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A homeowner in Des Moines asked me why I was pulling up the old underlayment instead of just going over it
They said their last installer did the opposite and saved them a day of labor. Made me actually stop and explain the moisture risk, which I realized I don't do enough.
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blairsanchez19d ago
That "saved them a day of labor" part is the problem. It saves time now but costs way more later. Moisture gets trapped and rots the subfloor. You end up paying for a full tear-out and repair instead of just the new floor.
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keithreed19d ago
My old landlord did this exact thing with vinyl plank over a wet basement floor. It's the same mindset that puts cheap fixes on public infrastructure, like patching a pothole instead of repaving the whole road. We're surrounded by systems built for short term wins that guarantee a bigger bill later. It feels like the whole economy runs on skipping the prep work now and calling it efficiency.
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