How We Handle Floors in Older Houses
We install hardwood, tile, vinyl, laminate and carpet in houses that have been lived in, patched and remodeled more than once. That means we pull up a corner and look before we plan. You hear what we found, and what it changes, before any work starts.
Why We Look Under the Floor First
Most of the floors we replace have a past. A kitchen with new tile laid over old sheet vinyl. A bedroom with carpet over a subfloor that's been patched twice. A hallway where someone filled a dip with whatever was in the truck. None of that shows on the surface. All of it affects how your new floor lies and how long it lasts.
So our first visit is mostly looking. We run a long straightedge across the floor to find the high and low spots. We test moisture on slabs, walk pier-and-beam floors for squeaks and soft spots, and check door bottoms, thresholds and baseboards. If an old layer has to come up, we tell you. If an old adhesive looks like it could contain asbestos, we stop and recommend testing before anyone scrapes or sands it.
Then you get a plan in plain words. What has to be fixed, what can stay, and what's up to you. Some floors need a day of prep before the install. Some need none. We'd rather say that at your kitchen table than find it halfway through a room with your furniture sitting in the garage.
How We Work in Your Home
Prep is its own line
Tear-out, subfloor repair and leveling are listed separately from the new floor. You see what the old floor is costing you and what the new one costs. Nothing gets folded in later.
Straight talk on old layers
Sometimes going over an existing floor is fine. Sometimes it has to come out. We tell you which, and why.
Transitions planned ahead
Rooms in older houses are rarely the same height. We work out thresholds, door trimming and stair edges before install day so new and old floors meet without a lip to trip on.
Your house left clean
We cover what stays, keep dust in the work area and haul off the old flooring. Floors get swept and vacuumed before we leave each day.
Where We Work
We work in West University Place and the neighborhoods around it, including Bellaire, Houston, Hunters Creek Village, Piney Point Village, Spring Valley Village and Bunker Hill Village. We also take jobs in Pearland, Missouri City, Fresno and Stafford. The humidity is the same across all of them, so we let wood acclimate and check slab moisture on every job.
If you're still choosing a material, our Hardwood Flooring and Luxury Vinyl Plank pages explain how each one handles an uneven or damp subfloor. Stair Flooring covers the old treads and nosings we run into most.
- West University Place
- Bellaire
- Houston
- Hunters Creek Village
- Piney Point Village
- Spring Valley Village
- Bunker Hill Village
- Pearland
- Missouri City
- Fresno
- Stafford
Tell Us About Your Floors
Tell us which rooms you're thinking about, what's down now and what's bothering you about it. We'll talk through what we'd check and set a time to come look.