Any complaints about Hardwood flooring from Able Auctions?

7/12/2008 at 1:20:00 PM

A friend bought Kempas from Able after my recommondation. I bought Solid Oak and both look wodrful and quality is suprisingly great.

7/12/2008 at 1:22:23 PM

Wonderful, not wodrful.. ooppssss

8/15/2008 at 12:30:44 AM

I have purchased hardwood from Able Auctions for my house and other houses that I have done renos on. I have had no problems whatsoever with the product. First grade product and it's fun to buy it at auction. Very nice people to deal with.

4/20/2009 at 9:47:07 AM

No, the flooring is great for the price.

Easy to buy, priced well under retail.

4/20/2009 at 10:18:58 AM

Well,the "hardwood" I referred to in my original post was GARBAGE!Put it in one room and within three months it was warping,cracking,peeling!(Yeah,I put it in right).Found out from a hardwood store that the stuff is from China and yeah,it's GARBAGE!(Calgary weather isn't meant to use wide plank as I was told).Seriously,after opening 10 boxes,I ended up not being able to use 4 full boxes of the crap!It was that warped and cracked.When I tried to contact Able Auctions about getting a refund or at least an exchange,I was basically told "Too bad,can't do that".THANKS!

I'm pretty sure the people who are buying from Able Auctions are low end contracters and the average homeowner doing reno's, who have no idea about the garbage Able Auctions is really selling!Ended up selling the rest of the flooring we had purchased at a major loss.Bought cork flooring from "Timber Town" in Calgary and it's the place I'd recommend to anyone (who isn't just trying to buy as cheap as possible for a reno on a rental or before selling) for buying your flooring from.Just DON'T get it at ABLE AUCTIONS or you'll REGRET IT!

6/18/2009 at 2:57:25 AM

Working in a flooring store I can tell you all flooring

in Calgary will warp no matter what you buy or where you buy it, thats just the reality. I don't care about an auction company but can tell you it has to be expected in Calgary no matter what you pay. Buy at an auction or the highest end store, you will get warping and shrinkage. Good choice on the cork, that won't warp.

6/24/2009 at 1:29:20 AM

I bought "maple" wide plank hardwood floor at able auction in Coquitlam last weekend and this is a piece of garbage. I will have to contact BBB to find out what are my options. Ableauction in Coquitlam they run a fraudulent operations and strongly advice NOT to buy from them any floors.

9/1/2009 at 10:49:52 AM

Wow, I'm surprised by the comments. I have purchased this flooring and so have 3 others friends on my recommondation. Never a problem,

and always half price or better. I was the hero with my friends who bought on my recommendation.

I will attend another auction for my recreational property and let you all know if happy or not.

1/18/2010 at 3:33:42 PM

I wish I would have read this message board earlier. I just bought those maple floor past weekend at able auctions. I am not a handyman. I would like to learn a bit more about the problems and solutions.

Paul, did you or your friend also use those maple floor or other type of the floors? Are you in Calgary or Vancouver area.

Pawel, may I have a chat with you over the phone? I would like to know what did you find out bad part about those wood floors and what advise you got from the BBB, if you do not mind, my number 604.275 8117. Thanks

2/6/2010 at 11:28:26 AM

Cracking and worping has to do with your humidity level in your house.

When purchasing hardwood make sure to ask what level the wood should be at.

Its just nature, moist air worps dry air cracks.

You can buy humidity gauges at any big box hardware store and humidifiers/dehumidifiers units if your furnace or air condition does not have one.

7/25/2010 at 12:51:14 AM

I purchased in December 2 years ago year. My floor is shrinking/cracking/warping and nothing can be done. No warranty. Nothing. My $3456.00 down the drain! Not including labour to install, labour to rip out and labour to reinstall new flooring.

5/8/2011 at 1:31:21 PM

We, my husband and I , our close friends and son, have all purchased and been incrediby happy with our installation, product and service. We are taking some of the excess to Nova Scotia to install at our summer home there. You must let it adapt to your humidity and home and breath for a few days with the cartons open. We have beautiful walnut floors that have increased our property value and are admired by all that see them, upstairs and down. They have been down now for over 2 years with no shifting, movement of dulling. I am sorry for your problem, but it obviously does not extend to everyone. When dealing with sales from Graham auction one must consider where their flooring was stored before been sold but experience has taught us that we need not fear that when dealing with Able.

6/27/2011 at 9:35:59 PM

BUYER BEWARE - We purchased 2k flooring from Able. In the year since install they have cracked, warped and seperated. Finish peels of with the slightest drop of water.

GARBGE FLOORING NOT WORTH THE RISK

9/9/2011 at 12:08:34 AM

Did you acclimatize your hardwood for a month before installing it? If you didn't , then the wood would not have adjusted to the humidity of your house and specifically the room you installed it in.

9/22/2011 at 6:26:26 PM

Please people.. do not advise others to acclimatize their wood for a month.. you are just asking for issues.

Do your research on this with the national wood flooring association. It is not recommended.

We live in a climate of extremes... extreme cold in the winter and extreme hot in the summer. Not to mention the high humidity levels in summer and the very dry heat we put on in the winter.

Any species from any manufacturer will cup, crack or shrink causing gaps between the boards if your humidity levels are not kept in check.

Really here the only valid argument i have heard so far would be the delamination... and for such a case it would be covered under manufacturers warranty.

I would never recommend any exotics in sizes larger than 4 1/4" wide... remember... this wood is from the rainforest... far from being a similar climate so it is a little more tempermental.

I sell everything from 2 1/4" to 9" wide in the domestic species.... and as long as you are properly informed by the people selling to you you should be safe...... That being said there really are a lot of people out there to just make the sale.

I tell my customers all the time... even if you don't buy from me... please, make sure you ask a lot of questions about the wood such as... what kind of maple is it? what is the AVERAGE board length? what does the warranty cover? etc

I hope i was able to shed a little light on any outstanding question here.

John

9/26/2011 at 3:51:12 PM

We bought some "hardwood flooring" (Armour Wood Smoked Hardwood) from Able Auctions and put it in our family room. We have been very disappointed with the quality of the wood. Although it came in a long box the longest run was about 3 foot, the rest smaller. I have no idea what kind of "hardwood " it is but it is not oak for sure or anything close! I walked on it with a pair of high heels and left marks on the floor ( and no, I am not heavy!) We should have made sure of the type of wood we were getting - be careful of what you are getting. Ask about the length, although we did and he said there were longer lengths - there were not.

We have put hardwood in three homes before and this is the poorest quality we have had.

We will NOT buy from them again. We will pay a few more dollars to get something that does not indent at the least bit of pressure.

Buyer beware.

2/15/2012 at 5:57:57 PM

We have had ongoing problems with flooring purchased from Able Auctions and are taking them to court in this regard. They claim no one has ever complained about their flooring. Yet I hear from several of you who have in fact had problems. I would like to bring evidence to the contrary and if you are willing, I would love to come armed with your letters of concern. I specifically had issue with their Kempas which has delaminated throughout our home.

Good luck with your flooring

2/26/2012 at 6:13:31 PM

Read Peter's post from Ajax. The dry air in Calgary will cause hardwood flooring to crack warp and seperate, dosent matter who install it.

I have installed all types of flooring and found that for this area the best way to go is with laminate or Engineered hardwood.

2/29/2012 at 4:38:42 PM

An avid woodworker and handyman overlooking this site I can tell you

do not use any water on hardwood floors. Use a qualified cleaner, I am sure

no comapny would warranty water usage on any kind of wood.

3/5/2012 at 7:30:56 PM

Buying hardwood from Able can be risky even if you are a handyman/tradesman.

I purchased some natural maple/birch several years ago. I first set the boxes in the room to climatize for a couple of months. Instructions say not to open the boxes and the manufacture recommends seven days you should be good to go. I was well aware of the need to climatize.

Once installing i noticed the width varied from piece to piece. The width only varied a fraction of an inch from one piece to another or from one end to another, if you like tight floors joints this is a disaster. I custom cut and placed like a jigsaw puzzel to accomidate, i also own several flooring strap clamps to assist me in getting the planks tight. This did not seem to help.

I found it very frusterating to the amount of shinkage after installing. With several months to climatize and even longer in some rooms, i assumed shrinkage was all done. Not so.

One other frusterating fact that i did not notice until it was to late was although i bought the same lot #, the finish varied from satin to gloss. It was like one or two boxes of gloss finish snuck into my lot of satin.

Would i buy it again? Maybe. I would use much more caution when installing and i would only install after opening all the boxes and leave air dry in the room to be used for several months. Installing during the summer months might also prove to be avantagious. I would probably glue each tongue to grove. I would never purchase and install for a client that was not ready to live with some performance/shrinkage issues.

5/27/2012 at 2:51:22 AM

If you are thinking of taking Able Auctions to court, don't waste your time. I just lost a case on Friday, and I'll tell you why. You sign a waiver at the auction, which basically allows Able to sell you any kind of crap they get thier hands on. You view the product, and therefore "As is, where is" means that you inspected the product and are aware of the condition and quality.

I purchased Walnut flooring and paid $4.00 sq ft for it. Not bad I thought, since Timbertown advertised the flooring for over $9.00 at the time. I figured with a liquidation situation $4.00 was fair since I wouldn't get the warranty with the product, any customer support, and if any pieces were damaged - oh well. Well its not even walnut - and definetly not a hardwood. Despite me providing 3 samples of Walnut in court, and a piece of flooring that had the same grain as the flooring I had (and not even close to walnut), it was not enough to convince the judge Able had falsly advertised the product. There is a slim chance that I might of won, had I the testimony and actual appearance of a wood specialist, but good luck getting any to respond.

For the lady that claims her walnut flooring looks wonderful - are you sure its even walnut?

I learned my lesson, and from now on when I choose to buy flooring I'll deal with a reputable company.

6/6/2012 at 7:08:38 PM

Really ? You took them to court ?

There are over 20 types of Walnut. Also Walnut has the worst Janka rating meaning it's the softest species of hardwood. Look it up. I'm an installer and never understand people and hardwood flooring. You walk on it people !

I can take a close up photo of any harwood floor after some use and find chips, dings and scratches. Walnut is a beautiful floor, but get it distressed so any damage will actually make it look better.

Do you homework.

6/22/2012 at 3:01:29 AM

Yeah I know about the ratings. The thing is the floor is so soft what when you drop something, it chips rather than dents because the coating is hard and underneath is not. When the installer was putting it down, he believed the floor was being marked up by his new nail gun. He had to tape cardbord to the gun. Well he's used that gun on several floors since and had no problem. He had put down a waste piece to use as a marker for straightness and when he pulled it up the piece splintered all over and looks like balsa wood.

When I initially had talked to Grace at able, she said "Oh its probably just a Walnut finish". Thats not what they advertised, but I doubt if they advertised the truth "Unknown wood, various finishes" they would command the price they get at these auctions. That is after all how I believe they are paid - a commission.

Someone had said to me "Well thats why its at the auction - no one else wanted to buy it!" Referring to flooring suppliers.

8/5/2012 at 8:50:10 PM

Lots of advice on how to handle hardwood so I will avoid that. I am an auction junkie and people that frequent auctions are there to get a deal. The biggest thing is that it is always as is, where is. Buyers remorse has no place for those that want to cry foul afterwards.

I bought some hardwood from an auction company that was traveling around Alberta a couple of years ago. This was to finish off one bedroom after having hardwood put in the rest of the floor by a reputable company. Even they left a pile of warped and cracked boards that they couldn't use after the first large installation.

No matter what you buy from an auction you should beware that you are might end up with seconds. I was lucky in mine and had a few pieces but not a large number.

The auction company is simply the middleman in these transactions and I would probably be safe in saying that if the OP read the terms and conditions the only recourse he has is to complain on a forum board. I feel for them but it really is buyer beware when doing this sort of thing.

3/29/2016 at 11:44:56 AM

Remember auction policy states AS IS WHERE IS. So you take your chances.