Most people aren't worried about the floor underneath. They're worried about the phone call halfway through the job: "We pulled up the carpet and found a problem, and it's going to cost extra." Or worse, finding it on the final invoice. We hear it from customers all the time about other jobs: "no one ever told us there would be a fee."
That's a fair fear. Here's how the floor underneath works in Jacksonville homes, what kinds of problems show up, and how we handle them so you hear about it before the work, not after.
Most Jacksonville homes are built on a concrete slab. Second floors, some older homes, and some additions sit on a wood subfloor. Each has its own problems.
A lot of this we can spot at the free in-home measure, which takes about 20 minutes. We walk the rooms, feel for soft or squeaky spots, look at what's down now, and ask what you've noticed. Tell us about the spot that squeaks by the hall bath or the tile that sounds hollow.
If we can see the floor needs work, it goes on your written price before you agree to anything.
Some things can't be seen with the old floor still down. Leveling is the big one. Until the carpet and pad come up, nobody can tell you exactly how deep a dip is or how far it runs. That's why we quote leveling after we see the floor instead of guessing at it up front. Leveling is priced by the job, based on how much leveling compound it takes. On average we see about one bag per 200 square feet, but one bad dip and a floor that rolls from wall to wall are very different jobs.
Before we install on concrete, we moisture-test the slab. In Florida that step matters. A slab that reads too wet can make glue fail and vinyl plank cup, sometimes months later.
If the reading is high, we don't install over it and hope. Sometimes that means waiting for the slab to dry out. That's frustrating when you want your new floor, but it beats pulling up a ruined one. On vinyl plank jobs, a vapor barrier is part of our all-in price of $8–$17 per square foot.
More on this in our guide to vinyl plank on a concrete slab in Florida.
This is rare. Most of the time we know about the floor underneath before install day, because we check it at the measure. Out of more than 3,000 jobs, we've had to stop mid-job to reassess about twice.
But sometimes the problem is hiding. The old carpet comes up and there's a crack nobody could see, or old tile comes up and takes chunks of adhesive with it. When that happens, we stop the job and tell you on site: what we found, what it takes to fix, and what it costs. You decide before the extra work happens. It doesn't show up for the first time on the final invoice.
It's still it's the question to ask any flooring company before you sign: what happens if you find something under the old floor? Our guide on comparing flooring quotes has a few more like it.
“the installer discovered the moisture level was too high to install the flooring and we had to remove existing flooring and wait for the concrete slab to dry”
— Pat, new floors over a concrete slab, Google review
“I paid a mere $100 over the original bid to cover a portion of the extra supplies he needed in leveling the floor. A bargain!”
— Kenneth, tile tear-out and new floors in Mandarin, Google review
“Pricing was fair and clearly explained upfront, no surprise charges.”
— Zach, vinyl plank and bathroom tile, Google review
At Gator Carpet and Tile, it rarely happens: we usually know about the subfloor from the free in-home measure, and it goes on your written price up front. Out of more than 3,000 jobs, we have had to stop mid-job about twice. If it does happen, the crew stops the job and tells you on site what was found, what it takes to fix, and the price, and you decide before the extra work is done.
It is priced by the job, based on how much leveling compound the floor needs. On average Gator Carpet and Tile sees about one bag of compound per 200 square feet, but it depends on how far out of level the floor is, which usually cannot be known until the old floor comes up. We quote leveling after seeing the floor, and you approve the price before the work.
Yes. Gator Carpet and Tile moisture-tests concrete slabs before installing. If a slab reads too wet, we do not install over it; sometimes the slab needs time to dry first. Vinyl plank jobs include a vapor barrier in the $8–$17 per square foot all-in price.
Not by itself. On a wood subfloor, a squeak usually means the plywood has come loose, and new carpet or plank laid over it will still squeak. The fix is to screw the subfloor down before the new floor goes in. Point out squeaky spots at the measure.
Hairline cracks usually are not a problem. Wider cracks, or cracks where one side sits higher, need to be filled or ground flat first so the plank does not flex or separate. Tile is even less forgiving of an uneven slab.
Book a free 20-minute in-home measure. We look at the floor underneath and put what we see on your written price.
Get a Free Estimate Call 904-262-7304