Flooring defects in new homes — timber, tile, carpet, and what you can claim

Flooring defects are a frequent complaint in new home builds because flooring covers the largest surface area in the house and is directly underfoot every day. Whether you have squeaking timber floors, hollow tiles, carpet that won’t lie flat, or a floor that simply doesn’t match what you specified, understanding what constitutes a defect versus acceptable variation is critical to making a successful claim.

Timber and engineered timber flooring defects

Squeaking and creaking

Squeaking floorboards in a new home are among the most common complaints builders receive and the most difficult to resolve. Squeaking usually indicates one of two things:

1. Insufficiently fixed flooring — the floor boards or panels are moving slightly relative to each other or the substrate, producing friction noise. In direct stick timber flooring, inadequate adhesive or insufficient time allowed for adhesive curing are common causes. In nail-down flooring, loose nails or nails in the wrong position create movement.

2. Substrate movement — the subfloor (typically concrete or particleboard) is moving relative to the structural frame. In a new build, minor settlement can cause this initially. However, persistent squeaking after the first few months indicates a problem.

Builders commonly argue that squeaking in the first year is “normal settlement” and will resolve. For minor, isolated squeaking, this may be true. For widespread squeaking across multiple rooms or boards, this argument is harder to sustain.

Document squeaking systematically: walk the floor room by room, mark the location of each squeak (stick tape markers or use Checka to photograph and pin locations), and note the conditions under which the squeak occurs (time of day, temperature, load applied).

Timber floor cupping and crowning

Cupping is where the edges of individual floorboards are higher than the centre, creating a concave board profile. Crowning is the opposite — the centre of the board is higher than the edges. Both are caused by moisture differential — the underside of the board absorbing more moisture than the top (cupping) or vice versa (crowning).

In a new build, cupping often indicates:

• Flooring installed before the building envelope was weather-sealed (moisture from concrete slab)
• Flooring installed without adequate moisture barrier over a concrete slab
• Inadequate acclimatisation of the timber before installation

Under Australian Standard AS 1684 and AS 4586 (Slip resistance classification), and the relevant installation standards (AS 1328.1 for hardwood flooring), cupping and crowning that exceeds the specified tolerance is a defect. Mild cupping that resolves as the building dries out is less clear-cut; persistent or severe cupping affecting board integrity or visual appearance is a defect.

Gaps between boards

Some seasonal gap variation between solid timber boards is expected and stated in installation guides — solid timber expands and contracts with humidity. What is not acceptable:

• Gaps visible and wide at the time of installation (not seasonal variation)
• Gaps so wide that the subfloor is visible through them
• Gaps in engineered timber or laminate flooring (which should have minimal seasonal movement)
• Gaps at transitions, door thresholds, or at walls where expansion gaps were required but were instead grouted or filled

Laminate and engineered timber: peaking and gapping

Laminate and engineered timber floating floors require expansion gaps at walls, door frames, and fixed objects. If the installer did not leave adequate expansion gaps, the floor “peaks” — the boards buckle upward at joints as the floor cannot expand laterally. Peaking is a workmanship defect caused by insufficient expansion allowance.

Tile flooring defects

Tile flooring defects are covered in detail in our guide to tiling defects in new homes. Key points:

• Hollow tiles (tap with a coin — a hollow sound indicates debonding) are the most common tile defect
• Lippage (height difference between adjacent tiles) exceeding 1 mm for standard grout joints is a defect
• Cracked tiles are always a defect in a new build unless demonstrably impact-damaged after handover
• Incorrect fall in shower floors (water should drain to waste, not pool away from drain)

Carpet defects

Bubbling and wrinkling

Carpet that is not firmly and evenly stretched over the entire floor area will bubble or wrinkle. This creates a trip hazard and is a workmanship defect. Carpet bubbles typically form because:

• The carpet was not stretched adequately at installation
• Insufficient tackifier strips at the perimeter
• Carpet was installed in conditions where the adhesive or tackifier strips were not at operating temperature

Carpet bubbles should be rectified by power-stretching and re-stretching the affected areas. A builder who argues that bubbling carpet is normal should be asked for the carpet manufacturer’s installation guidelines.

Pile crushing and marks

Some pile crushing at doorways and high-traffic areas is normal and expected. However, pile marks, indentations, or tracking visible at handover — before the homeowner has moved any furniture in — indicate that the carpet was stored or transported incorrectly, or was walked over during construction without protection.

Carpet edges and transitions

Check all carpet edges at doorways, against skirting, and at transitions to other floor surfaces:

• Edges should be neatly tucked under skirting boards, not curled or exposed
• Transition strips at doorways should be correctly fixed with no lifting edges
• Joins in carpet should be located away from high-traffic areas and should be invisible under normal lighting conditions

Colour matching and batch consistency

If carpet is laid in multiple rooms from different stock batches, there can be visible colour variation. Confirm that all carpet in a specified colour was ordered from the same batch. Visible colour variation between rooms specified as the same carpet colour and spec is a defect.

How to check all flooring at handover

The practical completion inspection (PCI) is when you should systematically check the floor:

• Walk every area — walk the entire floor, not just a path through the rooms
• Tap-test all tiles — methodically, one by one, across the entire tiled area
• Test transitions — check all floor-to-floor and floor-to-wall transitions
• Check carpet edges — run your hand along all skirting lines to feel for loose edges
• Check wet area falls — pour a small amount of water on shower floors and watch where it drains
• Check flooring specification — confirm the flooring installed matches your colour selection documents (brand, colour code, product name)

Flooring spec mismatches

A builder who installs a flooring product different from what you specified — wrong brand, wrong colour, different product grade — has a contract issue, not just a defect. Raise it in writing immediately. Depending on how different the product is, you may be entitled to either:

• Replacement with the specified product
• A credit for the cost difference between the installed and specified product

Key Takeaways

• Squeaking floorboards that persist beyond the first few months of occupancy are a defect requiring investigation of the installation and substrate fixings
• Timber floor cupping indicates a moisture issue during or shortly after installation; document conditions and engage an independent inspector to assess whether the cause is workmanship
• Hollow tiles anywhere in the floor plan should be tap-tested systematically at handover; widespread hollow tiles indicate inadequate adhesive coverage
• Carpet bubbles and wrinkling are workmanship defects; carpets should be power-stretched and re-stretched before handover
• Flooring that does not match the specification (wrong product, colour, or grade) is a contract issue as well as a defect, and may entitle you to replacement or a cost credit
• Document all flooring defects at the practical completion inspection with location-specific photographs and written descriptions before signing the certificate