AsktheBuilder.com Issue #1239 (I think)

July 2, 2023

Dear ,

Are you a brand new subscriber? Well, well, well. I'm so glad you're here!

What's in This Issue

You're about to discover:

• LVP
• Not-So-Good Lowe's Advice
• Dr. Ashleigh
• How to Build a BAD Foundation

Let's get started.

"In reality, they're not after me. They're after you. I'm just in the way."

"Your own government lies as a matter of course, as a matter of policy. The Tuskegee experiments on black men in the 30s, Henrietta Lacks...digital money will disappear."

LVP - Luxury Vinyl Plank

I'm about to install a little over 321.75 square feet of luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring in my basement. Remember the Mouse Water Leak Debacle? The water made it all the way to the basement bedroom floor and caused the plywood laminate floor to buckle and warp.

Kathy uses this room as a conservatory for her countless orchids. Watering the plants can cause issues so the waterproof LVP made perfect sense.

The manufacturers have made giant strides in replicating the look of real wood. Look for yourself:

I don't have the time to record an in-depth video series, although I should. Most of the how-to videos I've watched are woefully inadequate. That said, I will write a column about it at the very least.

If you're about to purchase LVP, realize it comes in three different wear layers: 6, 12, and 20 mil. The thicker the wear layer, the more durable the material. The current cost for the material is about $4 per square foot.

Bad Advice at Lowe's

Several days ago I went to the closest Lowe's to pick up my LVP. Sadly it was out of stock and I ended up driving 50 miles to one down towards the seacoast to get it.

The flooring salesman at my local Lowe's struck up a conversation with me once he saw me wandering around his department as if I was looking for a lost golf ball.

"Can I help you?" he said in a very authoritative voice.

"Sure, I'm trying to get eighteen cartons of Honeycomb Oak LVP with the 20-mil wear layer."

We walked over to the giant shelving where it's stored and quickly discovered there wasn't one carton.

"Tell me, are you going to install this yourself?"

He must have seen my white hair and wondered about my stamina and skill level. Cartons of LVP are heavy and unless you've mastered the art of levitation, you'll be on your knees all day.

"Yes, I'm going to install it myself," I quipped respectfully.

The salesman then started asking all the right questions one of them being, "Where is it being installed?"

"It's going in a basement bedroom."

"Well in that case, be sure you purchase this underlayment made by the manufacturer or at the very least put down 6-mil plastic under the material."

He went on to say, "Water vapor travels right up through concrete and you don't want it getting into the LVP."

I was a little perplexed by this statement because one of the great qualities of LVP is that it's waterproof.

He was absolutely correct that water vapor can travel through concrete. And unless you live in the Atacama Desert, water vapor is working its way up through your concrete floor.

It's important to realize this salesman had a forceful take-charge personality. He exuded confidence. The average person would think he was the top LVP installation expert in New Hampshire no doubt.

It was time for me to share some of my knowledge.

"I agree that water vapor does travel through concrete. What happens if the concrete is poured over two inches of closed-cell foam that also has a layer of 6-mil plastic sandwiched between the concrete and the foam? My understanding is closed-cell foam is an excellent vapor retarder. Wouldn't that stop the transmission of water vapor keeping the concrete bone dry?"

What I didn't tell him is I knew closed-cell foam and plastic were underneath my slab. A few years back I had to break into my basement floor to relocate a shower drain. Watch Part One of the video here. Look closely and you'll see some of the chunks of the blue Dow closed-cell foam.

Three seconds of silence followed. He then said, "You need to stop the mold and mildew at its source."

I ended with, "Well if you install the underlayment or 6-mil plastic just under the LVP, it seems the mold and mildew will be on top of the concrete lurking just under those thin materials."

He then said, "Let's go see which store has what you need."

This salesman knew all about water vapor. That's a good thing. But what if he hadn't? His authoritative personality would have bulldozed the average person. What would happen if he routinely gave out bad advice?

I'll go on to say that you need to read the installation instructions that come with your LVP. To keep the warranty in force, you may be required to install the underlayment or 6-mil plastic no matter what you have UNDER your concrete.

BOTTOM LINE: Be like President Ronald Reagan. Trust and VERIFY. Before you start a project you can ask for advice at any of the big box stores, but then do your due diligence to discover if what you were told is right.

Oh, and part of your due diligence might involve a simple 15-Minute Phone Call with me. Remember, the call is FREE if you feel you didn't discover much during the call.

Dr. Ashleigh

About a month ago I bit down on a pretzel and felt something crack besides the pretzel! A chunk of my right lower molar was tumbling around in my mouth. Fortunately there was no severe pain.

I called my dentist and they had an opening the next morning to evaluate the problem. Before I went, I already knew what was going to happen. It was time for a crown.

My dentists are a husband/wife team. They're fantastic to put it mildly. I love their conservative approach. My favorite is Dr. Ashleigh. She's got a perky personality and Ashleigh tells it like it is. She always gives this old goat a hug when I see her. Does your dentist do that?

My last crown was installed nearly twenty years ago and technology has really come a long way.

Dr. Ashleigh and her husband have their own CNC machine that makes the crowns while you wait! A hand-held scanner creates a three-dimensional model of the inside of your teeth. It's extremely accurate and you can see the crown on a computer screen before it's made.

Once she was happy with the way it was going to look and fit, she touched the screen and the CNC machine started to make my crown from a small block of cubic zirconia.

Go here to watch a short video of the CNC machine forming my crown.

Other patients in the office must think I'm crazy because all of my visits include loud bursts of laughter when I'm lucky enough to see Dr. Ashleigh. By the way, her husband is a great guy too.

How to Build a Foundation That Will Fail

Look at this photo. How many things do you see that will cause problems in the future?

Go here to check the depth of your ignorance as Dr. Caster would say.

Did you discover something new reading in this issue? Perhaps you can reciprocate and purchase a mocha-chip ice cream cone for me.

That's enough for a Sunday morning.

Peace out.

Tim Carter

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

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