A homeowner's comment about my floor transitions made me switch adhesives

I was finishing a glue-down vinyl plank job in a split-level house in Bellingham last month. The homeowner, an older guy who used to do some carpentry, pointed out a slight 'clicking' sound at a transition strip after 2 days. He wasn't rude, just said, 'That adhesive might not have enough grab for that subfloor movement.' I'd been using the same brand for years. I switched to a heavier-bodied pressure-sensitive adhesive on the next job, and the difference in sound deadening and hold was immediate. Has anyone else had a simple observation from a client change a material choice you thought was solid?

3 comments

3 Comments

alice_palmer201mo ago

What brand were you using before? Sometimes the cheaper lines from good companies just don't cut it on certain subfloors.

bennett.noah1mo ago

Yeah the "cheaper lines from good companies" thing is real. But honestly I've seen the same brand perform totally different just based on what store you buy it from. Like the stuff at the big box stores sometimes feels like a different product even with the same label.

theasmith1mo ago

@bennett.noah what brand was it that seemed different from store to store for you? I had a similar thing happen with some laminate I picked up from a big box retailer. The same brand's stuff from a local flooring supply store felt way sturdier and the locking mechanism actually clicked together right. I ended up returning the big box batch and driving the extra 20 minutes to the supply place. It was totally worth it. The price was only a few bucks more per box and the quality was night and day.