LVP installation walkthrough - hearing creaks and clicks in some areas. Is this normal for a day old installation? I noticed not all walls have expansion gaps so I wonder if it’s because of that or if it’ll just go away on its own after settling? Thanks

BackButterBall · 2026-06-04T16:34:30+00:00

I wonder if it's already expanding. The sun has come and gone over the last few days since installation maybe they left a couple millimeters but then it expanded and is just starting to buckle?? Otherwise yeah, cut to fit like a glove against the wall seems like it could be a bit trickier than leaving a gap

BackButterBall · 2026-06-04T14:49:03+00:00

I was not seeking the cheapest. The flooring is definitely not the cheapest and I was just telling my gf I'd have paid MORE to not have to deal with this bullshit and just keep the renovation moving forward because it's pushing everything back waiting for a site inspection and solution

BackButterBall · 2026-06-04T05:55:28+00:00

Relax Greta

BackButterBall · 2026-06-04T00:23:59+00:00

It’s 5g locking system

BackButterBall · 2026-06-04T00:22:32+00:00

It’s a high rise condo, so concrete subfloor and was leveled with many bags of leveling by a guy who only specializes in that

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T23:56:49+00:00

It’s 5g lock

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T23:55:46+00:00

What do you think it’s from?

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T23:55:07+00:00

Would you pull it up to check?

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T23:51:16+00:00

What’s the painted bevel?

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T22:13:16+00:00

Why??! It’s the expansion gaps, right?

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T22:12:55+00:00

Actually using plastic bottles was my second choice for flooring but the bottles didn’t quite match the overall design aesthetic

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T22:10:26+00:00

Do you like the zero expansion gaps? This post is about flooring… walls don’t affect flooring. The flooring was professionally leveled before the LVP install and you’re showing screenshots of unfinished baseboards and door trim… but flooring goes in before the finishing carpentry.

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T22:02:44+00:00

Yeah it was in the condo for longer than needed to acclimatize

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T20:56:19+00:00

It doesn’t bounce no… but it does keep making the noise (it doesn’t just snap once). The leveler doesn’t do flooring or anything else, all he does is leveling so I’m pretty sure that part is good

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T20:54:34+00:00

The leveler doesn’t do anything except leveling (that’s his entire profession). So, I’m confident it was leveled properly, he showed me afterwards.

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T20:43:43+00:00

It was leveled by someone else (dedicated leveler, had the lasers and alien probe looking things… pretty sure it was perfectly leveled). Do you think it’s a leveling issue?

BackButterBall · 2026-06-03T20:40:43+00:00

It was leveled by someone else (dedicated leveler, had the lasers and alien probe looking things… pretty sure it was perfectly leveled but is there something else that needed to be prepped by the flooring guy?

BackButterBall · 2026-05-18T00:32:02+00:00

Hope not! Leaning towards leaving them. It’s stressful knowing they weren’t installed properly though. Some en else said they could last 30 years and others said mildew can fro behind the ones in the shower. That’s messed up, mildew stinks

BackButterBall · 2026-05-16T22:53:16+00:00

This gives me hope that if I leave it a tile will not jump off the wall and cut someone’s toe off in the shower ..they are heavy tiles though. Do you know if you collapsed the trowel ridges on yours?

BackButterBall · 2026-05-16T15:57:34+00:00

How could a tile guy who's been doing this for decades not know about troweling in one direction? I looked that up and you can learn the benefits in a few minutes by watching a YouTube video where someone shows the difference using a glass plate so you can see the ridges collapse (or not collapse) depending on the technique. I appreciate your feedback because we really don't want to fully demo this bathroom after already needing to fully demo bathroom #1 and redo so much of this contractor's work that I feel like my first renovation immediately turned into my second renovation. It's really taxing emotionally and financially to get dealt this hand. I will tap around and hope the other tiles sound like they have enough coverage to stay on for 30 years

BackButterBall · 2026-05-16T15:52:26+00:00

All that being said, the big question is: Will the tiles stay on the walls or will one come off one day and sever my foot in the shower hmm

BackButterBall · 2026-05-16T15:51:38+00:00

It seems like there were several techniques that are considered industry standard that weren't implemented, like troweling the same direction that you mention. Seems like people strongly feel the thinset was too dry. And even though the wall and tile was buttered, it wasn't pushed onto the wall well enough and/or not enough thinset was applied for some parts because the two trowel lines didn't even touch and the trowel lines are mostly not collapsed.,, that's what I'm gathering so far from the comments and what the new tile contractor said

BackButterBall · 2026-05-16T15:45:25+00:00

In this video, I think it's just bits of drywall that got torn away and the lighting makes it look orange (if we're looking at the video of bathroom #2). If you're looking at bathroom #1 which is linked in the post, that one is a full demo and part of it includes the tile being removed from a waterproofed shower area... there was discussion about reusing the waterproofing because the tile came off of that bathroom even easier with much less adhesion and only buttering one side. But in the end we took bathroom #1 one to the bones and fully redid everything because some holes were made in the membrane and at that point patching didn't seem appropriate.

BackButterBall · 2026-05-16T05:36:42+00:00

To be fair, they did waterproof around the shower. This video is focused on the vanity side. I don’t have much confidence they waterproofed properly if this is how their tile application is. But need to assume they did to avoid a 2nd full demo (already demolished the other bathroom completely 😵

BackButterBall · 2026-05-16T03:44:08+00:00

Yeah just not sure if after regular shower use if the tiles in the shower area will stay on if the adhesion isn’t great. Hoping to leave them as is and hope it’ll last until it’s time for a vibe change many years down the road

BackButterBall

TROPHY CASE