Service
Flooring installation
Subfloor prep is 70% of a floor that stays flat. That is where we spend the time.
- Sample range
- $6 to $22 per square foot installed
- Time on site
- 3 days to 3 weeks
What we are actually solving
Flooring failures are almost never the flooring. They are a subfloor that was out of flat, a slab that was not moisture tested, or a product installed the week it was delivered instead of after it acclimated. We measure flatness across the whole run, check moisture in wood and concrete, and let material sit in the house before anything goes down.
We install site-finished white oak, engineered plank, luxury vinyl, tile and carpet, and we refinish existing hardwood when the boards still have life in them. In a hundred-year-old St. Louis home, refinishing is often the better call and always the cheaper one.
Typical crew: Flooring lead plus installer, finisher on site-finished work
Line by line
What is included
This is the scope you would see in your proposal, written the way we write it rather than the way a brochure does.
Subfloor assessment
Flatness measured across the run, squeaks screwed off, damaged sheathing replaced and slab moisture tested.
Acclimation
Wood products sit in the conditioned space for the manufacturer's stated period before install, not after.
Layout planning
Run direction, starting wall and transitions planned so cut boards land at the least visible edges.
Installation
Nail-down, glue-down or floating per the product and the substrate, with expansion gaps the trim will cover.
Sand and finish
Site-finished floors sanded through the full grit sequence and finished in waterborne or oil-modified coats, dust contained throughout.
Trim and transitions
Shoe, base, thresholds and stair nosings cut and finished so every doorway reads intentional.
Why it matters
Three things that change the outcome
Refinish before replace
If your oak has 3/32 inch of wear layer left, we will tell you to sand it, not sell you new.
Dust-contained sanding
Vacuum-assisted sanders and sealed openings, so the rest of the house stays clean.
Flat, measured, documented
Flatness and moisture readings recorded before install and filed with your warranty.
- 01
Phone call
15 minutes, no visit yet
- 02
Site visit
About an hour, free
- 03
Design and selections
Paid agreement, credited back
- 04
Fixed-price proposal
Line-item scope, no vague lumps
- 05
Permits and pre-construction
The part nobody photographs
- 06
Construction
Weekly meetings, daily photos
- 07
Punch list and follow-up
Be picky, that is the point
Where the money goes
What moves the price on this work
Compare these against any other bid you are holding. If a line is missing from one of them, the prices are not comparable.
- Square footage and how many rooms, closets and stairs are in the run
- Subfloor condition and how much of it needs replacement or levelling
- Product type: site-finished oak costs more in labor than engineered click plank
- Stairs, which are priced per tread and riser
- Removal and disposal of the existing floor, especially glued-down tile
- Whether the home is occupied during the finish cure
Flooring installation questions
Something not covered here? Call us, it is a two minute answer most of the time.
All questionsUsually. Old growth red and white oak in St. Louis homes is typically 2 1/4 inch strip, which is still made. Matching the color takes a sample and a test panel, and we always show you the test before we run the room.
Prefinished floors are ready when the last board goes in. Site-finished waterborne is walkable in about 24 hours, with furniture back after four to five days and rugs after two weeks.
Rigid core vinyl over a properly prepared slab is a good basement floor. Wood and laminate are not, regardless of what the box says, unless the slab has tested dry over a full seasonal cycle.
We move ordinary furniture as part of the job. Pianos, safes, slate pool tables and aquariums need a specialist, and we will coordinate that for you.
Often booked together
Related services
Free estimate
Ready to price your flooring installation
A free site visit, measurements and photographs, then a written ballpark range within three business days.
742 projects since 2009 · 3 year workmanship warranty · Licensed, bonded and lead-safe certified (sample figures)