My neighbor's DIY hardwood floor job after 18 months is a real cautionary tale

I watched a guy down the street rip out his carpet and install prefinished bamboo flooring himself. Looked great for about 6 months, straight lines, tight gaps. Then around month 10 I noticed the planks near his front door started cupping at the edges. Now at 18 months there are gaps you can slide a dime into between half the boards. Turns out he skipped the acclamation step, just opened the boxes and laid them down in one weekend. His house shifts with the seasons and the wood never got a chance to settle. He's talking about ripping it all out and paying a pro next time. Has anyone else seen a DIY floor job fall apart like this after a year or two?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_piper4d ago

Wait, is that really a thing? I used to think you could just slap down flooring over a weekend and call it good, but seeing that guy's house makes me rethink everything about DIY projects.

the_terry3d ago

I remember reading somewhere that floor prep takes longer than actually laying it down, lol.