Action 9 investigates claims of defective flooring from large retailer

ORLANDO,Fla. — A Winter Park family claims the bamboo flooring they installed has become a $12,000 nightmare. They said Lumber Liquidators sold a defective product and a class action makes the same claim.

“You can see where it's rippling and cupping,” said Mark Casey, who calls his bamboo floors a disaster.

He said the floors have warped in every room and it’s like a mini trampoline in some places.

“This cannot be repaired.  It has to be completely taken out and replaced,” said Casey.

He had recently moved back in after a fire gutted his Winter Park home in 2015.

Now, the flooring installed six months ago is failing. He blames the company that sold him Morning Star Bamboo Flooring from China.

"Did Lumber Liquidators sell you a defective product?" asked Action 9's Todd Ulrich.

“I think they did,” replied Casey.

His contractor, Jason Tisdell, said he followed industry guidelines and used the premium glue recommended by Lumber Liquidators as a moisture barrier.

“This product failed. The product isn't made to be installed in this environment with this glue,” said Tisdell.

He said the glue stuck to a concrete slab but not the bamboo.

“You shouldn't have been able to pull that up,” said Tisdell.

A class action filed by six homeowners claims Lumber Liquidators bamboo flooring is subject to premature cracking, splitting, warping and shrinking.

Casey said Lumber Liquidators refused to cover damages saying the floors were not installed properly. “They changed the story every time we contacted them,” he said.

Lumber Liquidators told Action 9 it will conduct an independent inspection of the customer's flooring.  But it stressed improper installation related to moisture usually causes these kinds of problems, not the product.

“Just fix the floors,” said Casey.

The company said after the inspection it will work with all parties on next steps.

The bamboo flooring is not related to the wood formaldehyde issues the company dealt with in 2015.

Lumber Liquidators response:

• Lumber Liquidators is working to find a solution for Mr. Casey consistent with our unyielding commitment to customer service. The cupping he's experiencing is most often a moisture issue that can be avoided by properly following installation instructions. The installation is not technically our responsibility but, as a matter of goodwill, we have scheduled an inspection at our cost to pinpoint the issue. Once we know more, we will work with all parties to determine next steps.

Litigation:

• We continue defending ourselves in the matter. It is not appropriate to comment further about pending litigation.

Cox Media Group