Floors We Install
Every floor has a job it's best at. Here's the honest rundown, including the downsides a showroom won't mention, so you can pick the right floor for each room.
Which Floor Fits Your House?
Six quick questions. No email required, no sales call. Just an honest recommendation.
Every Floor, Side by Side
More gold dots means better. Cost is relative, from $ (lowest) to $$$$ (highest), installed. Your exact price depends on the product, your rooms and the prep they need.
| Floor | Water | Scratches & Pets | Comfort & Quiet | Relative Cost | Can Refinish? | Best Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LVP | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | $$ | No (planks can be swapped) | Whole house, kitchens, baths, laundry |
| Laminate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | $–$$ | No | Living areas, bedrooms, dry rooms |
| Engineered Hardwood | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | $$$ | Sometimes (thicker wear layers) | Living, dining, bedrooms |
| Solid Hardwood | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | $$$$ | Yes, many times | Living, dining (needs a wood subfloor) |
| Tile | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | $$$ | No (grout can be refreshed) | Bathrooms, laundry, kitchens, entries |
| Carpet | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | $ | No (replace when worn) | Bedrooms, playrooms, upstairs |
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)
LVP is a rigid vinyl plank with a printed wood or stone look and a clear protective wear layer on top. Most modern LVP has a waterproof core (you'll see it called SPC or WPC) and clicks together into a floating floor, which makes it a great match for Texas slab homes.
Why people love it
- Waterproof core: kitchens, baths and laundry rooms are fine
- Stands up to pets, kids and heavy traffic
- Realistic wood looks, including wide planks
- Floats over the slab and forgives small slab movement
Know before you buy
- Can't be sanded; damaged planks get swapped out
- Heavy appliances can dent cheaper products
- Bargain LVP looks like bargain LVP
- Needs a flat base, so low spots get leveled first
Ask about the wear layer
The wear layer is the clear top coat, measured in mils. Thicker holds up better: around 12 mil is common for homes, and 20 mil or more is the tougher pick for big dogs and busy households. Your quote lists it.
Laminate
Laminate has a dense fiberboard core, a photographic wood layer and a very hard clear top coat. It's one of the most scratch-resistant floors you can buy for the money. Newer lines handle spills much better than older laminate, but most still aren't meant for wet rooms.
Why people love it
- Very hard, scratch-resistant surface
- Crisp, realistic wood visuals
- Often less per square foot than LVP
- Floats over the slab on a moisture-barrier underlayment
Know before you buy
- The fiberboard core doesn't like standing water
- Louder underfoot without a good underlayment
- Can't be refinished
- Not for bathrooms or laundry rooms
Look at the AC rating
Laminate is graded AC1 to AC5 for wear. AC3 is a solid choice for most homes, and AC4 is tougher for heavy traffic and pets.
Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood is real wood on top with a cross-layered core underneath. That core makes it much more stable than solid wood when temperature and humidity change, which is why it's the go-to real wood floor for Texas slab homes. It can be glued down or floated.
Why people love it
- Real hardwood surface and real wood value
- More stable than solid hardwood
- Can go directly over a concrete slab
- Thicker wear layers can be sanded and refinished
Know before you buy
- Scratches and dents more easily than LVP or laminate
- Not for bathrooms or laundry rooms
- Costs more than LVP and laminate
- Thin wear layers can barely be refinished, if at all
The wear layer decides its future
The thickness of real wood on top decides whether the floor can be sanded and refinished years from now. Thicker wear layers can be; very thin ones may never be. It's listed on your quote.
Solid Hardwood
Solid hardwood is one piece of wood, top to bottom, usually nailed to a wood subfloor. It can be sanded and refinished many times over its life, which is why some solid wood floors last for generations.
Why people love it
- Can be refinished again and again
- Timeless look and real wood feel
- Strong resale appeal
Know before you buy
- Usually needs a wood subfloor
- Moves with humidity; not for wet areas
- Scratches and dents
- Typically the highest cost
On a concrete slab?
Most DFW houses sit on a concrete slab, and solid hardwood normally needs a wood subfloor to be nailed into. On a slab we'll usually point you to engineered hardwood, which gives you the same real wood look without the headaches.
Porcelain & Ceramic Tile
Porcelain is denser and absorbs less water than ceramic, which makes it the tougher choice for floors. Tile is the most water-proof, hard-wearing floor there is, as long as what's underneath it is done right.
Why people love it
- Totally unbothered by water
- Extremely scratch and wear resistant
- Wood-look, stone-look and large-format options
- Stays cool in Texas summers
Know before you buy
- Hard and cold underfoot; dropped dishes break
- Grout needs cleaning, and some grouts need sealing
- Slower, more labor-heavy install
- Slab movement can crack tile without the right prep
Protecting tile on a moving slab
North Texas clay soil makes slabs shift a little over time. For tile, we can lay a crack-isolation or uncoupling membrane underneath to help keep small slab movement from cracking your tile and grout.
Carpet
Carpet is still the most comfortable floor there is: soft, warm, quiet and usually the least expensive per square foot. The pad underneath matters almost as much as the carpet itself.
Why people love it
- Soft and warm underfoot
- The quietest floor, great upstairs
- Usually the lowest upfront cost
- Comfy for kids' rooms and playrooms
Know before you buy
- Holds stains, pet hair and odors
- Wears faster in traffic paths
- Not for kitchens, baths or entries
- Needs regular deep cleaning
Don't skimp on the pad
A good pad makes carpet feel better and last longer. We list the carpet and the pad separately on your quote so you can see both.
Herringbone & Pattern Layouts
Herringbone, chevron and diagonal layouts turn a floor into a feature. They're available in LVP, engineered wood and tile. They take more cutting and more material than a straight layout, so they cost more to install, but in an entry, dining room or one feature space they're hard to beat.
Why people love it
- A true showpiece floor
- Works in LVP, wood or tile
- Great way to set one room apart
Know before you buy
- More labor and more cuts
- More extra material (often about 15% instead of 10%)
- Needs an especially flat base
Keep It Looking New
A few easy habits make any floor last longer. Always check your product's care guide too, because some cleaners void warranties.
LVP & Laminate
- Sweep or vacuum (turn off the beater bar)
- Damp mop with a cleaner the maker approves
- Skip steam mops
- Felt pads under furniture legs
- Wipe spills on laminate right away
Engineered & Solid Wood
- Dust mop often; grit is what scratches
- Use a wood floor cleaner, never a wet mop
- Keep indoor humidity steady year-round
- Trim pet nails, use rugs at doors
Tile
- Sweep, then mop with a pH-neutral cleaner
- Re-seal cement grout as the grout maker recommends
- Avoid harsh acids, especially on stone
Carpet
- Vacuum weekly, more in traffic paths
- Blot spills; don't rub them in
- Deep clean about once a year, or as your warranty requires