A GC in Austin made me stop trusting my tape measure for floor flatness

I was checking a slab before tile work and told a guy it looked good enough. He pulled out a 10-foot straightedge and a feeler gauge, showed me a 1/4 inch gap under it, and said "this is why your grout lines fail." He was right, I've been eyeballing it for years. Now I carry a straightedge on every pour and actually measure before I sign off. Has anyone else switched from visual checks to actual tools after a contractor called them out?

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maxhart1d ago

Man, I got burned the same way about six years ago when a flooring guy flagged a dip I swore wasn't there. Now I keep a six-foot level and a set of feeler gauges in the truck, and I check every slab in three directions before the concrete even cures. It takes ten extra minutes but it beats ripping out tile and listening to a customer complain about lippage.