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Just realized the difference a proper subfloor prep makes after seeing a job I did 5 years ago
The homeowner called me back for another project and the engineered hardwood I put down still looks perfect, no squeaks or gaps. I remember spending a full day just leveling and screwing down the old plywood before I even started the install.
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martin.felix1mo ago
Five years without a squeak is basically a miracle. That extra day of prep work clearly paid off in the long run. Most people just want to slap the new floor down and call it a day.
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jessica_ross381mo ago
Notice how this applies to so many things beyond flooring. People skip the boring, unseen work to get to the fun part faster. They paint over dirty walls, plant a garden without testing the soil, or assemble furniture without reading the steps. It feels faster at the time, but the foundation always matters. That invisible effort is what makes the visible result last.
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charlie_ellis19d ago
Man, ain't that the truth. But here's what I'm wondering - how do you actually know when you've done enough of that boring prep work? Cause I've seen guys spend three days leveling a subfloor that was pretty close to flat already, and I've seen other guys slap laminate over a bumpy mess and it still holds up fine for years. There's gotta be a line somewhere between "being thorough" and "wasting time being a perfectionist" right? Like with painting, do you really gotta clean every speck of dust off the wall or is a quick wipe with a damp rag good enough most of the time?
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