Totally agree on the warranty thing—it's almost like they're counting on us messing something up, haha. I remember inspecting a roof after a big storm once, and the homeowner swore up and down they'd followed every step. But when we peeled back the shingles, guess what? Staples instead of cap nails everywhere. Little shortcuts like that can really bite you later...
Yeah, warranties always seem a bit optimistic to me. Even when you follow instructions to a T, materials degrade faster than advertised. Had a similar issue with underlayment—did everything right, still ended up replacing it sooner than expected. Makes you wonder about those product claims...
I get what you're saying, but honestly, I think sometimes we expect too much from these products. When I bought my first place, I went with a mid-range underlayment, nothing fancy, and it's held up pretty well so far. Maybe it's less about the product claims being unrealistic and more about how much wear and tear your specific situation puts on it? Just a thought...
"Maybe it's less about the product claims being unrealistic and more about how much wear and tear your specific situation puts on it?"
Haha, true story. I've seen tenants who could probably wear out concrete flooring in a year... sometimes it's less about the underlayment and more about who's stomping around upstairs. Just sayin'.
I've definitely noticed that too. When we first moved in, I splurged on a supposedly "premium" underlayment thinking it'd last forever. But between kids running laps around the kitchen island and our dog chasing tennis balls indoors (my fault, I know...), it barely lasted three years before it started feeling thin and noisy. Sometimes real life just doesn't match up with those ideal lab tests they advertise, ya know?
