That 3-year-old oak floor I laid in a Portland bungalow is already cupping

The homeowner insisted on saving $500 by skipping the moisture barrier under the slab. Anyone else had a client fight you on a basic prep step that came back to bite them?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ben23h ago

Ugh, does it ever end? Had a guy refuse to let me seal a concrete subfloor before putting down engineered hardwood. Said it was a scam to charge more. A year later he's calling because the planks are peeling up at the seams. Moisture wicking right through. Told him the fix is a full tear-out now. That "scam" would have cost him $200.

abbyf7921h ago

Learned to show them a moisture meter reading on the slab. Usually shuts them up real quick.

the_leo13h ago

Classic case of paying a little now or a lot later. Moisture doesn't care about your opinion on upcharges. That two hundred dollar sealant job looks pretty cheap compared to a full redo. Some people just need to learn the hard way.