Los Angeles Flooring — Hardwood, Engineered, LVP, Porcelain, Stone — Installed by a Real GC

LVP (luxury vinyl plank): $4-$9 per sq ft installed, including underlay and standard transitions. Commercial-grade SPC (stone-polymer composite, 22+ mil wear layer, 8+ mm thickness) on the high end. We use Shaw Floorté Pro, COREtec Originals Premium, Mannington Adura Max. Waterproof, scratch-resistant, dimensionally stable, suitable for kitchens, bathrooms, and basements. Engineered hardwood: $9-$18 per sq ft installed. 5-ply or 7-ply construction with a real-wood wear layer of 2-6 mm. Suitable for direct-glue or floating install over concrete slab (which is most LA single-story homes) — solid hardwood is not. We use Hallmark, Mirage, Carlisle, DuChateau, and Lauzon. White oak, walnut, hickory, European oak in wide-plank (7-9 inch). Solid hardwood: $14-$26 per sq ft installed. 3/4-inch solid wood, nail-down to plywood subfloor only (never to concrete in LA). Suitable for upstairs floors, hillside post-and-pier homes, or homes with a crawl space and a real plywood subfloor. Porcelain large-format: $11-$22 per sq ft installed. 24-inch by 48-inch, 30-inch by 60-inch, or up to 60-inch by 120-inch slab tile. Schluter or LATICRETE uncoupling membrane underlayment, polymer-modified thinset, 1/8-inch grout joints. Natural stone (Italian-imported marble, travertine, limestone): $22-$55 per sq ft installed. Sealed, honed-or-polished as specified, suitable for high-end residential — full disclosure on staining and etching risk before install. Radiant-heat add: $8-$15 per sq ft for the heating element + smart thermostat + dedicated electrical circuit + Schluter DITRA-HEAT uncoupling membrane integration.

Most LA single-family homes built before 1980 sit on a concrete slab-on-grade foundation. Solid 3/4-inch hardwood cannot go directly on a concrete slab — the slab transfers moisture, the wood absorbs it, the planks cup, gap, and buckle within 12-18 months. This is the #1 flooring failure we see in LA, and it's almost always a discount installer who didn't moisture-test the slab. Correct install on a slab: either (a) engineered hardwood direct-glue with a moisture barrier and a polyurethane adhesive that doubles as a vapor retarder; or (b) engineered hardwood floating install over a poly-foam underlay with a 6-mil moisture barrier; or (c) a built-up plywood subfloor (Bostik MVP-4 or sleeper system) over the slab before installing solid hardwood. Each method has cost and feel implications — direct-glue feels solid underfoot but is irreversible; floating feels slightly springy; sleeper system adds 1-1/2 inches of height and may require door undercuts. We moisture-meter the slab at the bid stage (calcium chloride or relative humidity test, 3-day result), match the install method to the reading, and write the substrate prep into the contract as a line item. No surprises.

Hydronic radiant heat (the standard for premium primary-bath and master-suite installs) and electric radiant mat (the standard for retrofit single-room installs in kitchens, baths, and entryways) have specific flooring compatibility windows. Porcelain and natural stone: ideal, infinite thermal mass, no thermal expansion issue. Engineered hardwood: compatible with most products if the manufacturer rates it for radiant (Mirage, Hallmark, DuChateau all publish radiant specs) and if the floor surface temperature is kept under 81F. Solid hardwood: not recommended over radiant — the constant wet-dry cycle from heat-on-heat-off causes cupping. LVP: most rated for radiant up to 81F surface temp; SPC products are best because they have zero moisture-related expansion. We integrate Schluter DITRA-HEAT uncoupling membrane on porcelain installs over radiant; the membrane isolates the tile from substrate movement and serves as the heat-element substrate. Title 24 thermal transition: at every doorway between a heated space and an unheated space (garage, exterior door, sometimes basement), we install a 1/2-inch insulated threshold with a thermal break — required at final inspection.

Two LA-specific code overlays that often surprise homeowners. EPA RRP: any pre-1978 home undergoing flooring work that disturbs existing finishes (sanding, scraping, demolition of trim and baseboard) is subject to lead-safe practices. We are EPA RRP certified (firm + crew), we run plastic containment, HEPA-vacuum-equipped sanders, and wet-methods. R-3 acoustic underlay: multi-unit residential (duplex, triplex, fourplex, condo, apartment building) requires impact-noise transmission attenuation per California Building Code Section 1207.3. The acoustic rating is expressed as IIC (Impact Insulation Class) for the assembly, with a Code minimum of 50. Hard surface flooring (LVP, hardwood, engineered, porcelain) on a wood-frame floor system above an occupied unit must have an acoustic underlay rated to bring the assembly to IIC 50+. We spec QuietWalk Plus, Acoustik 270, or QEP Sound-Stop 3-in-1, install per manufacturer spec, and document the IIC rating in your closeout binder for the building department final.

If you bought a Spanish Colonial Revival in Hancock Park, a Craftsman bungalow in Bungalow Heaven, or a 1920s duplex in Larchmont Village, there's a good chance the original red oak, white oak, or Douglas fir hardwood floor is hiding under three generations of carpet, vinyl, or laminate. Pulling up the old surface and sand-and-refinishing the original is one of the best value moves in LA flooring — typically $4-$7 per sq ft for the sand-and-refinish, versus $14-$26 per sq ft for new solid hardwood. We test-sand a 12-inch patch to confirm the wear layer is still thick enough (minimum 1/8-inch of solid wood above the tongue), evaluate the species and grade, and walk you through stain options. Natural-finish, fumed (ammonia-treated for deep brown), water-pop stain, or whitewash limed finish. Bona Traffic HD or Loba 2K Invisible Pro finish, three coats with screen-sand between, 5-7 days from start to walkable, 14 days before furniture goes back. The result is a 95-year-old floor that lasts another 30.

Step one: free in-home walk, 45-60 minutes, we moisture-meter the slab or subfloor, take 4-6 readings across the space (slab edges and center read differently), photograph any existing flooring and trim conditions, and ask about your lifestyle — kids, dogs, allergies, radiant heat plans. Step two: within 4 business days you get a fixed-bid PDF with product brand and SKU, substrate prep scope, transition detail (T-molding, reducer, threshold, flush-mount), and exact installation method. Step three: 10% deposit, contract logged with CSLB (license 1105249), draws tied to milestones. Step four: substrate prep (level the slab if SPL > 3/16 inch over 10 feet, install moisture barrier, install plywood underlayment if specified), product acclimation (3-5 days on hardwood, 48 hours on LVP, immediate on porcelain), install, transitions, baseboard or shoe molding. Step five: walk-through with you, you sign off, we hand you the closeout binder (product warranty registrations, moisture-test readings, IIC rating documentation if multi-unit). Workmanship warranty: 2 years on LVP and porcelain, 5 years on engineered hardwood, 10 years on solid hardwood install. Manufacturer warranty on the product itself passes through (typically 15-30 years on residential).