What flooring costs in Houston.And what the price should include.
Mid-grade LVP or carpet runs $7 to $10 per square foot installed with us. Engineered wood runs $15 to $17, and tile $18 to $20. That's more than the $3 to $5 bids you'll see, and this page shows where every dollar of the difference goes.
Price per square foot, installed.
These are our real ranges for a Houston slab home, carpet coming up and the new floor going down. A bigger job costs less per foot, because setup and the slab test get spread across more floor.
| Floor | 1,000 sf job | 2,000 sf job | Workmanship warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) | $9.00 to $9.80 | $8.15 to $8.85 | 15 years, transferable |
| Carpet | $8.20 to $8.90 | $7.35 to $8.00 | 15 years, transferable |
| Engineered wood | $15.50 to $16.90 | $14.65 to $15.95 | 2 years |
| Tile, porcelain or ceramic, straight lay | $18.80 to $20.40 | $17.90 to $19.50 | 2 years |
Mid-grade material, per square foot, installed. Prices current November 2026. We update this page when our rates change.
These are averages. Your house has its own number.
Pick your floor, enter your square footage and see your price range in about two minutes.
Why one bid says $4 and ours says $9.
A $4 per square foot bid is usually labor only. Fair labor for a flooring install in Houston runs about $4.50 a foot, so that bid is telling you what it leaves out. Here's the same 2,000 sf LVP job, side by side.
| What's included | Typical $4/sf bid | Our price, about $8.50/sf |
|---|---|---|
| Installation labor | Yes | ✓Yes |
| The floor itself | ✕You buy it | ✓Included, with waste figured in |
| Tearing out and hauling off the old floor | ✕Extra, or you do it | ✓Included |
| ASTM F2170 slab moisture test | ✕No | ✓Included, every job |
| A plan if the slab is wet | ✕Found after the floor fails | ✓Found before anything goes down, priced up front |
| Workmanship warranty | ✕Often 1 year, sometimes none | ✓15 years, transferable |
The slab is the part that matters
Most Houston homes sit on concrete over clay, and that concrete carries moisture. Put a floor over a wet slab and it cups, lifts or grows mold under it. Sometimes in months, sometimes in years. By then the installer who skipped the test has moved on.
The math
The moisture test adds about 6% to a job. Replacing a failed floor costs the whole job again, plus the mitigation that should have gone in the first time. On a 2,000 sf house, that's about $1,000 of testing against $16,000 or more of redo.
Why the warranty is 15 years
We can stand behind a floor that long because we've measured what's under it. It covers our work: the testing, any mitigation, the prep, the adhesive and the installation. If the floor fails because of what's under it or how it went down, we come back and fix it.
It transfers when you sell
Most flooring warranties end the day the house changes hands. Ours transfers once, to your buyer. If you're selling inside fifteen years, that's a line in your listing.
15 years applies to LVP and carpet once the slab tests inside the limit for the material. Engineered wood and tile carry 2-year workmanship terms, because each has a failure mode we don't control. Material defects stay with the manufacturer's warranty.
Four questions to ask any bid
What the total looks like on a real house.
Three common Houston jobs, priced the way we'd quote them.
Whole-home LVP
$16,300 to $17,700
2,000 sf of mid-grade LVP through a single-story house.
Tile, main living areas
$18,800 to $20,400
1,000 sf of tile through the kitchen, entry and halls.
Engineered wood
$15,500 to $16,900
1,000 sf of engineered wood through the living areas.
High-end tile
$46,400 to $50,600
2,000 sf of high-end porcelain. Large-format and specialty tile takes longer to set and costs more per box.
Same 2,000 sf LVP job, three grades
| Grade | Total | Per sf |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | $14,000 to $15,200 | $7.00 to $7.60 |
| Mid-grade | $16,300 to $17,700 | $8.15 to $8.85 |
| High-end | $20,000 to $21,800 | $10.00 to $10.90 |
Want this math on your rooms?
The estimator runs on the same rate sheet as this page.
What's included, and what isn't.
In every price on this page
- Tearing out the old floor and hauling it off
- ASTM F2170 in-situ moisture testing on the slab. We test every job. It's never an add-on.
- Material with waste figured in: 8% on plank, 15% on tile and carpet
- Installation and transitions at doorways
- Mobilization inside the Houston metro
Priced out loud before you sign
- Moisture mitigation, if the slab fails: $14 per sf. Fewer than 1 in 10 Houston slabs we test need it. 4 of our last 50 did.
- Floor leveling, where it's needed: $4 per sf at a full 1/8" pour.
- Trim: most jobs keep the existing baseboard. Adding shoe molding runs about $3.50 per linear foot.
- Stairs, upper floors without an elevator, and moving furniture: added to your quote line by line.
Why we don't bury mitigation in every quote: building it in would make the 9 out of 10 slabs that pass more expensive to cover the one that doesn't. You hear the rate on day one, so if your slab fails it's a decision, not a surprise bill.
Every floor has a moisture limit. Houston slabs test close to it.
Houston homes sit on slab-on-grade concrete over clay, and that slab carries moisture into whatever goes on top. Each floor tolerates a different amount, measured as relative humidity inside the slab.
| Floor | Slab RH limit |
|---|---|
| Engineered wood | 75% |
| LVP | 85% |
| Carpet | 90% |
Above 98%, we stop and find the water source before quoting anything. A membrane won't fix a leaking pipe or grading that falls toward the house. That's why we test before every install. Want to know where your slab stands before you pick a floor? Book a slab moisture test.
Questions homeowners ask about price.
Why is your price higher than a $4 per square foot bid?
A $4 bid is usually installation labor only. Ours includes the floor, tear-out and haul-off, an ASTM F2170 moisture test on the slab, and a 15-year workmanship warranty on LVP and carpet that transfers when you sell. Line those up against the cheap bid and the gap mostly closes. What's left is the test and the warranty, which is what keeps you from paying for the floor twice.
Why do you test the slab on every job?
Because a Houston slab can look dry and read 95% RH inside. Every flooring manufacturer sets a moisture limit, and installing over a slab above it can void their warranty and ours. The test adds about 6% to a job. A failed floor costs the whole job again.
What does the 15-year warranty cover?
Our work: the testing, any mitigation, the prep, the adhesive and the installation. If an LVP or carpet floor fails because of what's under it or how it went down, we come back and fix it. It transfers once, to your buyer. Material defects like wear or scratches are the manufacturer's warranty.
Can I skip the moisture test to save money?
No. It's how we know the floor will hold, and it's what lets us put 15 years on it. We'd rather not install than install blind.
How much does LVP cost installed in Houston?
About $8 to $10 per square foot for mid-grade LVP on a whole-home job, including tear-out and slab testing. A 2,000 sf house runs $16,300 to $17,700.
How much does it cost to tile 1,000 square feet?
About $18,800 to $20,400 for mid-grade porcelain or ceramic set straight, including tear-out of carpet and slab testing. Herringbone, diagonal and large-format layouts cost more because setting takes longer.
Is engineered wood worth it over LVP in Houston?
It costs nearly twice as much and needs a drier slab: 75% RH against 85% for LVP. On a slab that tests high, LVP is the safer floor. On a dry slab, wood is a real upgrade you can refinish later.
What if my slab fails the moisture test?
Mitigation runs $14 per square foot and goes under the new floor before installation. We give you the rate up front and the computed number at signing. Fewer than 1 in 10 slabs we test need it.
Do flooring prices include baseboards?
Ours don't, because most jobs keep the existing base. If you want shoe molding added, it's about $3.50 per linear foot.
Why is a small room more per square foot than a whole house?
Setup, travel and the slab test cost about the same whether we're doing 200 sf or 2,000. On a bigger job those costs spread across more floor.
Will flooring prices go up in 2027?
Material prices move with the manufacturers. We date this page and update it when our rates change, so the number you see is the number we'd quote today.
Get your number before anyone visits.
Our estimator prices your floor, your square footage and your slab with the same rates you see on this page. It takes about two minutes.
Rather talk it through? Call (281) 615-6053. Not sure about your slab? Start with a moisture test.
