Had a nightmare week in a new construction house near Phoenix

The builder's drywall crew left dust everywhere and the tack strips wouldn't grip because the slab was uneven by almost a quarter inch in spots. Has anyone else dealt with a slab that bad and still made the carpet look decent?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles_mitchell1d ago

Wait, your slab was off by almost a quarter inch? That's rough but honestly, I've noticed this happens more and more with new builds these days. From what I've seen, a lot of production builders are cranking out houses so fast that the concrete crews don't even take the time to properly screed the slab. In my experience, anything over an 1/8th inch over 10 feet is gonna give you trouble with tack strips and carpet seams. You might get away with it if you use a really thick pad and extra glue on the tack strips, but even then you'll probably feel soft spots where the slab dips. Your mileage may vary, but I'd push the builder to grind those high spots down because it only gets worse once furniture and foot traffic settle everything in.

cora5181d ago

Right on @charles_mitchell, you nailed it. Had a job last year where slab was off a full 3/8ths in one spot. Builder tried to say just use extra pad. Nope. Felt like walking on marshmallows. Had to push them to bring in a grinder. Night and day difference. Soft spots don't fix themselves. They get worse.

the_lisa1d ago

Grinding those high spots saved my carpet big time.