ServicesLuxury Vinyl Plank
Luxury Vinyl Plank Installation in Katy
We install rigid-core luxury vinyl plank over a slab we have tested and leveled first. Before work starts, you get a timeline for removal, prep, install and trim, plus a morning arrival window for each day, so you know when every room is back in use.
When luxury vinyl plank is the right floor
Luxury vinyl plank is a layered product. A clear wear layer sits on top of a printed design film, and under that is a core of either stone-plastic composite (SPC) or wood-plastic composite (WPC). SPC is denser and resists dents from furniture legs. WPC is a little softer and quieter underfoot. Most of what we install is a click-lock floating floor: the planks lock edge to edge and rest on the subfloor instead of being glued or nailed down.
That build makes LVP a strong fit for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and busy family areas where spills, pets and wet shoes are part of the day. If you want a natural wood surface instead, our hardwood flooring page covers that option, and laminate flooring is worth a look for dry rooms.
Because the planks float, a job usually moves in a predictable order. We map that order out for you before day one. If a slab test turns up something that adds time, you hear about it that day, not on install morning.
What our LVP installation includes
Taking out what is there now
Old carpet comes up along with its padding and the strip of nails around the walls, and all of it leaves with us. Ceramic tile gets chipped off and hauled away too. Tile set in thinset on concrete is the slowest part of most jobs, so we budget real hours for it instead of hoping it goes fast.
Slab moisture and flatness check
Most homes in the Katy area sit on concrete slabs. We check for moisture coming up through the concrete and run a straightedge to find high and low spots. Many plank makers call for the floor to be flat within 3/16 inch over 10 feet, so we grind humps and fill dips with patching compound until it is.
Underlayment and vapor retarder
Some planks come with an attached pad, and some need a separate underlayment. Over concrete, a poly vapor retarder is often required unless the pad already includes one. We follow the instructions for the specific product you choose.
Layout and expansion gaps
We plan the rows so you do not end up with thin slivers along a wall or at a doorway. A small gap is left at the perimeter so the floor can expand, hidden by baseboard or quarter round. Door casings are undercut so planks slide underneath for a clean edge.
Transitions and trim
T-moldings, reducers and end caps join the new floor to tile, carpet or a sliding door track. Where LVP meets steps, we can carry the look up with matching stair nose, covered on our stair flooring page.
Signs it is time for luxury vinyl plank
- Laminate swelling at the seams
- Peaked or puffy edges near a dishwasher, sink or tub mean water reached the fiberboard core. That damage does not shrink back. An LVP core does not absorb water the same way.
- Carpet that holds odors and stains
- Pet accidents soak through to the pad and the slab underneath. Cleaning the surface does not reach that layer.
- Cracked tile or hollow spots
- Tiles that sound hollow when tapped have come loose from the thinset beneath them. Cracked grout lines often follow. Replacing those rooms with LVP removes the grout lines entirely.
- Curling or yellowed sheet vinyl
- Older sheet goods lift at seams and edges as the adhesive fails, and they discolor with age and sunlight.
- A date you have to hit
- A move-in, a new baby or family coming to stay gives you a fixed deadline. LVP goes down faster than tile, and we can tell you up front whether your date is realistic.
How an LVP job runs, day by day
- 1
Phone call and measure
You call, we talk through the rooms and set a visit to measure, check the slab and look at transitions and doorways. Get your quote by phone after that visit.
- 2
Written timeline
You get the sequence in writing: which day is removal, which is prep, which rooms are installed when, and when trim goes on. Each work day has a morning arrival window.
- 3
Delivery and acclimation
Planks are delivered and left in the rooms with your air conditioning running, for the time the manufacturer specifies. Skipping this can lead to gaps or buckling later.
- 4
Prep and install
Our insured crew removes the old floor, levels the slab, lays the underlayment and clicks the planks into place row by row. If something changes, like extra patching, we tell you how it shifts the schedule that day.
- 5
Trim, cleanup and walk-through
We set transitions and baseboard or quarter round, vacuum and clear debris, then walk the floor with you so you can point out anything you want looked at.
What moves the cost of luxury vinyl plank
Two LVP jobs with the same square footage can price very differently. Most of that gap comes from what sits under the old floor and the labor it takes to get the slab ready. Your estimate breaks each of those pieces out on its own line, so nothing is lumped together.
- Room layout and total area
- Big rectangular spaces let us run full planks with few cuts. Closets, angled walls and lots of doorways take more cutting time and leave more offcuts, so extra material has to be ordered to cover them.
- What comes out first
- Rolling up carpet is quick work. Ceramic tile set in thinset on concrete has to be chipped off piece by piece, which means more hours and more debris to haul.
- How ready the concrete is
- What the moisture meter and straightedge show sets how much grinding, patching compound or vapor protection your slab needs before planks go down.
- The plank itself
- Wear layer thickness, SPC versus WPC core, and whether the pad is attached all change the material cost.
- Trim and stairs
- New baseboard, the number of transitions and any stair treads add both parts and hours.
Luxury vinyl plank questions
- How long does LVP installation take?
- A few rooms of open floor often go down in a day or two once the slab is ready. Tile removal and heavy leveling add time. After we measure and check the slab, we give you a day-by-day timeline rather than a guess.
- Is luxury vinyl plank really waterproof?
- The planks themselves do not absorb water, and the locking seams resist spills. Water from a leak can still travel under a floating floor and sit on the slab. The upside is that floating planks can be taken up so the area can dry.
- Can you put LVP over my existing tile?
- Sometimes. The tile must be firmly attached and flat, and deep grout lines may need to be filled so they do not show through. We also check door clearances and appliance heights, since the new floor adds thickness.
- Why do the planks need to sit before installation?
- Vinyl expands and contracts with temperature. Letting the planks reach the room's normal conditions, with the air conditioning on, keeps the floor from gapping or pushing against the walls later. We follow the hold time on the product's instructions.
- What warranty comes with the install?
- We provide a 1-year workmanship warranty on all installations. The plank manufacturer's product warranty is separate, and we will tell you which brand you are getting so you can review its terms.
Put your new floor on the calendar
Tell us the rooms and any date you are working toward. We will measure, check the slab and give you a timeline you can plan the rest of your week around.