Had a homeowner in Bellingham ask me to install her new vinyl plank over a floor with a 3/4 inch dip across 8 feet

I was in her kitchen, showing her the prep work needed. She just kept saying, 'Can't you just put it down? It will flatten out.' I had to explain, slowly, that the lock system would fail and the planks would crack. She got mad and said, 'The guy at the big box store said this stuff goes over anything.' I spent 45 minutes with a 4-foot level and a laser showing her the slope. She finally agreed to the extra cost for leveling, but acted like I was trying to scam her. It's so tiring when people think the product does all the work. What's the most ridiculous subfloor condition you've been asked to just 'go over'?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_wendy1mo ago

Tell your uncle @joel_jones to stay off the shag carpet.

matthewdixon1mo ago

Wait, he tried to lay tile directly on the carpet? That's a new level of bad idea. The grout would just fall right through, and the whole floor would be a squishy mess. How do you even get that far into a project without realizing it won't work? That's honestly kind of impressive in a terrible way.

miller.rowan4d agoMost Upvoted

Gotta agree with @matthewdixon here. That's not even DIY, thats just not thinking. The grout would just crumble and fall through the carpet fibers like sand. And the whole floor would be moving under your feet like a waterbed. I bet he got half a row down before he realized something was seriously wrong. Kinda feel bad for him but also how do you miss that the floor is soft? Its like building a house on a trampoline and wondering why it sags.

joel_jones1mo ago

My uncle tried to lay tile directly over a shag carpet once.