The foundation of your home's most beautiful spaces.
The foundation of your home's most beautiful spaces.
I once walked into a house where a $15,000 wide-plank walnut floor was cupping so bad it looked like a potato chip because the installer didn’t check the crawlspace humidity, but that was nothing compared to the sight of dried construction adhesive smeared across the surface of a brand-new installation. It is a gut-punch for […]
The Painter’s Tape Hack for Cutting Baseboards Without Splinters Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That job was for a high-end client who noticed every […]
The invisible foundation that destroys expensive materials A subfloor is the structural layer beneath your finished flooring that dictates the longevity of hardwood floors and laminate alike. If the substrate is not flat to within one eighth of an inch over a ten foot radius, your investment will fail. I spent three days grinding concrete […]
Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That job taught me that the demolition phase is where the real craftsmanship begins. If you wreck the subfloor […]
Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That job was a nightmare because the previous installer left a half inch gap under every door jamb. He […]
Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That is the reality of the trade. You are either doing it right or you are doing it twice. […]
The subfloor secret that ruins every fireplace installation Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That job involved a massive river rock fireplace that had more […]
The plastic contour gauge is the secret to professional flooring finishes The plastic contour gauge is the absolute best five dollar tool for cutting laminate corners because it allows an installer to mirror complex shapes like door jambs and pipe penetrations onto a plank with sub-millimeter precision. Most DIY installers fail at the perimeter because […]
The Flashlight Test: How to Spot Uneven Tile Before You Grout I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. My hands were numb from the vibration of the planetary grinder, and the silica dust was trying its best to bypass my respirator, but […]
Why your subfloor is lying to you Floor squeaks are caused by friction between two surfaces, usually the subfloor and a floor joist or the floorboard and a nail. This occurs when fasteners lose their grip or when humidity causes the wood to shrink and expand, creating a gap that allows for movement under weight. […]
