My uncle told me to always float a glue-down floor for a full 24 hours before you roll it

He said this back when I was helping him on a big vinyl job in Phoenix, and I thought he was just being extra careful. The glue can said 4 hours was fine, so on my own first solo job, I only waited 6 hours before I started rolling. Big mistake. The floor looked perfect at first, but after about a month, I got a call back. The planks had started to cup and lift at the seams because the glue hadn't fully set. I had to rip out and replace a whole 400 square foot section on my own dime, which cost me almost $800 in materials. Now I follow his advice to the letter, no matter what the bucket says. Has anyone else had a glue set faster or slower based on the humidity where you work?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_price1mo ago

Read an article once that said humidity is a huge factor. It can double the dry time for some adhesives. Makes sense why your uncle gave that rule for Phoenix.

abby8361mo ago

So you think the glue bucket times are just for perfect lab conditions then? They never seem to account for real world stuff like a humid summer day.