We live in Southeast Texas and most of our homes are built on a concrete slab. Floors Etc. provides several options for floors suitable for this kind of installation:
As the 3rd most humid city in the US, the average daily humidity in Houston is 75%, so we often recommend a moisture barrier be installed, particularly if your floor is installed over a concrete slab. We will give you a custom evaluation of your specific flooring needs during your On-Site-Consultation.
In case you were wondering: Jacksonville, FL is #2, and New Orleans, LA is #1.
We recommend being the last trade in for stain and finish hardwood, install carpet, prefinished wood, LVT, laminate, etc. We are very careful during sand and finish projects to hang plastic to adjacent areas, protect baseboards with blue tape, cover return air & turn off AC, etc. By ensuring that things like paint go first (think ladders, full buckets, etc. combined with newly finished and/or soft floors), you avoid expensive catastrophes.
That said, you are our client. and the choice is ultimately yours.
Hard surface floors (Wood, Laminate, LVT, etc.) depend on a protective coating that keeps them shiny and stops water and dirt from penetrating the surface. When slid across a hard surface floor, furniture legs and corners will scratch through that coating or even leave grooves in the flooring material. This mars your floors and damages the surface, allowing grit and water to get inside.
Felt pads are an inexpensive and easy way to extend the life of your floors as they allow you to protect hardwood or any hard surface flooring type susceptible to scratches and keeping it looking new. Placed on the bottoms of furniture legs, they provide a soft cushion between the floor and the furniture. Use them on your pieces of furniture that get moved most often, like ottomans, chairs, and stools, to protect the integrity of your valuable floor.
YES!
The products available in our showroom include a factory-direct limited warranty.
Manufacturer warranties will cover product defects, such as a stain-resistant carpet that becomes stained.
DISCLAIMER: These warranties will rarely cover regular wear and tear, and their average lifespan is fifteen years for hard surface and 10 years for soft surface (…and some go up to 50 and beyond).
Almost every flooring material has a high-quality version that can last an extended lifetime.
Whether it’s Hardwood, LVT, Laminate, or Carpet, we can help you find the perfect flooring product that matches both your design goals and your durability requirements.
With our huge selection, you can get pet-friendly floors in almost any material or style. Regardless of which kind of flooring you choose, be sure to follow our tips for Floor Care with Fur Babies.
Wood flooring, along with laminates, bamboo, cork, etc., can expand / shrink if its moisture level changes based on the ambient temperature and humidity levels of the installation area, most often resulting in gaps if installed before it is given a chance to acclimate to this new environment. Floors Etc. follows NWFA guidelines for unfinished solid hardwood acclimation (7 days after installation, before sanding) and manufacturer guidelines for all Prefinished Solid and Engineered Hardwood (varies – typically 5-7 days), Laminate Flooring (typically 48 hours) and other hard surface floors (varies by type and manufacturer).
Most hardwood and laminate floors require acclimation either before or after installation. Floors Etc. follows NWFA guidelines for unfinished solid hardwood acclimation and manufacturer guidelines for all other flooring materials. Most hardwoods require an average of 5-7 days acclimation; most laminates require an average of 48 hours acclimation.
If your new flooring needs to acclimate prior to installation, it will be delivered to your jobsite (i.e.: the home or business where your new floors are being installed) accordingly. We will schedule your acclimation time into your project timeline (as needed for your exact product chosen).
Place packaged boards (cartons) in the room where they will be installed
Cartons should be open and raised off the ground, which allows the moisture content of the wood to adjust to the conditions in the room.
AC or Heating units (dependent on the season) should be operation at least 5 days prior to delivery of the floors during installation.
These should also be left on during installation and after the floors are installed unless otherwise indicated by Floors Etc.
Floor noise is normal and will vary from one installation type to the next. Occasional noise is due to structural movement and may relate to sub-floor type, flatness, deflection, and/or related to the fasteners, changes in environmental conditions, relative humidity, and the amount of topside pressure applied to the flooring. For these reasons floor noise is not considered a product or manufacturer defect.