Firmin v. Denham Springs Floor Covering

595 So. 2d 1164, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 3632, 1991 WL 310759
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 27, 1991
Docket90 CA 1981
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 595 So. 2d 1164 (Firmin v. Denham Springs Floor Covering) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Firmin v. Denham Springs Floor Covering, 595 So. 2d 1164, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 3632, 1991 WL 310759 (La. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

595 So.2d 1164 (1991)

FIRMIN, INC.
v.
DENHAM SPRINGS FLOOR COVERING, INC., et al.

No. 90 CA 1981.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 27, 1991.
Rehearing Denied March 13, 1992.

*1165 W. Luther Wilson, Baton Rouge, for Armstrong World, et al.

Ernest Forbes, Denham Springs, for Firmin, Inc.

J. Donald Morgan, Baton Rouge, for Denham Springs Floor Covering, Inc.

Before SHORTESS, LANIER and CRAIN, JJ.

SHORTESS, Judge.

Firmin, Inc. (Firmin), was the general contractor for the construction of Live Oak Middle School for the Livingston Parish School Board pursuant to a written contract signed by these parties on May 24, 1983. Alvin Fairburn and Associates, Inc. (Fairburn), was the design architect. Firmin subcontracted the floor covering work to Denham Springs Floor Covering, Inc. (DSFC).

Construction of the school began around June 3, 1983. The concrete slab was poured in stages beginning in August 1983. DSFC began the installation of the tile flooring over a several-week period beginning around June 1, 1984. Charles Foster of DSFC bought the tile and adhesive which were manufactured by Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (Armstrong), from The Patterson Company, Inc. (Patterson). DSFC subcontracted the labor for installation to John O'Neal.

Shortly after school started in August 1984, school officials noticed that black liquid appeared to be oozing up or "bleeding" *1166 between the joints of the tile and onto the floors throughout the school building.

The School Board made demand upon Firmin to replace the floor, which it did. Firmin then filed suit on January 20, 1986, against DSFC and Charles Foster to recover its costs of $56,769.11, and the cost of borrowing from its bank the money to do the work, amounting to $18,760.49.

On February 24, 1986, DSFC answered the suit and filed a third party demand against Fairburn, Armstrong, and Patterson.[1] Fairburn was subsequently dismissed on an exception raising the objection of vagueness. On December 11, 1986, Firmin amended its petition to name Armstrong as an additional defendant on the main demand.

The case was tried beginning on November 29, 1989. Upon completion, the trial court rendered written reasons for judgment wherein it awarded plaintiff the principal sum of $75,529.60 against DSFC[2] and Armstrong in solido. It further awarded DSFC judgment on its third party demand against Armstrong.

In its reasons for judgment, the trial court made the following dispositive findings of fact:

Second, the [record] adduced at trial establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the adhesive used on the flooring failed because it was faulty due to the effects of the plasticizer, which is a synthetic material used in the manufacture of vinyl block tile. It was established at trial that even though the plasticizer is not a component of the adhesive in question, after the tile is laid over the adhesive, the plasticizer migrates into it and can cause it to emulsify and ultimately bleed through the joints between the tile blocks. This explanation of the cause of the problem encountered with the tile flooring at the newly-built school was presented through the testimony of various witnesses including Robert W. Lukowski, a chemist employed by Armstrong, and Clare R. Bleacher, an employee of Armstrong with thirty-one years['] experience in Armstrong adhesives.

The trial court found DSFC performed the installation in a workmanlike manner. However, the court found DSFC breached the contract because it used faulty material in the work.

Armstrong alleged prescription as an affirmative defense in its answer to Firmin's supplemental and amending petition.[3] The trial court found no merit in this defense, finding that the ten-year prescription for quasi-contracts, rather than the one-year tort prescription, was applicable to these facts, citing Minyard v. Curtis Products, Inc., 251 La. 624, 205 So.2d 422 (1967), as its authority.

Armstrong and Patterson have appealed suspensively to this court urging three specifications of error.[4]

I. FACTUAL FINDINGS

In its first specification, Armstrong asserts error in the factual conclusions made by the trial court.

It is uncontested that in August 1984 after school started and the floors in question were subjected to constant traffic from students, teachers, and staff, extensive bleeding became obvious and a problem throughout the entire school. The question is: Why did it happen? Plaintiff has a theory, as do defendants, and the resolution of this question disposes of the case.

*1167 Plaintiff's theory is that the materials furnished its subcontractor by Patterson and manufactured by Armstrong were defective. To support this theory, many witnesses were called. We will outline pertinent testimony from the key witnesses.

Ronald Madden, a civil engineer with expertise in substance measurements, found that DSFC used twice as much adhesive (glue) as recommended by Armstrong (350 to 400 square feet per gallon). Madden's tests showed that in the areas with the most severe bleeding, the spread rate (thickness of the glue) was 165.7 square feet per gallon. The spread rate in bleeding areas was 2.11 to 2.72 times more adhesive than recommended by Armstrong. The spread rate was 280 square feet per gallon in the non-bleeding areas. Madden found no excessive moisture or water in the slab and did not remember seeing any alkali salt on the floor. He was of the opinion that too much adhesive could cause bleeding.

Charles Foster, a defendant and general manager of DSFC, testified that DSFC had subcontracted for the tile floors in the school; that the job began the first part of June 1984 and took about three to four weeks to complete; that the labor to do the flooring was subcontracted to John O'Neal; that Armstrong Axilon Tiling block vinyl flooring was used; that the flooring was purchased from Patterson; that Armstrong S-89 adhesive was used, also purchased from Patterson; that a concrete floor has to be properly prepared after curing to receive tile; that a sander is run over the concrete floor to make sure all mud, paint, etc., is taken off, the floor is swept, then glue is spread onto the floor with a metal trowel (a hands and knees job); that the spread rate is 350 to 450 square feet per gallon; that since concrete is porous, it takes a little more adhesive than a perfectly smooth, less porous surface would take; that if more than the recommended amount of adhesive is applied, it should not result in bleeding if it is allowed to dry; that there is a time period between laying adhesive and putting on the tile, which is called open time; that in our climate open time varies between 30 minutes to overnight; that he had never in all his years in floor covering work had a bleeding problem like this one; that the adhesive on the back of many of the tiles had a glossy finish when he took them up, while tile taken up after drying always had a dull-looking finish; that the samples introduced into evidence still are not dry, even after five years; that some alkali crystals were found at the joints, which had to come from moisture; and that if moisture is the problem, tiles will not stick because excessive moisture breaks down the glue.

Kenneth Altazan was selected to redo the floors after his name came up through the Baton Rouge Floor Covering Association. He had 18 years' experience in this type work and had been to numerous Armstrong schools.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
595 So. 2d 1164, 1991 La. App. LEXIS 3632, 1991 WL 310759, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/firmin-v-denham-springs-floor-covering-lactapp-1991.