Last Tuesday I had a 1,200 square foot job that went so smooth it felt illegal

I showed up to a house in Austin and the customer had already moved all the furniture, pulled the old carpet, AND had the tack strip laid perfectly. I was done by 2 PM with zero trims fights or power stretching issues. Has a job ever just fallen into your lap like that or did I use up all my luck for the year?

3 comments

3 Comments

masonbell23d agoMost Upvoted

Man I feel you! Last month I had a 1,800 footer in San Antonio where the homeowner had already pulled all the staples and swept the slab clean. Even had the new pad sitting in the room. I was done and loaded up by 1:30 PM. Felt like I was getting away with something.

hugo_bennett24d ago

That 1,200 square foot job in Austin sounds like a dream, but I’ve gotta gently push back on one thing. @jessicac28 has a point about checking the floor yourself, but I’d say it’s not always a red flag if the homeowner does prep right. In my experience, some folks just really like to DIY and save a buck, and they can do a decent job on simple stuff like pulling carpet and laying tack strip. The real issue is if they used the wrong pins or skipped the moisture test on the concrete slab, which is common in older Austin homes with that clay soil. If you verified the subfloor was dry and the tack strip is straight, you’re probably fine, but your mileage may vary on trusting their work entirely.

jessicac2824d ago

Hold up, smooth jobs are usually a red flag in my book. That customer doing all that prep work tells me either they screwed something up and you haven't found it yet or they're trying to hide a major issue. I've walked into jobs like that before and then three months later the carpet's buckling in the middle because the subfloor had moisture problems they didn't mention. You don't get to skip the power stretching and tack strip setup without at least checking the floor condition yourself, that's just asking for a callback. Plus if the tack strip is already laid by the homeowner, good luck if it's crooked or the pins are facing the wrong way, then you're stuck fixing their amateur work. Seems like you rolled the dice and got lucky, but I'd much rather deal with a messy job up front than a perfect one that turns into a nightmare later.