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Old timer told me my glue spread was too thick. Turns out he was right. | Flooring Installers - Babble Community

Old timer told me my glue spread was too thick. Turns out he was right.

I was doing this big glue down LVP job about 8 months ago on a slab in Charlotte and this 60 year old guy walks through. He watches me trowel out a row and says 'you're using way too much glue son that's gonna bubble on you.' I laughed it off but sure enough three days later I'm back because the homeowner felt bumps under her feet. That stuff puffed up like pancakes. Now I run a 1/16 notch and go lighter. Saved me so much time on the last 2000 square foot office I did. Anyone else get humbled by a random walk through?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_campbell5mo ago

Man that pancake line killed me because I've been there too. Had a similar thing happen with a self leveler job where I thought I knew what I was doing and an old floor guy walked by and said "that ain't gonna flow right" and I brushed him off. Sure enough had to grind it all down and start over. It's rough when you think you've got it down and some random stranger calls it before it fails. Did you have to rip any of your gluedown up or just let it dry and hope for the best?

ericj455mo ago

The worst part is when you know in your gut it ain't right but you keep going hoping it'll magically fix itself. In my experience, once that glue starts grabbing and you see the pancaking, you're better off pulling it up right then rather than waiting. Saved myself a lot of headaches learning that if I have to ask myself "should I rip this up", the answer is almost always yes.

rubyshah5mo ago

Nah I gotta disagree a little bit there. Sometimes that gut feeling is just nerves, not a real sign something's wrong. I've pushed through plenty of times where I was sure it was gonna fail and it turned out fine. If you rip it up every time you get that twinge you'll never finish a job. The real trick is knowing the difference between "this is actually wrong" and "I'm just second guessing myself." That old floor guy probably meant well but he doesn't know your specific situation or how the material behaves in that room. If your prep was solid and you followed the specs, let it ride.