Spent 3 days putting LVP in a flip house near Cleveland and the realtor complained about the color because it didn't match the cabinets. Nothing like having someone nitpick your work when the old carpet had actual mouse droppings underneath. Has anyone else dealt with flippers changing their mind mid-install?
I was doing a lvt install in a new build outside Tulsa and noticed the subfloor in one room had this bubbling under the glue. The GC said another crew laid down carpet glue a week ago and it looked like it never set right. I touched it with my finger and it was still tacky like day one. We had to scrape off a 200 square foot section before we could even start. Turns out the temp dropped to 45 that night and the glue didn't cure properly. The guy who did it didn't check the manufacturer spec on the bucket. Anyone else run into this kind of glue failure on a cold slab?
I was doing a click-lock LVP job up in Queen Anne last spring and the homeowner kept hovering. She looked at my floor scraper and said "you're missing the high spot by the sliding door, it's about a 3/16 hump." I brushed her off at first. But sure enough I put a level on it and she was dead on. Now I always do a full straightedge check before I even pull out the glue or underlayment. Anyone else ever get corrected by a customer and actually learn something?
I remember installing bamboo back in 2019 and it was solid stuff. Hard as nails, took the saw well, didn't chip too bad. But the last three jobs I did with it? Total junk. Soft, scratches if you look at it wrong, and the bevels don't line up straight. I think the big manufacturers started rushing production when demand went up. Anyone else seeing this drop off in quality or am I just getting bad batches?
I was on a job in Portland last week and had to redo three door jambs for a guy who used a oscillating tool freehand. No guide block, no depth stop, just eyeballed it and cut right into the subfloor about a quarter inch. Back in 2010 my old boss taught me to use a scrap piece of flooring as a spacer and score the jamb first with a utility knife. It takes an extra two minutes but saves you from chipping the finish or cutting too deep. Has anyone else noticed a lot of guys skipping the basics like that lately?
I always used my manual cutter for LVP planks but last week I borrowed a snap cutter from a buddy for a 2,000 square foot job. It cut my time by almost 40% and the edges were cleaner with no chipping. Has anyone else switched tools and seen a big difference like that?
I was picking up some 12mm LVP last Tuesday and this older installer was telling the counter guy that he only does floating floors now, says glue down is a thing of the past. He was talking about a job he did in an old church where the glue failed after two years because the subfloor had too much moisture. I get that floating floors are faster and cheaper, but I've got a condo job coming up where the slab has a few hairline cracks and I feel like glue down gives me more control. That stuff he used was probably a cheap acrylic adhesive from a big box store, not the urethane stuff we get from the pro shop. Has anyone else here run into a similar situation where glue down actually saved your butt on a tricky slab?
Customer wanted LVP for their finished basement in St. Paul. I had to pick between the click lock floating stuff or a glue down product. I went with glue down because of the temperature swings down there. It took longer to install but after a week I checked back and no gaps or buckles. The floating floor would have had issues with the cold concrete slab for sure. Anyone else run into problems with click lock in basements up north?
I was at a job site last Tuesday and an older installer watched me lay down a full bead of glue on the subfloor. He laughed and said I was wasting half my bucket. He told me to run a thinner bead and spread it with a trowel instead. I tried it on the next row and the board locked in just as tight with zero squeeze out. Saved me maybe 30 bucks on glue for that room alone. Has anyone else found that less glue actually gives you a better bond?
I was grabbing supplies at the lumberyard in Green Bay yesterday and heard a contractor tell his helper that 10 seconds was plenty of dry time for full spread wood glue. How long do you actually wait before you lay the boards down?
I used to spend hours screwing down 1/4 inch plywood over old hardwood floors to get a flat surface for new flooring. Last year I did a job in an 1890s house in Portland where the floor dipped almost an inch in the middle. After fighting with shims for two days on a single kitchen, I finally tried a bag of self-leveling compound from the local supply house. It cost me about $80 for the bag and primer and took maybe 3 hours total to pour and let cure. Now I use it on any subfloor with more than a 1/4 inch dip over 6 feet. Has anyone else made the switch and found a brand they swear by for deep pours?
Had a 30 year veteran installer at my last job tell me to keep a spray bottle handy whenever I cut luxury vinyl plank. I thought he was messing with me, why would you wet a blade? Finally tried it last week on a tricky 45 degree angle around a door frame in a kitchen job. The cut came out perfect, no chipping at the edge at all. I guess the water acts as lube and keeps the blade from heating up too much. Anyone else do this or just stick with dry cuts?
I was installing LVP in a house in Phoenix last week and an older guy walked me through how he checks moisture in concrete slabs. He said most new installers skip the calcium chloride test and just pray it works. Has anyone else gone back to doing more prep after talking to someone with 30 years in?
The homeowner said they only vacuumed once a month and never had it professionally cleaned, which made me wonder if my installation was that good or if people just have lower standards than they used to.
I was struggling to get the last few rows of click-lock vinyl plank to snap in tight on a big install in Des Moines. My knee kicker just wasn't cutting it, and I was about to rig up a block and mallet. Grabbed their $12 pull bar on a whim, and it locked in every single row without chipping the edges. Has anyone else found a budget tool that surprised the heck out of them?
I was at a job in Eugene, Oregon last month and this old timer watched me struggle for like five minutes on some vinyl plank. He just tapped my knee kicker and said 'you're using the wrong head, the rubber end is for softer stuff.' I had been beating up my shoulder for two years using the metal end on everything... anyone else have a basic tool moment where they felt like a total rookie?
I had a job in a basement last week where the boards kept cupping after two days, and I was about to rip it all out. Then I realized my old pin meter was giving me readings way off from the subfloor's actual moisture, so I grabbed a pinless meter from a buddy. Anybody else run into wild inconsistencies between meter types during acclimation?
I was cleaning up after a 1,200 square foot glue-down LVP install in a ranch house with four bedrooms and realized I tossed nearly 47 feet of usable scrap because I was cutting from the middle of the roll instead of the ends, so has anyone else switched to a cut-sheet method to keep waste under 10 percent?
I grabbed a $20 bag from a random brand at a discount store. Big mistake. It turned out lumpy and never set right. Had to rip up 200 square feet of new LVP. Wasted $400 on materials and two full days. Spend the extra $10 for a known brand like Henry or Mapei. Anyone else get burned by off-brand floor patch?
I usually do click lock floating floors but took a residential job in Phoenix where the homeowner insisted on full glue down LVP. Big mistake not renting a power roller for that. I was on my hands and knees for 6 hours straight spreading adhesive with a trowel and the fumes were brutal even with the windows open. The floor came out solid though no hollow spots at all and it feels way more stable than the click stuff. But man my knees are shot and I dont know how the older guys do this day in and day out. Anyone else find glue down worth the extra hassle for residential or is it just a commercial thing?
They had that old sheet vinyl glued right to the plywood, with waves you could trip on. I tore it out, put down a layer of 1/4 inch underlayment, and nailed it every 6 inches. Who still thinks you can just slap new vinyl over a bad subfloor?
She pointed at a seam and said, 'That looks like a brown river,' so I switched to a 3/32-inch V-notch trowel for the next room and the difference was night and day, so what's the smallest notch you guys will go with on a 5/16-inch floating click floor?
Found that stat in a trade magazine last week. It said it's usually from not letting the planks sit in the room long enough before you lay them down. How long do you guys usually acclimate material for a big job?
They pointed out a 3-foot section where my cuts weren't as tight as the rest. Said it looked rushed. I argued the floor was level and it was fine. But that night, I went back to my shop and practiced my miter cuts on scrap for an hour. Now I check every corner with a flashlight before I call a job done. Anyone else get a piece of criticism that actually improved their finish work?