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The guy who wanted me to install over a wet subfloor in Portland

I was on a job in Portland last month, and the homeowner, a guy named Mark, insisted I lay the new vinyl plank right over his basement floor that was still damp from a leak. He said, 'It'll dry out under there, just put it down.' I had to explain that the moisture meter read 18%, and that's a hard no. Ever have someone try to talk you into something that would clearly ruin the install in six months?
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4 Comments
david134
david1342mo ago
Eighteen percent? He thought that was okay?
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ruby_bell47
Whoa, Quinn, did you really push for something like that before? Not judging, just curious. In my experience, that wet subfloor thing is a gamble that almost never pays off. The vinyl might look fine for a month or two, but that moisture just sits there and works its magic underneath. I've seen mold growth and plank warping from exactly this kind of situation, and by the time you notice it, the whole floor is shot. Take it from someone who's had to tear out a bad install before, it's just not worth the headache to skip the drying time.
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ivan462
ivan4622mo ago
That mindset is everywhere now. People just want the quick fix and ignore the cause, then act shocked when it fails.
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sullivan.quinn
Ugh, I've definitely been guilty of that myself!
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