Plywood Delamination Issue/Fix

[nafterclifen]

Need some advice...

I ordered a 14x32 pre-built garage with two 9x8 overhead doors about 6 weeks ago and I'm supposed to take delivery on Monday. I went and looked at it and I noticed 5 spots of delamination (?) on the 3/4" pressure treated plywood floor. They are not very noticeable but once you see/feel them, it's obvious. When you push on these spots with your finger, the wood moves. I raised a concern about these spots potentially getting bigger but also possibly tearing off a section of the top veneer if cracks/chips and something catches on it. None of the other garages on their lot have this issue. I asked the dealer if we can do something about it now rather than down the road when I have a bunch of stuff in the garage. The dealer contacted their builder and offered two solutions.

1. Remove/cut out the sections that are damaged and replace them. Two of the pieces go under the wall so they'd have to cut along the wall to remove the damaged piece and then use some type of trim to hide the seam. I'd hope they trim the entire perimeter. I have to ask.

2. Put another 5/8" plywood floor over the existing floor. Adjustments would need to be made for the garage door tracks and diamond-plate threshold. I didn't ask them how that would be handled. Floor joists are 2x4, 8" OC so I really don't need another layer of 5/8".

3. Another option I thought about, but they didn't offer it, is removing the delamination and filling it (filler, epoxy, etc).

Attached are some pictures. The nighttime photo makes it looks much worse than in person because you can see all of the imperfections and slight transitions in the plywood. I know I'm being picky but I don't like substandard materials or work. Props to the dealer/builder for trying to make things right but I'm not sure which "repair" I should have done. Thoughts or suggestions?

 

[mike93lx]

It's hard to tell, but if it's really delaminating, they should have noticed during install and never installed it. You could tell them to rebuild it. I bet they could sell that at a discount to someone without too much problem

If I built this and and only noticed at this stage, I'd probably add a layer on top to get it smooth. Once the plywood starts delaminating it will likely continue.

If there is a lot that runs under the walls, I don't think I would replace, but if most of the issue is in the field, that is viable.

 

[beemerphile]

Reject it and tell them to build a good one and you will buy it.

 

[jack stand]

Ask for a discount and don't worry about it.
If it ever becomes a problem just layer over it.
I've seen where some of the core ply's leave a void and there's nothing to glue the face ply's too in small areas.
There's no way of telling this for sure by a description but this is what my "don't worry about it" is based on.
Do you know anyone that's handled/used a lot of (today's) plywood that could have a look? CDX (sheathing) is usually what I've seen that gets PT and it's common and pretty irrelevant in a sheathing application.

 

[sonoronos]

No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Do not make this more complicated than it has to be. The standard fix is simply to cut out and replace the sections of plywood that are delaminating. This is not difficult to do nor particularly time consuming, especially if the delamination is occurring in the center of the space.

Roofing and flooring crews do this all the time. There is no reason why a contractor couldn't come out and fix the problems you are seeing.

The real question is who is going to pay for it. Obviously it shouldn't be you!

 

[bluedog225]

cut out the delam layer. Carefully. Glue same piece back down with titebond. Weight. Wait. Done. May be the path of least resistance.

 

[nafterclifen]

I opted for option 2 - lay another floor over the existing floor. Garage is being delivered on Monday as planned which makes me happy because I can get my tractor out of the weather. Builder will come on-site at some point afterwards to lay down the new floor (about 10 sheets) over top of the existing floor and replace the diamond plate thresholds to accommodate the additional height and ensure a smooth transition. No cost to me. Will pay them majority of the balance upon delivery. Will make final payment once the floor is in and all of the other repairs are made (siding and shingles). I learned that it's common for damage to occur on structures this large during transportation from low hanging tree branches.

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[beemerphile]

...Builder will come on-site at some point afterwards to lay down the new floor (about 10 sheets) over top of the existing floor.

If they alternate the orientation of the top layer 90 degrees vs. the bottom layer it will greatly increase the strength of the floor.

 

[nadogail]

I would try to inject an adhesive into the plywood, you might have to drill holes and use a syringe.