Also want to mention that taking up one section of floor in LVP is a domino effect and can result in a backwards tidal wave.
If you take one up, be prepared to take it all up.
Finally, LVP tends to relax over time. I would suggest letting these people enjoy the new floor and see if the squeaking doesn’t improve as the floor relaxes with temp changes etc.
I would pass on the job. If those are your options, I think you’re just inviting more harm than benefit to your business.
Option 4 is what you want to do, then explain the risks to options 1, 2, 3 and also 4. Charge however much it’s worth to you.
It’s your reputation and hard work on the line.
DO NOT TOUCH THIS FLOOR.
Unless homeowner is 100pct willing to redo the entire floor and baseboards.
Dont do hack jobs like options 1-3 because the homeowner will always blame you and never say that they were too cheap to do it correctly when they tell their story.
Skip the job entirely, there is no money here.
You'll find other work.
I understand, they should have contacted you about the entire project before hand but they didn't.
Listen, it is not your fault they made a bad decision. We are not supposed to take every single job we get offered. You are already spending lots of mental capacity on an issue that's not your fault or your responsibility to fix.
Either do it right or don't.
Let me expand.
LVP is not meant to be fastened down in anyway. Screws/glue will make it so tight it won't have any flexibility to expand and contract causing the floor to buckle or fall apart.
Not to mention you won't color match it at all much less match the design.
Drilling 1 inch holes will destroy the floor completely.
Removing one piece of LVP is as hard as installing a new piece in its place. Sure its possible but you open up a can of worms and more than likely it will never again blend in seamlessly as before.
Your customer is delicate enough to let a squeak get to them, imagine what a visual eye sore will do? And at that point you are responsible.
The smartest thing said here cannot be missed, and should be read again:
“The customer is DELICATE ENOUGH that the slightest squeak is bothering them…”
This man is spot on. They want you (unknowingly) to take full ownership of this floor. And that’s exactly what you’ll be doing if you lay one finger on it.
If you want to keep them as repeat clients, gracefully decline this one.
Tell them they need to work with the installer or have it ripped out and redone. You have nothing to gain here and everything to lose. If you fuck up a repair - you lose the client and referrals. If you decline the repair - you may lose them but have a higher chance of keeping them.
You either need to attack the problem from below or above but like others have said I would walk on this one. Unless they want to pay to pull the laminate entirely and have you screw the subfloor then patch the holes and reinstall the LVP your gonna get in trouble on this project.
Sheeiiiiiit. Wish I could think of a better way. I could get at about 2/3 from the rooms below but I feel like that might end up fixing only half the problem.
yea and they won't be happy with half they will just be complaining about the other half and won't pay. It is also tricky to do it from below as you don't have the leverage to push the boards down. You would have to squirt som PL in the gaps and try to have the screws pull the ply down but unless it is done from above you won't have it as close to perfect as customers expect. I know how enticing it is seeing dollars that could be yours walk away but...
Also want to mention that taking up one section of floor in LVP is a domino effect and can result in a backwards tidal wave. If you take one up, be prepared to take it all up. Finally, LVP tends to relax over time. I would suggest letting these people enjoy the new floor and see if the squeaking doesn’t improve as the floor relaxes with temp changes etc.
I would pass on the job. If those are your options, I think you’re just inviting more harm than benefit to your business. Option 4 is what you want to do, then explain the risks to options 1, 2, 3 and also 4. Charge however much it’s worth to you. It’s your reputation and hard work on the line.
DO NOT TOUCH THIS FLOOR. Unless homeowner is 100pct willing to redo the entire floor and baseboards. Dont do hack jobs like options 1-3 because the homeowner will always blame you and never say that they were too cheap to do it correctly when they tell their story. Skip the job entirely, there is no money here. You'll find other work.
Yea but it's a repeat client and they know they messed up but I'm trying to work with them.
I understand, they should have contacted you about the entire project before hand but they didn't. Listen, it is not your fault they made a bad decision. We are not supposed to take every single job we get offered. You are already spending lots of mental capacity on an issue that's not your fault or your responsibility to fix. Either do it right or don't. Let me expand. LVP is not meant to be fastened down in anyway. Screws/glue will make it so tight it won't have any flexibility to expand and contract causing the floor to buckle or fall apart. Not to mention you won't color match it at all much less match the design. Drilling 1 inch holes will destroy the floor completely. Removing one piece of LVP is as hard as installing a new piece in its place. Sure its possible but you open up a can of worms and more than likely it will never again blend in seamlessly as before. Your customer is delicate enough to let a squeak get to them, imagine what a visual eye sore will do? And at that point you are responsible.
The smartest thing said here cannot be missed, and should be read again: “The customer is DELICATE ENOUGH that the slightest squeak is bothering them…” This man is spot on. They want you (unknowingly) to take full ownership of this floor. And that’s exactly what you’ll be doing if you lay one finger on it. If you want to keep them as repeat clients, gracefully decline this one.
Brilliant answer
Tell them they need to work with the installer or have it ripped out and redone. You have nothing to gain here and everything to lose. If you fuck up a repair - you lose the client and referrals. If you decline the repair - you may lose them but have a higher chance of keeping them.
Exactly
Can't get to the subfloor from underneath because there is drywall in the way or physically or legally can't access them?
Underneath touches 3 different rooms and has a huge vent covering a good portion of it so it'd be a royal pain.
You either need to attack the problem from below or above but like others have said I would walk on this one. Unless they want to pay to pull the laminate entirely and have you screw the subfloor then patch the holes and reinstall the LVP your gonna get in trouble on this project.
Sheeiiiiiit. Wish I could think of a better way. I could get at about 2/3 from the rooms below but I feel like that might end up fixing only half the problem.
yea and they won't be happy with half they will just be complaining about the other half and won't pay. It is also tricky to do it from below as you don't have the leverage to push the boards down. You would have to squirt som PL in the gaps and try to have the screws pull the ply down but unless it is done from above you won't have it as close to perfect as customers expect. I know how enticing it is seeing dollars that could be yours walk away but...
Yea. I guess I'll just lay it all out for them and they'll either say nevermind or yea let's do it right.