c/flooring-installers

My approach to underlayment changed after a job in Denver

I used to just roll out the foam pad and call it good, especially on slab foundations. But after installing a floating LVP floor in a Denver condo last winter, I had callbacks for noise. The temperature swings made the cheap pad compress unevenly. Now I always check the manufacturer specs and use a 3mm cork underlayment for any floating floor, no exceptions. What's your go-to underlayment for dry climates?

Question about a weird subfloor I found in a 1920s house in Portland

Last month I was pulling up old carpet in a bungalow and found the subfloor was made of 1x6 boards laid diagonally. The homeowner said it was original from 1925. Has anyone else run into this and how did you prep it for new flooring?

Changed my mind about using a heat gun on vinyl plank in a cold garage

I always thought letting the planks warm up in the house was enough, but a job in Duluth last January proved me wrong. I spent an extra hour with a heat gun on the locking edges before clicking them together and the whole floor went down without a single pop or gap. What's your go-to method for cold weather installs?

I bought a cheap moisture meter and it cost me a whole day's work

Got a job laying down some engineered hardwood in a basement. The concrete felt a bit cool, but my new $40 meter said it was fine. Two days after the install, the homeowner calls with buckling planks. Had to pull up about 400 square feet, dry the slab properly, and reinstall it all. That meter cost me a full day of labor and a lot of trust. What's a brand you actually trust for reading slabs?

An old guy at the hardware store told me to always use a 6 mil vapor barrier on concrete, no matter what

I was picking up supplies for a laminate job in a basement in Tacoma about two years ago. This older guy, maybe in his seventies, was in line behind me and saw the vapor barrier roll in my cart. He leaned in and said, very seriously, 'You always use a 6 mil. Don't listen to the 2 mil stuff, it's junk.' I figured he knew his stuff, so I swapped it out. The job went fine, but a few months later the homeowner called me back. There was a musty smell. Turns out, the concrete slab had a lot of moisture and the 6 mil barrier just trapped it against the floor, creating a perfect spot for mold. I had to pull up the whole floor. A more experienced installer I know later told me that for that specific slab, a 2 mil barrier that breathes a little would have been the better call. I learned that blanket advice can get you in trouble. Has anyone else run into problems from following a 'one size fits all' rule too strictly?

Am I the only one who sees guys not letting vinyl plank acclimate?

I did a job in Tempe last week where the homeowner said the previous installer just opened the boxes and went to town, and now the floor is buckling near the patio door. I mean, it was 110 degrees outside and the AC was blasting inside, idk how you skip that step. What's the shortest time you'll let material sit before installing?

Can we talk about those self-leveling underlayments for concrete slabs?

I was totally convinced they were a gimmick until I had to prep a 1,200 sq ft basement floor in Cincinnati with a 3/4 inch dip, and it saved me two full days of grinding and patching. What's your go-to method for a slab that's way out of plane?

Had to patch a weird corner in a 1950s house in Tacoma last week

The subfloor had a 3-inch gap from an old pipe chase, and I was out of plywood scraps. Ended up mixing some leftover leveling compound with a handful of sawdust to make a filler, let it cure overnight, and it sanded down perfect for the new vinyl plank. Anyone ever try something like that for small, irregular spots?

Just saw a new glue-down vinyl job in a Denver coffee shop that's already lifting at the seams

I was grabbing a coffee yesterday and noticed the floor felt soft near the counter. Got down for a closer look and the planks were already starting to cup and pull apart, maybe a quarter inch gap in spots. The install looked clean otherwise, but the subfloor must have had moisture. The manager said it was only put in six months ago. Has anyone else run into this with that newer rigid core stuff on concrete slabs?

Saw a hotel lobby in Nashville using that new click-lock vinyl plank on a huge curved staircase

Unpopular opinion: The best advice I ever got was from a painter, not another floor guy.

I was laying some tricky herringbone in a big house in Charleston, and the painter saw me stressing over a tiny gap. He just said, 'Kid, you're the only one who will ever see that from six inches away.' It made me rethink my whole speed versus perfection thing. Anyone else get a game changing tip from someone outside our trade?

Remembering the old way we used to cut planks versus the track saw now

Back when I started, we'd set up a couple sawhorses and use a circular saw with a guide. It was fine, but you'd get a bit of tear-out and the line wasn't always perfect. Then about five years ago I tried a Festool track saw on a big job in Portland, and the clean, straight cuts every single time changed the whole game. What's the one tool that made you feel like you finally left the old ways behind?

Got stuck on a 1960s parquet floor with tar paper under it.

The homeowner in Portland wanted it saved, but the old adhesive was like concrete. What should have been a two day demo turned into a full week of chiseling and grinding. Anyone have a better method for that kind of mess?

Appreciation post: The old guy at the lumberyard in Spokane who showed me the wet sponge trick

I was struggling with a tight plank fit in a 100-year-old house and he just walked over, dampened the end grain, and told me to wait 10 minutes. Anyone still use that method for stubborn hardwood?

Just realized I was cutting laminate wrong for years after a job in Phoenix

I was doing a big condo install in Phoenix last summer, about 1200 square feet of that click-lock laminate. The homeowner's friend, who claimed he did some DIY floors, kept telling me to score and snap the planks for the end cuts. I was doing it that way for speed, but halfway through the job I noticed a tiny gap forming at a seam every time. I switched to my miter saw for every single cut for the rest of the job, even though it took longer. The finish was perfect. Now I never score and snap laminate for a final piece, the tear-out is just not worth it. Anyone else completely given up on that method for a clean look?

Heard a guy at the lumberyard say 'a floor is only as good as the subfloor prep' and it got me thinking

On one hand, I've seen jobs where perfect prep saved a tricky install. On the other, I've also seen beautiful floors laid over some pretty rough patches that held up fine for years. Where do you all stand on how much prep is really needed before you lay down the new material?

Showerthought: My nail gun jammed on a glue-down job in the middle of a 90 degree day

The heat made the adhesive set up way faster than usual, and I had to stop and clear the jam three times before I could finish the seam. Anyone have a trick for keeping tools running in extreme heat?

A homeowner in Denver said my work was the only thing that survived their basement flood

They had a pipe burst last winter and all their furniture was ruined, but the engineered hardwood I put down three years ago dried out fine. It made me realize we don't always hear about the long-term results of our installs. What's the best water-resistant underlayment you've used for basements?

Update: My whole crew got the same stomach bug on a big vinyl plank job in Denver

We were supposed to finish a 2,500 square foot install in three days, but by noon on day two, three of us were out sick. I had to finish the last 800 square feet alone, laying planks while running to the client's bathroom every hour. Has anyone else had a job completely derailed by illness?

Counted the square feet I've laid this morning and it hit me

I was cleaning up after finishing a big glue-down vinyl job in a new apartment building. I added up the three units I did, and it came to exactly 4,000 square feet. That's a lot of material to handle in one go. It made me realize how much my speed and back feel it when I don't plan my cuts and adhesive batches right. For jobs that size, I need to be smarter about my layout from the very first row. Anyone have a good method for keeping your layout square over such a long run without constant checks?

A client's 1920s oak floor went from dull to glowing in a week

I was called in to look at this original oak floor in an old house in St. Louis. The homeowner had tried to clean it with a store-bought wax, which left a cloudy, sticky film everywhere. I started with a thorough buffing using a 175 RPM machine and a specific stripping pad, which took off the old gunk. Then I applied three thin coats of a water-based finish, sanding lightly with 220-grit paper between each one. The difference from the first day to the last was night and day. For those of you who work on historic homes, what's your go-to method for dealing with old wax buildup?

I finally got a tricky plank to click in after three tries on a job in Springfield

I was putting down some laminate in a bedroom and the last piece by the closet just would not lock, even with the pull bar and a tap block. I ended up taking a closer look and saw a tiny bit of debris from the underlayment stuck in the groove, so I cleaned it out with my utility knife and it slid right in. What's your go-to trick for a plank that just won't seat?

PSA: My underlayment knife snapped on a glue-down job yesterday

I was about halfway through spreading adhesive for a 500 square foot vinyl plank install when the blade just broke off at the handle. It was a cheap one I grabbed from a big box store maybe two years back. I had to run to my truck and use my utility knife to finish the spread, which was way slower and left ridges. Has anyone found a specific brand of underlayment knife that holds up better to heavy use?

A homeowner in Phoenix called my floor 'clicky' and it made me fix my prep work

They said it felt and sounded hollow under their feet in the main hall. I went back and checked, and sure enough, I had missed a low spot about the size of a dinner plate. I now use a 6-foot straightedge on every single job before I even think about laying the first plank. Anyone else have a good trick for finding those sneaky dips fast?

The time I had to pull up a floor because of a hidden pet door

Last month I was putting down new vinyl plank in a house in Springfield. The homeowner said the old carpet was just glued down, no big deal. I started pulling it up and found a perfectly cut square in the subfloor, about two feet by two feet. It was covered with a thin piece of plywood that was just painted over. I lifted it and there was a hole straight down into the basement! The lady laughed and said, 'Oh yeah, that was for the cat about 15 years ago, I totally forgot they sealed it up like that.' I had to stop everything, cut a new piece of subfloor, and secure it before I could even think about the new floor. Has anyone else ever found something totally wild hidden under an old floor?