Ever pull up an old layer of flooring in a mid-century ranch over near downtown Bixby and wonder what disaster is waiting underneath? Homeowners often ask our team about subfloors, grout, and whether luxury vinyl plank will survive a humid Oklahoma summer.
Omega Kitchen & Bath will go straight into what you actually need to know about getting new floors put in.
Will tile crack when our Bixby clay soil shifts?
Tile can crack if it is installed incorrectly. That heavy red clay soil we have around here expands when it gets soaked and shrinks to concrete when it dries out in July. Your house moves. If an installer just slaps cement board down and lays tile right over a flexing subfloor, you are going to see hairline cracks by next year. Omega Kitchen & Bath always uses uncoupling membranes like Schluter-DITRA to isolate the tile from subfloor movement. It costs a little more upfront, but it saves your floor from cracking.
How long does a typical flooring job take?
The time it takes depends entirely on what we are ripping out and what is going back down. If we are tearing up old ceramic tile glued down with industrial mastic in a standard Bixby home, expect a mess and a couple of days just for demolition. Installing 500 square feet of hardwood usually takes about three to five days. Tile takes longer because of the drying time for thinset and grout. Omega Kitchen & Bath tells homeowners to clear their schedules and expect a bit of organized chaos while we work.
Should I match my flooring all the way through the house?
You do not have to match everything, but running the same flooring through the main living areas makes a house feel twice as big. That said, putting hardwood or laminate inside a full bathroom is usually a headache waiting to happen. Water gets everywhere, especially around tubs and toilets. Omega Kitchen & Bath usually recommends a durable porcelain tile in the bathrooms and laundry rooms, and you can transition smoothly into engineered wood or luxury vinyl plank everywhere else.
Can I install new flooring right over the old stuff?
Technically yes, practically no. Some companies will lay click-lock vinyl right over old sheet vinyl to save time. But you are raising the floor height. That means your interior doors will not shut, your dishwasher will not slide out from under the counter, and you are hiding whatever rot or mold might be festering underneath. Do it right the first time. Tear it down to the subfloor so we can fix soft spots before the new material goes down.
What is the best flooring option for pets and kids?
If you have a couple of large dogs running around a backyard in the Bixby area, standard site-finished hardwood is going to get scratched to pieces within six months. Luxury vinyl plank has come a long way, and it handles claws, spilled juice boxes, and tracked-in mud very well. If you prefer the feel of stone or tile, porcelain is very durable, just make sure you use a dark or stain-resistant grout so it does not look dingy after a year of heavy traffic.
Why do flooring quotes vary so wildly?
If one quote is half the price of another, someone is cutting corners. Look closely at the line items. Are they charging extra for floor leveling? Is shoe molding included? Are they hauling away the old demo debris, or is that pile of carpet going to sit on your curb for a week? When Omega Kitchen & Bath puts together an estimate, we spell out the subfloor prep because ninety percent of flooring failures happen because the base was not flat.
For homes and businesses in Bixby, Omega Kitchen & Bath provides flooring services.
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