LVP, engineered hardwood, porcelain tile, and carpet. Moisture testing, proper subfloor prep, lifetime-grade installation. Pet-friendly options. Flat pricing. 1-year guarantee.
Nearly every DFW home built since 1990 sits on a concrete slab — no basement, no crawlspace, no subfloor flex. That changes everything about flooring choice. Solid hardwood expands and contracts with humidity but has nowhere to go on a slab; cheap engineered hardwood telegraphs every slab imperfection; thin laminate scratches under pet claws within months.
We spec flooring for the way DFW homes actually live: slab construction, pets, kids, and humidity that swings from 25% in winter to 75% in summer.
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) now accounts for over 60% of new flooring installs in DFW. It's 100% waterproof, handles slab construction perfectly, scratches less than laminate, and looks indistinguishable from real hardwood from arm's length. We install it more than every other floor type combined.
| Type | Best For | DFW Notes | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) | Most homes — kitchens, baths, living, bedrooms | 100% waterproof, click-lock floats over slab, 20-mil wear layer for pets | 20–30 yrs |
| Engineered hardwood | Living areas in upscale homes | Real wood top layer, plywood substrate, dimensionally stable on slab | 30–50 yrs |
| Solid hardwood | Pier-and-beam homes only | Not recommended on slab without proper sub-floor; expands/contracts | 75+ yrs |
| Laminate | Budget bedrooms, low-traffic | AC4 rating min for DFW; not waterproof, susceptible to pet damage | 10–20 yrs |
| Tile (porcelain) | Kitchens, baths, entries, mudrooms | Most durable, cool underfoot in summer, can crack with slab movement | 50+ yrs |
| Carpet | Bedrooms, theater rooms, stairs | Nylon over olefin; pet families need stain-resistant fiber + good pad | 8–15 yrs |
| Wood-look porcelain plank | Wet areas, high-traffic | Tile durability, hardwood look; needs precise installation for plank tile | 50+ yrs |
LVP quality varies wildly. The cheap stuff at big-box stores fails fast — pets scratch the wear layer, edges curl, click joints break. Here's what actually matters:
Wear layer thickness — measured in mils. 20-mil minimum for homes with pets or kids. 6–12 mil is light residential only and won't survive a Labrador.
Total plank thickness — 5mm minimum, 7mm+ preferred for slab installation. Thicker planks bridge slab imperfections better.
Core type — Stone Plastic Composite (SPC) has the best dimensional stability for DFW temperature swings. Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) is softer underfoot but slightly less stable.
Attached pad — IXPE underlayment attached to the plank cuts noise and hides minor slab dips. Worth the small upcharge.
Beveled edge — micro-bevels create realistic plank-to-plank shadow lines. Square edges look "vinyl-y."
Brands we trust in DFW: COREtec, Mohawk RevWood Premier, Shaw Floorté, Karndean LooseLay, Mannington Adura.
Before any flooring goes on a DFW slab, we test moisture with a calcium chloride test or RH probe. Slabs above 5 lbs / 1000 sqft / 24 hr emission can cause warranty failures even on "waterproof" LVP. New construction slabs need 60–90 days of dry time before flooring.
Solid 3/4" hardwood directly on a DFW slab is almost always a mistake — humidity swings cause cupping, gapping, and crowning. Three approaches actually work:
Engineered hardwood, glue-down — 3/8"–1/2" engineered with a real wood veneer, glued directly to slab with urethane adhesive (Bostik BEST or equivalent). Stable, beautiful, refinishable 1–2 times. Our default for hardwood on slab. $7–$14/sqft installed.
Engineered hardwood, floating — clicks together, floats over a foam underlayment. Forgives slab imperfection, fast install, no glue smell. Slightly hollower sound underfoot. $5–$10/sqft installed.
Sleepers + plywood + solid hardwood — build a wood subfloor over the slab, then install solid hardwood. Adds 1.5"+ floor height (door clearance issues), $4–6/sqft additional cost, but allows true solid hardwood. Rarely justified vs. engineered.
Prices include labor, basic underlayment, transitions, baseboard removal/reinstall, and standard demo of one existing floor layer. Material is separate unless noted (LVP material runs $2.50–$5.50/sqft; engineered hardwood $4–$11/sqft).
| Project | DFW Price (installed) | Timeline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LVP — basic grade | $4–$6/sqft | 1–3 days | 12 mil wear layer, 5mm thick — bedroom-only |
| LVP — premium with pets | $6–$9/sqft | 1–3 days | 20+ mil wear layer, 7mm SPC, attached pad |
| Engineered hardwood — floating | $7–$11/sqft | 2–4 days | Click-lock, foam underlayment |
| Engineered hardwood — glue-down | $9–$15/sqft | 3–5 days | Premium for stability, refinishable |
| Porcelain tile — standard | $10–$16/sqft | 3–5 days | 12×24 standard, sand cement underlayment |
| Wood-look plank tile | $13–$20/sqft | 4–7 days | Larger format, pattern care, thinset prep |
| Laminate — AC4 grade | $3.50–$5.50/sqft | 1–3 days | Budget option, not for wet areas |
| Carpet — nylon, premium pad | $4–$7/sqft | 1 day | Stainmaster-class fiber, 8 lb pad |
| Demo old floor | $1.25–$3/sqft add | Add 1 day | Tile demo costs more than carpet demo |
| Stair refinish/install | $85–$200/stair | 1–2 days | Per tread + riser depending on material |
Whole-house floor replacement (2,000 sqft of premium LVP across living areas) typically runs $14,000–$22,000 in DFW including demo, transitions, and quarter round.
The floor you walk on is only as good as the subfloor under it. We assess every job before quoting and address subfloor issues during install — never skipped, never billed surprise.
For DFW slabs: we test moisture (max 5 lbs/1000 sqft/24 hr for hardwood, 7 lbs for LVP per ASTM F1869), grind down high spots, fill low spots with self-leveling compound (10' straightedge tolerance: 3/16" max), patch cracks, and apply moisture mitigation if elevated readings.
For raised floors: we walk every joist for soft spots, replace damaged plywood, screw down loose decking, address squeaks before flooring goes on. A 1/4" plywood underlayment over OSB is common for tile; not needed for floating LVP.
Premium LVP installed runs $6–$9 per sqft for pet-friendly grades. Engineered hardwood: $9–$15/sqft installed. Porcelain tile: $10–$16/sqft. Carpet: $4–$7/sqft. A 2,000 sqft whole-house LVP replacement typically runs $14,000–$22,000 including demo and transitions.
Premium LVP with a 20-mil or thicker wear layer is our top recommendation for pet households. It's 100% waterproof (no urine damage to subfloor), scratch-resistant, and looks like real wood. COREtec, Mohawk RevWood Premier, and Karndean LooseLay are top picks. Avoid laminate — pet claws shred the photo wear layer fast.
Solid hardwood directly on slab — strongly not recommended. Engineered hardwood — yes, with proper preparation. We glue-down 3/8"–1/2" engineered to the slab with urethane adhesive after moisture testing and slab leveling. The result looks identical to solid wood and is dimensionally stable through DFW's humidity swings.
Yes — for any installation. We can move standard furniture out and back as part of the job for a small additional fee, or you can move it yourself to save cost. Heavy items (pianos, large armoires) need professional movers. We recommend boarding pets during install for safety and dust minimization.
Standard rooms: LVP 1 day per 500 sqft, engineered hardwood ~1 day per 400 sqft. Whole-house projects (2,000 sqft): 3–5 days for LVP, 5–8 days for hardwood, 7–10 days for tile. Carpet is the fastest at typically 1 day per 1,500 sqft. Tile takes longest due to thinset cure and grout time.
LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) — 100% vinyl, waterproof, plank shape mimicking wood. LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) — same as LVP but cut as tile/stone shapes. Laminate — wood-fiber core (HDF) with photo wear layer; NOT waterproof, swells if it gets wet. For DFW we strongly prefer LVP/LVT for kitchens, baths, and any wet area.
Yes — we install metal or wood transition strips (T-molds, reducers, end caps) in doorways. Some clients prefer flush transitions (more complex installation but cleaner look) which we can do with proper substrate prep. Transitions also happen at stairs, where we install matching nosings or step-down moldings.
You can — but the issues we see most from DIY are: skipped expansion gaps (causes buckling in DFW summer humidity), no slab moisture testing, no slab leveling causing pop-up joints, and improper baseboard or transition handling. If you're comfortable with the prep, modern click-lock LVP installs well DIY. We're happy to do just the prep work and let you install, or vice versa.
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