From the joists up. Flush every time.
We strip kitchens down to the subfloor and lay tile, LVP, or stone so level you could roll a marble from the stove to the island without a wobble. Demo to seal — no gaps, no excuses.
Drag the slider left to see the before
Ground up, in order, every time.
We don't cut corners because we know what's underneath them. Here's the exact order of operations we follow on every kitchen.
Subfloor Inspection
Before a single plank goes down, we pull up the existing floor and walk every square foot. Soft spots, high spots, squeaky joists — we find them with a 6-foot level and a sharp eye. Bad subfloor is why floors fail. We don't skip this.
Moisture Testing
A pin meter goes into the wood at 12-inch intervals across the entire floor. If readings are above 12%, we address the source — a vapor barrier, a drainage fix, or a conversation with your plumber. Moisture under LVP or tile is a callback waiting to happen.
Layout Dry-Fit
We chalk the room's center lines and dry-lay the first two rows before any adhesive opens. This is where we check that the pattern works around the island, that cuts at the doorway land cleanly, and that the last row isn't a sliver. You see it on the floor before it's permanent.
Adhesive Spread
We spread thin-set or pressure-sensitive adhesive in sections no larger than we can set in 20 minutes. Open time is not a suggestion. Trowel notch size matches the tile or plank spec exactly. Every piece gets a full 95% back-coverage — no hollow spots under the grout lines.
Cut-In Work
The cuts around the island base, the refrigerator alcove, the toe-kick reveal — this is where most installers slow down or get sloppy. We use a laser-guided wet saw for porcelain and a track saw for LVP. Joints at thresholds are undercut with a jamb saw, never caulked over.
Grout, Seal & Walkthrough
Grout goes in with a rubber float, joints packed full, excess cleaned with a damp sponge before it hazes. After 24 hours, we apply penetrating sealer to porcelain and natural stone. Then you walk the room with us — we hand you a level, you set it anywhere you want.
Three kinds of clients. One standard of work.
We built our process around the way each client actually operates — not around what's convenient for us.
Homeowners
Mid-renovation, cabinets already ordered
You've already committed to the kitchen. The cabinets are on a truck. You need a flooring crew that fits the schedule, not the other way around.
Property Managers
Tenant out Friday, new tenant in Monday
Vacancy days are lost revenue. We staff for deadline-driven turnovers, and we've never missed a re-key date. Durable commercial-grade LVP, installed fast.
General Contractors
Need a flooring sub that shows up and finishes
You've been burned by subs who disappear after the deposit. We show up on Tuesday and finish on Thursday. Scope in writing, no change-order games.