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Had a customer in El Paso show me why she hated glue-down jobs | Flooring Installers - SMM Buzz

Had a customer in El Paso show me why she hated glue-down jobs

I was installing LVP in this lady's living room last month. She told me her last guy used some cheap glue and it bubbled up within 3 weeks. She pulled out her phone and showed me photos of the mess. I asked her what brand the installer used and she had no clue. That stuck with me because most homeowners don't ask about the adhesive or prep work. Now I always tell customers upfront what materials I'm using and why. Has anyone else run into that where a past bad job makes people extra cautious?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_foster794mo ago

Had a buddy in Phoenix who did a glue down LVP job for this older couple. He used a mid tier adhesive because he was trying to save them a few bucks. Six months later they sent him photos of the floor peeling up in the kitchen near the dishwasher. He had to tear it all out and redo it for free with the expensive stuff. That was an expensive lesson for him.

shane6555mo ago

Yeah, that whole thing about "people remember bad materials way more than they remember a low price" is spot on. I've seen it firsthand where a customer showed me photos of their old floor that looked like it had the measles from cheap adhesive bubbling up. What I do now on glue-down jobs is I show them the bucket of adhesive before I even open it, and I explain that this stuff costs more but it's the difference between a floor that lasts and a floor that peels up in six months. I also tell them flat out that prep work like cleaning and priming the subfloor is probably the most boring part of the job but it's what keeps the glue from failing. Most people appreciate knowing why I'm spending an extra hour on stuff they can't see, and it cuts down on the "my last guy didn't do that" complaints. The kicker is, if you're honest about the materials and the prep, they almost never argue about the price because they can see you're not cutting corners.

aaron8845mo ago

I used to think customers just wanted the cheapest price and didn't care about glue brands or prep work. Three years ago I took over a job in Austin where the previous guy used some no-name glue from a hardware store and the planks were lifting after two months. The homeowner was furious and had photos of every single bubble and seam gap. That changed my whole approach because I realized people remember bad materials way more than they remember a low price. Now I always walk through what I'm using and why, especially with glue-down jobs where the adhesive can make or break everything. It took seeing those photos to realize that being upfront about materials builds way more trust than just keeping quiet and hoping for the best.