I always thought you had to wait 24 hours before walking on new vinyl plank flooring

I just finished a job in a small apartment last Friday and the homeowner really needed to move some boxes in that night. The box said you could walk on it after 4 hours, so I told him to wait that long and use furniture pads. He sent me a picture the next morning and the floor looked perfect, no shifting or gaps at all. I've been telling people to wait a full day for years, but now I check the specific product's instructions every time. It turns out the old rule was for much older glues and materials. Has anyone else found a big difference between what the old-timers say and what the new product labels actually tell you?

3 comments

3 Comments

milesj701mo ago

Honestly, how much damage is walking on a floor gonna do? People act like you'll ruin a thousand dollar job by stepping on it an hour early. The old rules were for junk glue that took forever to set. Modern stuff is way better. Read the box, follow that, and stop worrying so much.

richard_dixon1mo ago

You're right about reading the box, that changed my mind after I rushed one job.

simons2823d ago

Man I had almost the exact same thing happen to me last year. I spent a whole day moving furniture around in my nephew's place after only 4 hours and was terrified all night, but it turned out totally fine. Its wild how much the old rules just don't apply anymore.