. The second room is 1yr.old, & is cupping. We fear the same thing will happen to this floor also. Our house is raised, & it is quite humid here. My question is, If "humidity" is a factor in the longevity of the floor, why weren't we told, & another type of floor recommended ? These houses all have wooden floors in them. They were built that way 100yrs. ago. It is all intact. It is in poor condition, which is why we put down another wood floor over it. If there is a class action suit brought about, count me in. In the meantime, I'm open to any suggestions as to how to remedy the buckled sections of the floor.

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CooperJ
, US
Jun 03, 2013 9:59 pm EDT

I think this review is way over the top and unnecessary .

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Cj wolf
Middletown, US
Mar 17, 2013 1:35 pm EDT
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My husband decided to install the Bella Wood Brazilian Cherry. He is installing it on the upstairs of our home. We live in Delaware and have other flooring in our home that we installed in the downstairs. The downstairs wood is a thinner plank and by Bruce. The floor looks beautiful. The upstairs is another story. We spend 10, 000.00 on this darn floor and it is horrible. It has taken him months to install because all the planks are not the same depth and or width, so he has to open every box and search for the closest match to each plank.Not to mention the gaps from the beveled edge actually caused a tripping hazard for our little one and myself if wearing heels. This is garbage. We never had a problem with the Bruce floor downstairs, but from what we have already gone through I don't expect we will have any positive experiences from now on out. The most insulting thing was when my husband complained about it to our local retailer, the employee basically said to my husband "what is taking you so long to install it", insulting my husband like he was the problem, not the quality of the floor. I guess LL tells it's employees to deny and put it back on the customer. My husband is extremely proficient with floor installation, building things etc. How many more people have to be screwed over by this company. Where is the BBB on this? My husband and I are furious about this lack of quality and terrible customer service. The worst part is that 3 rooms and a hall are already finished(as well as can be expected)but our room has yet to be done. We already have major problems and aren't even finished installing it. I suggested not installing the last of it and eating the cost. What a flipping mess. I hate the floor! I will not take this lying down. If anyone is interested in starting a class action suit against these crooks, I would be happy to add my name. Lumber Liquidators should be ashamed of themselves, and I hope they go out of business.
Don't kid yourselves that your experience is isolated. We could have purchased less expensive flooring, but we know that in most cases you get what you pay for. Unfortunately this theory does not apply here. We could have saved thousands, saved at least a month in time, and had a better quality floor.
If anyone has info on a class action suit please contact us. Jawolf5@verizon.net

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Cheri Hill
Holiday, US
May 30, 2012 5:57 am EDT

Our floors are buckling in our Florida room, they are 6months old . We had Bruce's flooring for 10 years never had any problems. Bella needs to step up and start making floors that there customers can be proud of. Cheri Hill, Florida

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J Larsen
Las Vegas, US
May 01, 2012 3:17 am EDT

I'd be happy to join a class action suit. I haven't had the floor installed more than 6 weeks and scratches appear in the Brazillian Cherry when you look at it. We were told the finish was so hard that our dogs would not be problematic (if we cut their toe nails any shorter they would have feet). We walk around without shoes now and dogs are banned from rooms with the floor. We purchased the 3/8 solid Brazillian Cherry and it took four weeks to install 800 sq feet. We would lay down 12" and secure the boards in place with braces every three feet for the glue to cure 12 hours. If we removed the braces too soon, the boards would move. Even had to put weights on the floor to keep them from buckling in places during installation. Don't drop anything on the floor because you'll get a huge dent in the finish or floor. Couldn't believe I dropped a butter knife which resulted in a hole. Would have been better off polishing the concrete and sealing it. I can hardly wait to get some of the other problems others have had with the product.

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Big_Mike1
Hooksett, US
Apr 23, 2012 10:55 pm EDT

I feel so bad for all who have posted on this board. I am sure that you guys are frusterated, and maybe it is the LL in your neck of the woods, however I have, along with many of my friends and family, purchased a few floors through these guys and have had nothing but great experiences. These are from the stores in New Hampshire. These stores are of the oldest in the company since the first LL ever is right down the road from me. Maybe these guys just have the whole customer service thing down etc.. I have had no problems whatsoever with my floors specifically and I have carbonized stranded bamboo in my whole first floor...never dimpled, never chipped, no problems at all. Hope you all have better experiences in the future if you do business through them again...oh and buy the way. I actually work at Lowe's, and I buy all my floors through here...haha.

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Margaret Spires
Salem, US
Jan 10, 2012 11:50 pm EST
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LUMBER LIQUIDATORS IS THE POOREST EXCUSE FOR WOOD FLOORING EVER AND THEIR PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AN ABSOLUTE JOKE TO SAY THE LEAST! We have over $20, 000 invested in hardwood flooring from this pathetic company and like obviously thousands of others scammed, our floors are cupping and buckling everywhere! They sent out what they called "an independent flooring expert". ABSOLUTE ###! This suppossed "expert" claimed that we had a humidifier in the basement draining into a crack in the basement floor. BLATANT LIAR! It is piped right into the plumbing. ### attributed the floors buckling to guess what...humidity! Sound familiar? No matter what part of the country these complaints come in...doesn't matter...humidity - imagine. Their 50 year warranty doesn't cover humidity - how freaking convenient! What do they cover then...a meteor hitting the house? DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS SUB-STANDARD COMPANY! THE WARRANTY IS AN ABSOLUTE JOKE! I say we should definitely all file a class action law suit. Anyone know a good lawyer? Email me...mspires17@hotmail.com

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frontiersman
Sandpoint, US
Jan 04, 2012 9:23 pm EST
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I too am one to do thorough research on all potential purchases, on even something as inexpensive as good quality kitchen towels or countertop ovens! I am so thankful to have come across this site. We are building a home and needed to purchase 2800 sq feet of floor for now and 1600 sq feet more in the future IF we were happy with the results. I work too hard for my money to do business with a company that has this kind of reputation. ESPECIALLY on a once in lifetime expensive type of purchase. Thank you all for taking the time to warn the rest of us, I am so sorry for your loss.

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Carol and Chris
, US
Nov 25, 2011 9:55 pm EST

We were just going to purchase Bellawood Brazilian Cherry flooring for our hallway, kitchen and family room. After reading all these horror stories, I will look around for a different kind of floor. Thank you all for posting your experiences with Bellawood and LL

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hll08
Dingmans Ferry, US
Sep 24, 2011 5:45 pm EDT
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I wish I had found this site months ago before we bought the Bellawood Brazillian Cherry. We just now are experiencing a "cupping" in the middle of our floor. I have a huge Knot is my stomach after reading this. I always do research on things before we buy them. This is one time I didn't do so because of LL being such a reputable company or popular I should say. I am very dissapointed, with this. The only way we can fix this is to tear up the whole floor considering on the location. I don't know what to believe, considering what we have gone through weather wise over the past 3 weeks with Hurricane Irene and then tropical storm Lee and now this week high humidity and rain. Any help would be greatly appreciate on how to fix this without spending a boat load of money.

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Jim Scanlan
Eliot, US
Jul 01, 2011 2:13 am EDT

Wow! These comments may have saved me many dollars. I was planning to visit LL tomorrow and order 2000SF.
Thanks to all.

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Lhouse
Sanford, US
May 16, 2011 11:06 pm EDT

Well I'm I glad I found this site. I was just about to buy a house full of bellawood. You all have been very helpful. This goes to show you that people do research on what they are going to buy. You better stand behind your product and business or the people will share with others . I'm very sorry for all of you that been had. They have lost my business because I believe you all can't be making up the same problems. They will soon be out of the flooring business I hope.

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Adrop
Melbourne, US
May 05, 2011 4:16 am EDT

Shop elsewhere if you don't want to learn the hard way like I did.

After years of watching our nasty green carpet deteriorate, my wife and I decided we needed to upgrade our look two years ago. At the time, we were budget strapped and decided to go with Lumber Liquidators based on their price points, figuring hardwood is hardwood and as long as you follow the guidelines you should be fine. I decided against laminate wood because we live in upper-middle class neighborhood and when we sold, laminate would be a negative.

Lets just say, ALL laminate is better than Bellawood hardwood products, and considering what Bellawood charges, either go somewhere else, or buy laminate from a more reputable dealer than Bellawood front men.

We live in Florida, where heat & moisture are prevalent 9 months of the year. When we were shopping, I was ready to buy a Lumber Liquidators low end engineered hardwood product. My wife unfortunately fell in love with the Brazilian Walnut hardwood by Bella sold at Lumber Liquidators. I asked about the influence of heat & moisture on the product and was reassured by the salesman that as long as I followed the instructions, the wood would hold up. Within 1 month, many pieces started cupping. Some points started to buckle up but not too bad - last month (Mar 2011) two sections buckled to the point where there was a change of ~3" between the parts remaining level and the tops of the buckle points.

In frustration, I called out a professional installer and he said his company does not use non-engineered hardwood unless the owners are adamant, and are willing to pay for the subfloor and other work required for Hardwood in Florida.

As he was removing my floor, he confirmed I followed Lumber Liquidators guidelines, and was shocked when he removed different sections that shredded off like coconuts husks (see picture).

I was hoping the floor would be good for at least ten years, now I'm confident we will be replacing all of this "great product" over the next two years.

If you read this and buy Bellawood or do business with Lumber Liquidators, you are a bigger idiot than I

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Nikki Nevitt
Albuquerque, US
Apr 05, 2011 5:40 am EDT

I had Bellawood Golden Teak installed in December 2008. Six months later I had a bubble in the middle of the floor. The installer fixed the bubble, but refused to do anything else after more areas started coming up off the floor. I took the installer to court recently but lost. The installer's inspector said it was due to external moisture issues, such as the swamp cooler and humidifier that I was told to get. My inspector said a vapor barrier was necessary per the manufacturer's specifications, but the judge said the manufacturer's specifications indicated that a vapor barrier was recommended in one spot but only necessary on another page. Which means I am screwed. The judge suggested This is a manufacturing issue, but I am not hopeful after I see all these postings wih negative results.

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lumberliq-blogspot-com
Baltimore, US
Jan 28, 2010 7:15 pm EST

please help me on my blog too.

lumberliq.blogspot.com

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Carsavior
West Monroe, US
Dec 31, 2009 2:32 pm EST

I just got my "package" from Bellawood pertaining to my hardwood floor buckling after two months. I installed solid wood flooring over a slab, and have learned since that this is not an acceptable practice, but the store was only too happy to sell me the solid wood and the adhesive to put it down with! They sent a copy of a "warrenty" which I had never seen, stating that they are not responsible for any moisture damage, so buckling is not thier problem. Hogwash! I live on top of a hill, have gutters, do not live near a water source, and my house is over ten years old. I plan to complain to the BBB, and if that doesn't work to pursue legal action. Has anyone heard of a class action suit started yet?

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LHarvey
Parma, US
Dec 22, 2009 8:06 pm EST
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I agree with a lot of what these people have gone through. Do not buy your flooring at Lumber Liquidators. Poor Customer care. I had an issue with the install. My flooring buckled after 4-5 months. After 6months of battling with HSS and the contractor. It was found that the installer they recommened didn't use the correct nails. Since then the floor is finally down but my wife and I don't seem so excited about the flooring anymore. Its a sad reminder of the headaches we had to go through to get them to rip everything up and install the flooring again. When we first saw the issue and tried to get Lumber Liquidators involved they simply said it wasn't their issue and that I needed to contact HSS. Its sad that a company doesn't follow up with complaints and makes an effort to care.

Thanks,
LH

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MauraK
South Riding, US
Nov 05, 2009 9:27 pm EST

I am currently in dispute with Lumber Liquidators over 5, 000 sq. ft. of Brazilian Walnut that is peeling, splitting and cracking. This is after much of the original order was returned for milling issues. The inspectors came by, and now we received a letter from LL that said this was our fault. We spent well over $25, 000 on WOOD ALONE! I am sick. How can we start a class action lawsuit? I AM IN!

Please contact us at:
aleckarry@yahoo.com
marakarry@yahoo.com

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charlotte.stephanie
Charlotte, US
Oct 22, 2009 1:23 pm EDT
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Please contact me if there is movement of a class action suit: charlotte.stephanie@gmail.com

After tons of research and having some customers use LL with minimum complaint I went ahead and bought Brazilian Cherry for my living + dinning room. I had a respected HardWood installer put them in. In less than 2 weeks over 800 sq/ft of flooring had ALL WARPED. According to LL my contractor use the wrong glue or I have extreme moisture in my home. NO to both! Proper glue, proper humidity, yet LL wants nothing to do with the problem.

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BarbD
Half Moon Bay, US
Sep 09, 2009 10:26 pm EDT

I also had about 2, ooo sq.ft. of Brazilian alnut installed in my house last Oct. It is cupped on 90% and starting to buckle in quite a few spots. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it but I am furious and my contractor is beside himself. This is just not right. If anyone has any advice please let me know. Thank you ahead of time for any input.
My e-mail is: Bsdhmb@aol.com

Again thanks,
Barbara

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RyanC
Port Huron, US
Sep 01, 2009 8:42 pm EDT

Anyone filing a class action lawsuit, please contact me at ryanclift@yahoo.com

1700 useless square feet of brazilian walnut cracked in 2 weeks time. Amazingly poor quality, even worse customer service. GARBAGE COMPANY.

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marina valerio
West Milford, US
Aug 23, 2009 6:43 pm EDT

I had Bella Wood floors installed in my family room and now I noticed it is starting to split and the finish in some areas looks terrible.If tthere is a class action suit filed, please contact me mvalerio64@yahoo.com

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eeb
Fort , US
Aug 02, 2009 12:50 am EDT

We had Bellawood (white oak) purchased from LL installed in our home in April 2008 and in June 2008 every board had cupped. Their "crack" inspector told us it was an environmental/humidity issue and the warranty for 50 years was not valid. We are on our way to a law suit with everyone involved. If a class action suit is around please contact me at kbozzo@yahoo.com.

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virt625
Norristown, US
Jul 31, 2009 10:06 am EDT

We installed Bellawood Brazilian Cherry in October 2008. It looked beautiful until the beginning of June 2009. We were having dinner and heard some strange noises. It turned out to be our floor had buckled and came apart in an area in our living roo. We had a professional floor installer come out and fix it. I asked him if it was from humidity and his answer was absolutly NO. Well, he fixed the area that buckled and two days later it started buckling in another area. I called LL and was told to call their customer service. I had to send pictures of the floor and answer a few questions, like did I live near a lake or creek (the answer is no). They have told me that they have mailed me a packet about and determined that the floor was buckling due to the "Environment". Probably humidity they told me. How is the world do they know what our environment is like without actually coming out and looking at the floor. What a joke! I told them that I will not stop calling them until they have someone come here at look at the floor itself. There is no way that they can determine anything by looking at my pictures. It was almost impossible to see the problem in the pictures anyway.

I wish I had known prior to purchasing the Bellawood that so many others have had the same problems with this wood and with LL.

If anyone is thinking about purchasing Bellawood, or for that matter, any wood from Lumber Liquidators, I would suggest that you do some research prior. I guarantee you that after you have read all the horrible experiences that so many people have had, you will change your mind.

THEY ARE A COMPLETE JOKE AND COULD CARE LESS THAT YOU SPEND ALL THIS MONEY FOR AN APPARENTLY GOOD PRODUCT AND THEY DO NOTHING TO STAND BY THEIR PRODUCTS.

If anyone has a class action suit with LL, I would be very interested. Please contact me at: debbie625@comcast.net

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Rmak
, US
Jul 10, 2009 2:13 am EDT
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Where is the Better Business Bureau in all this? You will find a good rating for LL because they pay them to LIE for them! The BBB should be ashamed, they're party to this fraud!