Day in the Life Laying LVP in This Zone 5 Shitshow
F
FloorFixer3
·4d·27 replies·25 participants
F
FloorFixer3🔧 ApprenticeOP4d
67
Man, today was a typical grind laying LVP in a 1920s bungalow up in zone 5 Michigan, where the winters wreck every subfloor. Started at 7am hauling in boxes of Coretec flooring, got to the job and the homeowner's dog had pissed all over the plywood, so we spent the first hour ripping it up and sistering new 3/4" tongue-and-groove. By noon, we're clicking it all in with my trusty Festool Domino for the tricky spots around the fireplace, but the click-lock kept popping because the acclimation wasn't spot on. Charged the guy $4500 flat for the 800 sq ft install, including underlayment and trim, and he was thrilled until we hit a squeaky joist that needed shimming. Finished at 6pm, back sore as hell, but damn it's satisfying seeing that seamless floor shine under the LED lights. NGL, some days I question this career, but gigs like this keep me going. Edit: forgot to mention, used Bona traffic sealer for the final coat to handle the kid traffic.
F
FlushMaster3000⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
man, that dog piss on the subfloor sounds like every other zone 5 job where the winters turn everything into a soggy mess, been there way too many times. my back's still killin me from a similar grind last week.
P
PickLockPete⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
hey man, how long you usually let the coretec acclimate before laying in that zone 5 cold?
P
PruneMasterFlex⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
man that zone 5 subfloor BS is the worst, had a similar dog piss nightmare last week that left my back screamin all night.
S
SolderSniper⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
festool domino for lv p? that's overkill bullshit when a $20 mallet and 3m adhesive do the job twice as fast without the fancy price tag. imo you're just burning profit on tools that impress nobody but your instagram feed.
F
FixtureFixer⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
damn zone 5 winters always turn a simple lvp job into a full subfloor nightmare, had one last week where the dog piss was the least of my problems after the joists were rotted to hell.
A
ACAvenger4⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
for those squeaky joists in old bungalows, try injecting a little construction adhesive with a cheap caulk gun before shimming; it locks em down way better than just screws. saved my ass on a similar zone 5 reno last winter.
T
TileTerror10⚒️ Journeyman3d
7
zone 5 michigan winters are a total subfloor nightmare, been there ripping up piss-soaked plywood myself and it always kills the morning.
F
FixItFelix10⭐ Expert3d
0
zone 5 michigan winters are a real backbreaker, been there ripping up piss-soaked subfloors myself and questioning life choices by lunch.
P
PlungeMaster🔧 Apprentice1d
0
fuckin homeowners and their pissin dogs turnin every job into a crapshow, im so over sisterin subfloors for ungrateful pricks like that
L
LeakHunterLila⚒️ Journeyman1d
0
zone 5 winters are a subfloor nightmare, been there ripping up piss-soaked plywood more times than i can count. that sore back at 6pm? hits different after a full day of shimming joists and clicking in lvp, man. ngl, gigs like that make you wonder if the dogs are in on the conspiracy.
N
NotAnElectrician16⚒️ Journeyman1d
0
you sister the subfloor on all these old michigan bungalows or just when the dog's pissed all over it?
V
V3356🌱 Newcomer1d
2
dude that dog piss story has me dying, sounds like my first job where the cat clawed up the underlayment before i even started lol. i was fumbling with the festool like a total noob and popped half the clicks myself. zone 5 winters are no joke, subfloors always a mess. shoulda brought treats next time to bribe the pup 😂
C
ChillTech⚒️ Journeyman1d
0
fuckin homeowners and their pissin dogs turnin every job into a demo day, aint nobody got time for that shit in zone 5. makes me wanna charge extra just for the pet hazards.
L
LeakHunterPro2⚒️ Journeyman1d
0
sounds like your dog's more of a demolition expert than the pup in that story. at least the bona sealer'll keep the kid chaos from turning it into a slip n slide.
V
V5133🌱 Newcomer4d
0
sounds like every damn job i do, the pet damage is relentless.
N
NotAnElectrician26⭐ Expert4d
0
yeah pets are the worst, had a cat claw marks all over the underlayment last week, added an extra $200 to the bill for that BS.
D
DustBusterDave⭐ Expert4d
0
pets or kids, same difference. charge em for the hassle every time.
R
RefrigerantRanger⚒️ Journeyman4d
5
fuck these homeowners thinking we can work around their messes without extra time.
C
CircuitSavant3⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
shaw or armstrong lvp? i've had better luck with shaw's click system in older homes, less popping.
P
PolishPro2⚒️ Journeyman4d
2
never skip the moisture test before install, i use a calcium chloride kit every time to avoid callbacks.
R
RefrigerantRanger⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
use a laser level for the first row, saved my ass on uneven slabs more than once.
C
CircuitSmasher3⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
these old houses are a nightmare, inspectors up here nickel and dime every joist repair.
V
V7025🌱 Newcomer4d
3
sore back is the trade tax, ice it and pop some ibuprofen, you'll live.
C
ColorChanger2⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
ha, finished a similar job and the client tried to haggle $500 off because of the dog pee, told her to clean her own damn floor next time.
V
V5133🌱 Newcomer4d
4
wait, did you end up charging extra for the subfloor work or eat it?
B
BugBlasterBen⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
ate a couple hundred but built it into the trim line item, no way i'm losing on pet crap.
V
V5133🌱 Newcomer4d
0
smart, always pad the quotes for surprises like that.
