Loading…
4
I read that a lot of hardwood floor failures come from the subfloor, not the wood itself
I found this on an old trade association website while looking up moisture stuff. It said something like 70% of callbacks for squeaks or cupping are because the subfloor prep was off, even if the install was perfect. I mean, I always knew it was important, but that number really hit me. It makes sense though, I've been on jobs where we rushed the leveling and had to go back. How do you guys check a subfloor before you even bring the wood in? Do you have a go-to method?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
terryr465mo ago
Man, that stat doesn't surprise me at all. Seen too many guys treat subfloor prep like an optional step. My go-to is just a long level and a serious look for any high or low spots before anything else goes down.
1
park.adam2mo ago
That's most things now. People skip the boring fundamentals.
4
oliver_ward145mo ago
That 70% number sounds a bit high, honestly. Sure, a bad subfloor can cause problems, but a lot of times it's the install or the wood itself. I've seen plenty of floors fail where the slab was flat as can be. Maybe the wood wasn't acclimated right, or the glue failed. People love to blame the prep because it's the first step, but is it really the main villain every single time?
1