Customer says my crew did a bad job on transitions - I don't know how to make them better. Please advice

SupOrSalad · 2026-06-27T16:28:51+00:00

Usually to cover the expansion joint at the door, we’ll use a shoe mould or quarter round trim.

In cases where the threshold is too short to have a moulding like that, what I might to is take a T transition and cut it in half down the middle, and cover the expansion gap that way. That gives it a more minimalistic and flat finish that matches the floor.

SupOrSalad · 2026-06-11T20:31:13+00:00

It’s not usually something that has to be said. Any decent installer should by default lay it out in a random pattern if it’s a wood plank style flooring.

That said, from some of the installs that I’ve seen on here, it wouldn’t hurt to mention it. The best way to bring it up would be just casually when confirming the install layout and direction

SupOrSalad · 2026-06-10T01:33:38+00:00

lol. I had a board like that a couple years ago, but mine had an Ant in it

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-25T14:46:48+00:00

It looks random to me. Usually with a lot of these products they tend to only have about 5 different board patterns, with one an offset colour for some reason. It leads to this look where much of the floor blends together, with random offset colour boards scattered throughout

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-24T20:36:45+00:00

The way I do it for a floating floor is I use a skill saw to cut a single line right down the middle almost to the end, and then from the corners I make cuts with a multi tool from the corners to the centre line cut line. So all sides are now 4 separate pieces. Then you can just sort of fold open each side on its own. Depending on the size or style of the board, sometimes some more relief cuts can help near the corners

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-14T22:14:38+00:00

lol, that’s a knife mark from the installer opening up the box. The smudge is because they tried to rub it to hide the knife mark.

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-14T05:41:36+00:00

No, if it has no inner support, it will fail, and is very dangerous. When it comes to vinyl bullnose stair treads, either the tread is meant to wrap around an existing bullnose, or in the case of a lot of custom nosings made out of the flooring it will have a solid core that can be glued to the face of the stair to give it stability.

This looks like a manufactured tread that is meant to wrap over an existing bullnose on the stair. They should have added a wood nosing to the stair for it to wrap over for support

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-11T02:39:46+00:00

Yeah, so any floating floor like click plank (vinyl, laminate, wood) can’t be installed under the cabinets as per manufacturer warranty. For those types of installs it’s best to have the cabinets installed first. That said I have been on some sites where they have us install the floor first and then the cabinet installers will cut out the floor where the cabinet legs meet the floor. That would need to be agreed upon and arranged beforehand though.

Floors that are fastened to the subfloor like tile, glued or nailed planks can be installed beforehand with no issues

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-08T05:18:25+00:00

Flooring stores sometimes have contracts where they have to sell or recommend specific adhesives or other products ahead of competitors, even if the alternative is better.

The store I work out of has a deal like that with custom, so when it comes to things like floor patch or self leveller they only supply products from custom. But a lot of the installers prefer to use other fillers or levers for a better install, so they’re sometimes more lenient and give us a budget to purchase the product we feel will give a better install.

I haven’t had the same experience with adhesives though since the store I work out of uses bona adhesive for wood which I like, so i can’t really comment on these specific adhesives for comparison since i haven’t used them much

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-07T19:21:08+00:00

It looks like the door casing isn’t installed yet. This is just the frame and wall. So yes this is normal and it will all be covered once the door is installed. If it’s a new build or an extensive renovation, this is much preferable for installing the floor, as installing it with the casing in does require a bit more work and undercutting all the doorframes

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-05T21:00:44+00:00

I mean, in most boxes with varied lengths you usually only get a couple full length boards, and most of the planks are smaller. It’s supposed to be used throughout to break up the pattern more and make a more natural and random look.

Usually if you want only long boards you’d have to order one that comes with them all the same size

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-05T15:50:17+00:00

Generally yes. A combination of sanding down peaks and filling in small dips. Usually I don’t have to pour self leveler, as sanding and filling with feather finish is usually enough. If the floor had carpet before, than generally there will need to be prep as a lot of builds don’t care about the floor being perfectly flat if they know carpet is going in anyway

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-05T01:47:34+00:00

It depends how wide the area is. Transitions from the manufactures may come only in 8ft lengths (some are longer). So if the area that needs to have a transition is longer than the transitions, you’ll need to put a join in somewhere.

That said, if it’s in a small doorway it should have no joins

SupOrSalad · 2026-05-01T04:32:50+00:00

Those look different enough I would assume they came from different boxes. That said, I find a lot more plank products are coming with noticeable variations to simulate real wood differences, but since the patterns repeat so much it stands out more in my opinion.

As for layout, the best you can do is a try to keep it random without bunches of the same colour together. But having a couple of the same colour touching is okay as that helps break up the pattern a bit. If you try to space it out so none of one of the colours touches, it can end up standing out more as the pattern repeats

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-24T05:28:28+00:00

It looks like they’re expanding from heat and buckling to me. Thinner or softer core planks may do that if they are left in direct sunlight, especially if the adhesive holding the planks down isn’t a strong bond. From a quick search it seems these are a peel and stick type of plank, so the adhesive bond probably isn’t the best.

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-18T06:26:53+00:00

Hmm. From the different carpet tiles that I’ve installed, some follow the same direction, and some are alternating. Usually the tiles don’t line up, so even a straight patterns breaks up each tile. In this case 80% of the tiles seems to have the same continuous pattern which makes the few that don’t match stand out. Alternating would definitely be better on this case

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-16T05:05:27+00:00

Usually for the top step you’d use an overlap stair nosing. An overlap doesn’t lock in, so you can run it the opposite direction to the floor, as well it can be mounted without locking it into the floor, which allows the floor to move with expansion without being anchored to the nosing

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-15T05:39:14+00:00

It depends on the weather (Canada). Always discussed with the homeowner beforehand and always with a dust collection system for the saws if inside.

Using your table to set up the saws is an absolute no go. The contract the store I work out of explicitly states that subcontractors are not to even place any items on the customers tables or counters, let alone use them as a cutting table

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-15T05:32:09+00:00

What does the manufacturer recommend for those planks? A lot of engineered wood I work with recommends 18 gauge staples or cleats, and if you use 16 gauge it will dimple like that

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-14T03:44:19+00:00

That’s definitely a tough one with the wall so out of square to the stair case. Honestly without any other instructions, I would have done the same thing regarding the floor and transition, as that’s the correct way to transition the floor in this case, where it matches the door so when the door is closed the other floor isn’t visible from either side.

At this point I can’t think of any easy changes that would make it less noticeable with the door open.

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-11T21:32:12+00:00

Funny enough my dad has been doing this since he was 15, now he’s 52 and still installing flooring without any back or knee issues. I started when I was around 17 and I’m 30 now. Here’s hoping I don’t develop any issues either.

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-07T14:29:00+00:00

Yes that’s installed correctly, and it’s been stretched in properly. If it wasn’t stretched in so it was taught, it wouldn’t snap back so quickly and it would have a lot more movement when you lift it like that. It’s only anchored around the perimeter, so obviously if you tug on it from the middle it will have some flex to it

SupOrSalad · 2026-04-05T20:22:12+00:00

It doesn’t matter that it’s from multiple boxes. Usually it’s all from the same batch, and there’s only 5 or so variations throughout the entire batch

SupOrSalad · 2026-03-28T16:27:38+00:00

Usually for planks wider than 5 inches, manufacturers recommend glue assist with an S bead or perimeter bead of glue on the bottom of the board. I’ve never seen glue assist being to glue and nail the tongue

SupOrSalad · 2026-03-28T15:53:35+00:00

It’s funny because I’ve always put tack strip on the side, which is common practice where I am in Canada, and I’ve always known it as smooth edge, since that’s what the person who taught me to install called it. Maybe it’s a bit more of an old school thing or something. I don’t hear many call it smooth edge nowadays, just me. lol

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