After evaluating these shockingly short boards (shown above left) installed at a residence in Clarkston, Mich., Bill Deskins of Aardvark Hardwood Floors couldn't help but share a warning of "buyers beware" on his Instagram account, @aardvark_hardwood_floors, to purchasers of wood flooring everywhere. The client had paid nearly $10 a foot for these 5-inch-wide prefinished red oak boards, many of which were as stumpy as 10 inches in length. After the pint-sized planks were removed by the original installer, Deskins replaced them with 5-inch-wide, unfinished white oak in lengths from 2 to 7 feet. Deskins and his wife, Michelle, who run the business together, picked out all boards less than 2 feet long from the new material and had the client approve the new board sizes before they were nailed. "She was so worried about shorts after the first install," Michelle says. "We wanted to make 100 percent sure she was happy."
