Choosing flooring for a Central Texas home: humidity, pier-and-beam, pets and rentals
Most flooring decisions around here come down to four things: how the room gets used, how much water it sees, what the house sits on, and who walks on it. Here is how we narrow it, with the installed costs and lifespans we quote from.
Start with the room, not the sample
A good floor matches the room, not just the sample. Before we talk product we ask four things: how much traffic the room takes, whether it gets wet, whether there are pets or kids, and what is on the floor right now. Those answers rule options out faster than any showroom tour, which is the point.
What is already down matters as much as what is going in. Whatever is coming out, how it is attached and how flat the subfloor is underneath all decide part of the price, and sometimes they decide the product too. That is also why we quote after measuring rather than off a square footage number over the phone.
Wet rooms belong to tile
Tile is the best option for wet areas. It is fully water resistant and unfazed by standing water. Luxury vinyl plank is rated for bathrooms and does fine in a normal one, but prolonged standing water can seep into the seams and damage the subfloor. In a kitchen or a bath that has already had a leak, that single difference usually settles the decision.
Finish matters on a wet floor as well. Both polished and matte tile are easy to clean, but polished shows soap scum, fingerprints and water spots more readily. We recommend a matte finish on floors, and either polished or matte on walls.
What LVP and tile cost installed
Installed, LVP typically runs $3 to $10 per square foot. Tile runs $5 to $40 per square foot, depending heavily on installation complexity and subfloor prep. Those ranges are wide for a reason, and the reason is different for each material.
With tile, most of the spread is labor. Patterns, mosaics, trim profiles and lots of cuts all take more time, so a large format porcelain in a straight layout sits near the bottom of the range while a patterned floor with borders and a lot of small pieces sits near the top. With LVP, most of the spread is the plank itself and how much the subfloor needs before it goes down: flattening, repairs and moisture checks are part of the scope we quote, not a surprise line later.
How long each one lasts
LVP lasts 10 to 25 years depending on the thickness of the protective wear layer. Tile lasts 20 to 50 years or more with proper maintenance, though grout lines may need periodic cleaning or resealing.
Read those numbers next to the cost, not separately. The cheapest plank in a busy hallway is the choice you pay for twice, and the thickness of the wear layer is the spec that decides which end of that 10 to 25 year window you land on. In a room you plan to keep for twenty years, tile usually justifies itself; in a room you expect to restyle, it may not.
Pier-and-beam and older houses
Pier-and-beam is common in older Central Texas homes, and some builders shy away from tile over it because of foundation movement. With an uncoupling membrane and extra subfloor material, the assembly absorbs the natural shifting and deflection of the wood framing. We install over pier-and-beam regularly.
Say so when you call. The membrane and the extra subfloor material are real line items, and a quote that knows about the house from the start is a quote that does not move later.
Pets usually point to LVP
If you have pets, it is usually luxury vinyl plank. It handles scratches and accidents better than most alternatives, which covers the two things dogs and cats actually do to a floor. Tile is the other good answer, especially in a mud room or anywhere a bowl gets tipped over, since water simply does not bother it.
Bring it up when we measure. Number of animals, their size and where they spend the day change which plank we would put in front of you.
Rentals and turnovers
Most rentals do best with LVP or sheet vinyl for easy cleanup and fast turnarounds, and we match the pick to traffic and budget. The goal in a rental is different from the goal in a kitchen you cook in every night: you want a floor that cleans up quickly between tenants and can be repaired or replaced without a long shutdown.
For offices, retail and light commercial the same logic runs through commercial LVT, carpet tile and large format porcelain rated for the traffic. If you manage several units, we work directly with builders, general contractors and property managers, and we are happy to quote multiple units or phases at once.
Where hardwood and laminate make sense
Hardwood is a living area material. Solid or engineered, it is worth running in the direction that makes the room feel biggest, and it belongs in the parts of the house that stay dry. Laminate and engineered plank sit in the same conversation and we carry both; which one wins usually comes down to the room and the budget rather than the brochure.
Carpet still wins in bedrooms, and the pad matters more than most people expect. Compare both in the showroom and we will explain why.
Going over old tile without demo
If the existing surface is flat and level, LVP can go directly over old tile with no tear-out. That removes the demo and the haul-off from the quote, which is real money and a couple of quieter days in the house.
The condition is not a formality. Flat and level means flat and level, and we check it when we measure. If the old floor is not, prep it properly or take it out, because a plank floor telegraphs everything underneath it.
Tell us the room and we will narrow it
Traffic, pets, moisture and budget are enough for us to get you down to two or three good answers instead of a catalogue. Measurements and a written quote follow.
What a flooring quote includes
Removal and disposal of the old flooring, plus flattening, repairs and moisture checks, are part of the scope we quote. So are transitions, thresholds and trim, finished cleanly rather than treated as an afterthought. Those items are not glamorous, and they are what decides whether the new floor still looks flat in three years.
Timeline works the same way: it depends on scope, square footage and how much prep the subfloor needs, and we confirm the schedule after measuring. More on all of it is on the flooring installation page, and the FAQ covers the questions we get most.
See the samples before you commit
Phone screens lie about color and scale. Sample racks do not. The showroom at 301 Cleveland St. in Smithville has plank, laminate and carpet samples you can lay on the floor and stand on, plus tile, stone and countertop boards to hold against your paint chip and cabinet door. We are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 5:00.
Bastrop, Smithville, Cedar Creek and Rosanky are in Bastrop County, and La Grange is the seat of Fayette County. Bastrop is about 15 minutes from the showroom on Highway 71 and La Grange about 25 minutes east on the same road. If you want the local version of this, see flooring in Bastrop or tile and flooring in La Grange.
Flooring choice FAQs
Which is better for a high-moisture kitchen or bathroom, LVP or tile?
Tile is the best option for wet areas. It is fully water resistant and unfazed by standing water. LVP is rated for bathrooms, but prolonged standing water can seep into the seams and damage the subfloor.
What is the average cost per square foot to install LVP versus tile?
Installed, LVP typically runs $3 to $10 per square foot. Tile runs $5 to $40 per square foot, depending heavily on installation complexity and subfloor prep. Every floor is different, which is why we quote after measuring.
How long do luxury vinyl plank and tile floors last?
LVP lasts 10 to 25 years depending on the thickness of the protective wear layer. Tile lasts 20 to 50 years or more with proper maintenance, though grout lines may need periodic cleaning or resealing.