Tried stretch-in vs glue-down on a 12x15 basement job last summer

I had this basement in Portland where the slab had a small crack running through the middle. Customer wanted a plush nylon carpet. I went back and forth on whether to do stretch-in with a pad or just glue it down directly. Tried the stretch-in method first because that's what I always did. But the crack caused a ripple after like two weeks that wouldn't stay flat no matter how much I re-stretched. Ended up pulling it all up and doing a glue-down install with a moisture barrier. Night and day difference. The glue-down laid perfectly flat and hasn't budged since. Has anyone else had better luck with glue on problem slabs?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_lane731mo ago

Man, stretch-in always fights slab cracks, you actually want a floating floor with a crack isolation membrane first.

logan6321mo ago

Yeah the crack isolation membrane thing is huge, Ive seen too many floors split because people skipped that step. Totally with you on floating floors for slab work.