16
Contractor promised me a flat subfloor and lied through his teeth
I showed up last Thursday to a new build in Phoenix and found a gluedown LVP job waiting for me. The general contractor swore up and down the slab was flat, said he checked it himself with a 6 foot level. I pulled out my straightedge and found a 3/8 inch dip right in the middle of the living room, plus a high spot near the sliding door. He stood there watching me check and told me to just float it with extra glue. I told him flat out that's not how it works and walked off the job. He called me back an hour later saying he'd bring in a self-leveler crew. But honestly it makes me wonder how many times guys just cover up bad work. Has anyone else had a GC fight you on subfloor prep only to back down when you actually showed them the problem?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
abby_fisher4d ago
The glue float trick is a classic one. I had a GC in Tucson try to sell me on that same line for a gluedown job, said the adhesive would magically fill a 1/2 inch depression if I just packed it in thick. I leveled my straightedge on his desk and he went quiet real fast. It's wild how they'll fight you on something that takes an hour to fix with self leveler, but then you catch them on another job doing it the right way for a different contractor. You were right to walk off. That dip would have been a nightmare in six months with hollow spots and cracked seams.
7
blairm774d ago
Ha, I once tried the glue float trick myself on a tiny spot I was embarrassed to level and created a permanent crunchy wave that sounded like stepping on cereal for years. Nothing quite like the slow realization that your shortcut is gonna cost you twice the time and a lot of pride when you rip it up later. Sometimes the most humbling move is just admitting you need a bag of self leveler and an hour of patience.
8
samreed4d ago
Honestly, I once glued down a floor so bad it crunched like stepping on a bag of chips for years.
2