A homeowner told me my underlayment seams were too close together

I was finishing up a vinyl plank job in a condo downtown, and the owner pointed out that I had placed the underlayment seams about 6 inches apart. He said his last installer left them at least 2 feet apart to prevent any chance of telegraphing. I always just butted them tight without thinking. I tried his way on the next room, and honestly, I haven't had a single callback about noise or feel since. Has anyone else had a client catch a small detail like that that actually improved your work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_mary1mo agoMost Upvoted

Ever think that underlayment spacing didn't matter? I totally did. I used to just roll it out and cut it, seams tight together. Then a guy asked me to space them out like you did. I figured it was just a picky thing, but I tried it. The floor just felt more solid after, no weird soft spots. Made me realize I was skipping a simple step that actually helps.

ellis.ivan16d ago

Same principle with drywall seams.

kai_west1mo ago

My mechanic taught me a similar trick with gaskets.