Pulled off my first solo kitchen floor install without messing up the layout

I had this kitchen job in a old house out in Oak Park last week, and the subfloor was all kinds of uneven. Normally I would have panicked and redone it twice, but I took my time with the leveling compound and even let it cure a full 24 hours like the instructions said. The layout came out dead straight, no weird sliver cuts at the wall, and the homeowners actually said "this looks better than the showroom sample" which felt pretty good. It was just a basic LVP job, nothing fancy, but for me it was a big step because I used to rush through prep work and pay for it later. Now I'm wondering if I should start charging more for jobs with tricky subfloors since it took an extra day. Anyone else have a moment where getting the basics right made a bigger difference than any fancy tool?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_burns1mo ago

Wait, did you actually let the leveling stuff cure for a full day?

wilson.joseph1mo ago

Wait, you let it cure for a FULL day? No way. I really think you're supposed to keep an eye on it and be ready to switch to the next coat after maybe 6 hours, tops. In my experience, leaving it that long just makes it hard and you have to sand the whole thing down again. I've had a couple batches get that weird, crinkly texture on top because I got distracted and let it sit too long. Take this with a grain of salt though, your mileage may vary depending on humidity and the exact brand.