1. Underlayment not held down tightly while being fastened to the subfloor.
2. Staples or nails are not long enough to secure underlayment properly.
3. Soft or punky subfloor
4.   Wet subfloor (surface water may accumulate during construction).
5.   Some waferboards or particleboards.
6.   Installing underlayments over single floor systems (ie: ¾” tongue & groove).
7.   Gun pressure set too high (resulting in staple blow-through).
8.   Not enough staples or nails (2” on seam, 4” in field).
9.   Wet floor patch (allow patch to dry thoroughly).
10.   Floor patch not properly applied.
11.   Glue forced between panels.
12.   No expansion joint left between wall and underlayment.
13.   Bouncing pneumatic stapler (using safety mechanism as trigger); seldom had this problem with mallet type tackers.
14.   Working itself loose over time (doesn’t show up the next day).
15.   Not enough glue, resulting in bubbled or released vinyl over underlayment joints or patch areas; approximately 75% coverage is needed to properly adhere vinyl to underlayment.
16.   Too much adhesive open time, resulting in adhesive too dry to properly adhere vinyl to underlayment. Adhesive will dry or set much faster over the porous patch areas.
17.   New vinyls are whiter, glossier, thinner (making underlayment imperfections more easily seen) and vinyl backings are still changing.
18.   High or low floor joist.
19.   Uneven subfloor – these must be sanded before ¼” underlayment is installed.
20.   75 or 100 lb. Linoleum roller not used – must be rolled in both directions.
21.   Cold sheet goods or cold adhesive. If floor covering is unrolled at a temperature below 65°F, a surface wrinkle may appear – this is known as piping. These wrinkles must be removed prior to installation by bringing sheet goods up to 65°F for no less than 24 hours. Cold adhesive or cold sheet goods can affect both adhesive set-up and adhesive bond.
22.   After fastening, thoroughly sand all underlayment joints with a belt sander until level. Hand sanding is not sufficient enough to correct any unevenness between panels.
23.   Avoid over-sanding or cupping of the joints.
24.   Patch all voids, gaps, gouges and chipped edges.
25.   Patching all joints with a minimal amount of floor patch, but being sure patch is forced into all joint areas.
26.   All patching compounds should be mixed with latex liquids, regardless if they are powdered latex solutions or not. Latex liquids are bonding agents and ensure the best adhesion and provide maximum flexibility of patch.
27.   Allow floor patch to dry properly and sand all joints level; some touch-up or a second coating may be needed, then sand again.
28.   Make sure all patching is completely dry before installation of new vinyl.  Wet patch may contribute to problems of mold or mildew discoloration.
29.   Wet patches are not totally stable and some may shrink or swell.
30.   If joints are not properly filled, adhesives may get forced into the joint area and could possibly be forced out.  If panel expansion is experienced, this will also cause seam telegraphing.

JOINT TELEGRAPHING - TIME LINE

Probable cause of joint telegraphing if complaint happens for period after installation: