ServicesLuxury Vinyl Tile
Luxury Vinyl Tile Installation in Humble
We install luxury vinyl tile that looks like stone or ceramic but feels warmer underfoot and has no stiff grout to crack. First we check your slab. Then we tell you whether glue-down or click-lock fits the room and what will set the price.
What Luxury Vinyl Tile Is and When It Makes Sense
Luxury vinyl tile, or LVT, is vinyl made in square and rectangular tiles instead of long planks. It is printed to look like slate, travertine, marble or ceramic. Some lines can even be grouted so the joints look like real tile.
It works well in kitchens, baths, laundry rooms and entries. You get a tile pattern in those rooms without a heavy mortar bed, a chilly floor on winter mornings or grout that splits. It also has a little give underfoot and is quieter to walk on than ceramic.
It is not the right call everywhere. If you want a wood look across a whole open floor plan, luxury vinyl plank usually reads better. If you want the real thing, our tile flooring page covers ceramic and porcelain. We will tell you which one we would put down in your home and why.
What the Job Includes
Slab and subfloor check
We check the floor for flatness with a straightedge and look for high spots, dips and cracks. Most homes around here sit on concrete slabs, so we also test for moisture before anything goes down.
Tear-out of what is there now
Whatever is on the floor today comes up first, whether that is carpet with its padding and tack strips, worn sheet vinyl or ceramic. Ceramic and the thinset stuck behind it are the slowest to get off, and we say so when we quote the job.
Floor leveling
LVT shows every dip under it. Humps in the slab get ground down, and low spots get patch compound or a pour of self-leveler, so each tile lies flat and the joints stay tight.
Layout and install
We snap lines and plan the layout so you do not end up with thin slivers at a doorway. Tiles go down glue-down or click-lock, depending on the product and the room.
Trim and transitions
We set transitions at doorways and other floors, and reinstall or replace baseboard or quarter round to cover the expansion gap.
Cleanup
We haul off the old flooring, vacuum the work area and leave the room ready for furniture. We are insured, so your home is covered while we work in it.
Signs Your Floor Is Ready for Luxury Vinyl Tile
Cracked tile or grout
Ceramic over a slab that has shifted tends to crack along the same line again. LVT has some flex and no rigid grout, so it handles small slab movement better.
Stained, worn sheet vinyl
Old sheet vinyl that is curling at the edges or worn through at the sink is past saving. LVT is a straight upgrade in the same rooms.
Carpet in a wet room
Carpet in a bathroom or laundry room holds water and smells. A water-resistant tile floor fixes that.
Cold, hard floors you dislike
If you like the tile look but hate how ceramic feels in winter or how dishes shatter on it, LVT is a fair trade.
Floor too heavy or thick for tile
Some rooms cannot take the height of new tile and mortar without trimming doors. Most LVT is thin enough to avoid that.
How an LVT Install Day Runs
- 1
Walk-through and measure
We look at the rooms, check the slab and talk through glue-down versus click-lock. You get a clear answer on what we would do and why.
- 2
Let the tile acclimate
The boxes sit in your home for a day or two at normal room temperature. This keeps tiles from shrinking or growing after they are down.
- 3
Tear out and prep
We remove the old floor, clean the slab and level it. Leveling compound needs time to cure, so a big patch can add a day.
- 4
Lay the tile
We start from the layout lines and work out from the center of the room. Cuts at walls and around door casings are tucked under trim or undercut casing so edges stay clean.
- 5
Trim, clean and walk it with you
We set transitions and baseboard, clean up and walk the floor with you before we leave. Our work is backed by a 1-year workmanship warranty on all installations.
What Moves the Price
We do not quote a number before we see the floor. The tile itself is only part of the cost. Prep and removal often swing the total more than the product you pick.
- Square footage and layout
- More rooms means more material and labor. A diagonal or herringbone layout adds cuts and waste compared to a straight grid.
- The old floor coming out
- Carpet and pad come out in short order. Old ceramic is slower, since it has to be broken loose and the thinset ground off the slab. That also leaves more debris to haul away.
- Condition of the slab
- A flat, dry slab needs little work. Dips, cracks or moisture problems mean grinding, patching, self-leveler or a moisture barrier.
- Product type and wear layer
- Click-lock rigid core tile and glue-down tile carry different price tags. The wear layer is the clear top coat on each tile. Paying for a heavier one buys you longer life in a busy kitchen or entry.
- Grout, trim and transitions
- Groutable LVT adds a grouting step. New baseboard, stair nosing or many doorway transitions also add to the total.
Luxury Vinyl Tile Questions
Something not covered here? (346) 253-1583
Is luxury vinyl tile waterproof?
Most LVT is water-resistant on its surface, and many rigid core tiles are fully waterproof. That protects you from spills and a leaking dishwasher. Water that sits under the floor from a flood is a different problem, and the floor may still need to come up.
Should I go glue-down or click-lock?
Click-lock floats over the slab and goes in faster. Glue-down holds tight in sunny rooms and under heavy furniture, and it is easier to replace one tile later. We tell you which fits your room after we see it.
Can you put LVT over my existing tile?
Sometimes. Old tile that is solid and flat can work as a base for rigid core LVT, but we skim the grout joints level first so they do not print through. Loose or cracked tile has to come up before we start, or the problem shows in the new floor.
What is the difference between LVT and luxury vinyl plank?
Same material, different shape. Tile shapes are made to look like stone or ceramic, and planks are made to look like wood. Our luxury vinyl plank page covers the plank side.
Is LVT the same as vinyl composition tile?
No. Vinyl composition tile is a thinner, harder tile you often see in schools and stores, and it needs waxing. LVT is thicker, softer and printed to look like stone. We install both, and our vinyl composition tile page covers when VCT makes sense.
How long until we can walk on it?
You can walk on click-lock right away. With glue-down, we ask you to keep heavy furniture off for about a day while the adhesive sets.
Get a Straight Answer on Your LVT Project
Give us a call and describe which rooms you want done and what flooring is down today. We will lay out your options and what moves the cost, then set a time to look at your slab.