Almost every flooring problem we get called to look at is a subfloor problem wearing a different coat. Lumps and ridges telegraphing through LVT, a hollow that clicks underfoot, an edge lifting where the floor was laid over something that moved.
Modern floorcoverings are thin and they are honest. They take the shape of whatever is beneath them, so the preparation decides how the finished floor looks and how long it lasts. That means latex levelling compound over uneven concrete, plywood or hardboard over timber, damp-proof membranes where a slab needs one, and old adhesive and coverings taken back properly rather than covered over.
It is included in the price of a floor we lay — we would rather do it than come back to a floor that has failed.
