Flooring in the Rio Grande Valley, TX
Vinyl plank and laminate take foot traffic the same day we finish. Tile needs 24 hours before you walk on it and 72 before heavy furniture.
We install tile, vinyl plank, laminate and engineered wood floors across the Rio Grande Valley. A 1,200 square foot tile floor takes 3 to 5 days once the slab is ready. We test the slab for moisture before we quote, because humidity here decides which floor lasts.
What the job includes02
What a flooring job with us includes
Two things decide a floor in the Valley, and neither one is style. Almost every house here sits on a slab, and that slab carries moisture up into whatever you glue down. Outdoor humidity runs above 70 percent most mornings, so a wood or paper core swells at the seams. Porcelain tile is still the most common floor in Starr County for that reason. Vinyl plank is catching up fast in rentals.
- —Old carpet, tile or vinyl pulled up and hauled off
- —Slab checked for cracks, high spots and moisture before anything goes down
- —Grinding or floor patch wherever the slab is out of level
- —Material laid out dry, so you see the pattern before we set it
- —Transitions at every doorway, closet and hearth
- —Baseboard or quarter round put back, or new trim if yours is damaged
- —Toilets pulled and reset with a new wax ring when the floor runs into a bathroom
- —Daily cleanup, with plastic keeping the dust out of the rest of the house
Flooring03
Which flooring job do you need?
Price range04
How much does flooring cost in the Rio Grande Valley?
3 to 5 days for 1,200 square feet of tile in a one story house
One day for a single bedroom in vinyl plank. Two to three weeks for a whole house that starts with tile removal.
Which material holds up best in Valley weather?
| Material | Holds up because | Watch out for | Best for | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porcelain tile | Water and heat do not move it, and it works in every room of the house | Hard underfoot, and the slab has to be flat before the first tile is set | Kitchens, bathrooms, entries and whole houses in Starr and Hidalgo | 25 years or more |
| Rigid core vinyl plank | The core is plastic, so a spill or a mop does nothing to it | A thin wear layer dents under a refrigerator or a rolling chair | Rentals, bedrooms and any room that sees water | 15 to 20 years with a 20 mil wear layer |
| Laminate | Costs the least of the four and reads as wood from across the room | The core is pressed wood, so a wet seam swells and stays swollen | Bedrooms and living rooms in a house with steady air conditioning | 10 to 15 years indoors and dry |
| Engineered hardwood | A real wood surface that glues straight to a concrete slab | Moves with humidity and costs the most to install correctly | Living and dining rooms in homes kept cool year round | 20 to 30 years, sanded once or twice |
How we work this job05
How does the job actually run?
A written estimate before anything starts, a start date we commit to, and one person responsible from the first walkthrough to the last inspection.
- 01We measure the rooms and test the slabWe measure every room and count the doorways. Then we tape an 18 by 18 inch plastic sheet to the slab for 16 hours.Day 1
- 02The estimate carries the square footage on itYou get a written estimate that lists square feet, material, removal, slab prep and trim. Nothing is quoted by phone.Within 48 hours
- 03The material sits in the house firstBoxes come in and stay in the room for 48 hours. Vinyl, laminate and wood all move with the temperature of the house.Two days before
- 04We prep the slab, then lay the floor dryWe grind the high spots, patch the low ones and lay a run dry so you see the pattern. You approve it before any glue or thinset.Build
- 05Trim, transitions and a final walkWe set the transitions, put the trim back and walk every room with you. The leftover boxes stay with you for future repairs.Handover
From the build site06
Which homes has David Aceves helped build?
Homes built by Cuates Construction, with David Aceves on the build. Look at the tile layouts, the transitions between rooms and the straight grout lines: David plans a flooring job with that same eye.
Where we do this work07
Where in the Valley do you do flooring?
From the shop in Rio Grande City we reach Starr County in under half an hour and the coast in about two and a half. Each city page carries its own conditions, permits and drive time.
- Rio Grande CityOur base
- Roma15 min
- La Grulla12 min
- Mission42 min
- McAllen50 min
- Pharr55 min
- Edinburg58 min
- Weslaco72 min
- Harlingen93 min
- San Benito100 min
- Brownsville118 min
- South Padre Island135 min
Questions we get08
Questions homeowners ask us about this work
Which floor holds up best to Valley humidity?
Porcelain tile. Water and humidity do not change its size, so the seams stay closed year after year. Vinyl plank is second, because the core is plastic. Laminate is last, since its core is pressed wood that swells once and never returns.
Can you install new tile over the tile I already have?
Sometimes, and we tell you when it is a bad idea. The new floor gains about half an inch, which can bind doors and leave a lip at the carpet. If the old tile sounds hollow anywhere, it comes out first.
How soon can we walk on the new floor?
Vinyl plank and laminate take foot traffic the same day we finish. Tile needs 24 hours before you walk on it and 72 hours before heavy furniture. Glued engineered wood needs 24 hours, and we leave the room taped off.
Do we have to move out while you install the floor?
No. We work room by room, so you keep a bedroom and a bathroom in use the whole time. We move the furniture, seal the doorways with plastic and cut outside.
Do you take one room jobs, like a single bedroom?
Yes. A 10 by 12 bedroom in vinyl plank is a one day job. A small room is a fair way to see how we work before you hand us a whole house.
How much extra material should I order?
Order 10 percent over the measured square footage for a straight lay. Go to 15 percent for a diagonal or herringbone pattern, since every cut wastes more. Keep one full box after the job, because dye lots change between runs.
What happens to my baseboards?
We pull them, keep them numbered and put them back once the floor is down. Trim that splits during removal gets replaced, and we tell you before we replace it. If you prefer, we set new quarter round and leave the baseboard alone.
Do you install floors in mobile homes?
Yes, and the rules change because the floor is plywood, not a slab. We walk the whole floor first and replace any soft spot before new material goes down. Tile over a floor that flexes will crack, so vinyl plank is usually the better call.
A remodeling contractor based in Rio Grande City, working across the four Valley counties. The team is led by David Aceves, whose background is building custom homes, from the slab and the framing to the finish work.
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Let us talk09