Home Depot Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Flooring Products
Consumers who are dissatisfied with wood laminate flooring products from Home Depot’s Home Decorators Collection are exploring the possibility of a class action against the company.
The 40 such products on the company’s website are as easy to install, with a glueless locking system. But numerous consumers have reported that the flooring is extremely difficult to install and is prone to warping. Some consumers say that, despite Home Depot’s claims, glue is needed to properly install the flooring.
Home Depot markets the wood laminate flooring products in the Home Decorators Collection as a do-it-yourself product—easy-to-install and featuring a glueless locking system. But customers who purchased the “Distressed Brown Hickory 12 mm x 6.26 in. x 50.78 in. Laminate Flooring,” says that every plank must be glued for the flooring to install correctly. One customer, in a web review, wrote, “This flooring is total garbage. I purchased it for the look and price, which happen to be the only good things about it. Installing it without boards popping up all over is impossible unless you want to glue almost every panel together, which I do not.” That customer plans to pull up the flooring and return “what I can so I can buy a laminate or hardwood with a true locking system.” The consumer also expressed regret at not having “researched better . . . before buying this product and trying to save a few bucks.”
Some customers have complained that flooring panels in the cartons they purchased were warped and, therefore, unusable. One customer described the flooring as “a nightmare to install, planks were warped, so you have one straight piece and one warped piece.” Out of 93 boxes purchased, the customer returned 13 boxes containing warped pieces from the 93 boxes. “Very poor quality,” the customer commented. Even customers with experience installing this type of flooring complained about the Home Depot products. One such customer wrote, “I have been installing laminate flooring for a long time. This product is difficult, no, very difficult, to install. At least 15 to 20 percent is warped in one direction or another and can’t be used. Many pieces have separated edges you can’t see until it is in and you have to back up again. Over-all a very poor product. Please ask for a true locking laminate and run if suggests this.” Another customer with experience installing wood laminate floors called this “by far, the worst to install,” explaining, “There is not enough tongue width to prevent the floor from wanting to lift between joints. The short joint will not always be tight because the base material of the laminate will be butted together, but the surface gap will vary. I am a long time Home Depot shopper; however, I am not at all satisfied with this product.”
Dissatisfied customers have been consulting attorneys to explore how they can recoup their losses on a product they feel does not live up to Home Depot’s claims.
