Floor Removal & Prep
Every new floor starts with getting the old one out. Our floor removal and slab prep work clears carpet, tile, glued-down wood and vinyl down to bare concrete, hauls it away, and leaves a clean, flat, tested surface so the new floor goes down the way the manufacturer intended.
The part of the job nobody sees, and everybody feels
Why removal is not just demolition
Pulling up an old floor sounds simple. In practice, it is where most of the decisions about your new floor's lifespan get made. Whatever is left on the concrete after removal, whether that is ridges of thinset, patches of carpet glue, high spots or hairline cracks, ends up underneath the new floor. Thin floors like luxury vinyl plank show every bump, and rigid floors like tile and wood can crack, click or hollow out over an uneven base.
So we treat floor removal as the first step of the installation, not a separate chore. The same crew that will install your floor is looking at the slab as it comes up, thinking about what that floor will need.
What Fort Bend slabs tend to hide
Most homes in this part of Texas are built on concrete slabs over expansive clay soil, and slabs here move a little with wet and dry seasons. After the old floor comes up, it is common to find hairline cracks, low spots near the middle of rooms and old adhesive from earlier floors. In homes that took on water during a storm, we may also find the remains of a hurried replacement done under pressure. None of that is unusual. It just needs to be found and handled before the new floor covers it again.
You only get one chance to prep the slab before the new floor covers it for twenty years.
What's included
- Carpet and pad removal
- Tile and mortar bed removal
- Glued-down wood and vinyl removal
- Adhesive and thinset cleanup
- Slab grinding, leveling and moisture testing
- Haul-off and disposal
Different floors come up in different ways
Carpet and pad
The easiest removal. Carpet is cut into strips and rolled, the pad comes up with it, and we pull tack strip and staples wherever the new floor will be a hard surface. What is left is usually clean concrete or plywood.
Ceramic and porcelain tile
The hardest. Builder tile in many 2000s and 2010s homes was set in a thick layer of mortar, and on a slab it can be stubborn. We break it up with power tools, then grind the leftover thinset down so the slab is smooth again. A large kitchen and living area of tile is often a full day of work on its own.
Glued-down wood, vinyl and sheet goods
Glued floors leave adhesive behind, and some old adhesives will not bond with modern products. We scrape and grind the slab until the surface is right for the new floor and the adhesive or underlayment that goes with it.
Older homes
In older homes inside the Loop and in established neighborhoods, there may be more than one floor stacked up, or materials from decades ago. We look before we start pulling, and if anything looks like it should be tested first, we stop and tell you.
Floor Removal & Prep we've installed
From bare concrete to ready for flooring
Protecting the house
Before the first tile cracks, we cover doorways with plastic, protect cabinets, stair rails and baseboards we are keeping, and set up dust control. We plan the path from the room to the truck so debris does not get dragged through the rest of your home.
Grinding and leveling
With the floor up, we check the slab with a long straightedge. High spots and old thinset ridges are ground down. Low spots are filled with a patching compound or self-leveling underlayment, depending on how deep and how wide they are. Every flooring product has a flatness tolerance, and we work to the one your new floor requires.
Moisture testing
Concrete can push moisture up into a floor long after it looks dry. For glued wood, vinyl and other moisture-sensitive products, we test the slab and choose barriers or adhesives based on what we find. It is a small step that prevents some of the most expensive problems in flooring.
Haul-off and cleanup
Old flooring, pad, tack strip and broken tile are loaded out and disposed of. The slab is swept and vacuumed clean, and then the installation begins on a surface we are confident in, which is a big part of how we can offer a Lifetime Installation Guarantee on the new floor.
With the floor up, we check the slab with a long straightedge.
What homeowners say
"If you need flooring work done, hire Next Floors immediately! Working with the owner, Jose Garcia, was an incredible experience. Jose removed the entire upstairs flooring and replaced it with wood that matches our downstairs perfectly, along with installing brand new carpet on the stairs. The result is pure perfection! Jose is beyond trustworthy and honest, and he truly takes pride in his work. He offered a fantastic, high-quality product and executed our agreed-upon plan to absolute perfection. The craftsmanship, precision, and care were top-tier. We couldn't be happier with our transformed home!"
The Severin Family · via google "We had a great experience with Next Floors installing a carpet runner on our stairs. Jose, our sales representative, was fantastic—very prompt, professional, and clear throughout the entire process. He provided straightforward estimates for both cost and timing, and they were even able to work us into their schedule on very short notice. Joe, our installer, was equally impressive. He came well prepared, worked efficiently, and did an excellent job with the installation. The finished runner looks fantastic and really transformed the stairs. Great service from start to finish. I would highly recommend Next Floors for anyone looking for quality carpet installation and excellent customer service!"
Craig Albritton · via google
Floor Removal & Prep questions
Is floor removal included in my quote?
When we install your new floor, removal and haul-off of the existing floor is written into the quote, along with the slab prep we expect the job to need. You see it all before you sign, not as a surprise on install day.
How messy is tile removal?
Tile removal is the loudest and dustiest part of most flooring jobs. We seal off the work area, protect cabinets and doorways, and use dust control equipment, but we will be honest: some dust escapes. We tell you what to cover and what to move out before we start.
What if the old floor in my house might contain asbestos?
Some flooring and adhesives installed in older homes, especially before the 1980s, can contain asbestos. If we see materials like that, we will stop and recommend testing before anything is disturbed. If testing shows asbestos, it has to be removed by a licensed abatement contractor before we can install.
Do you only remove floors, or install too?
We are an installation company, so removal is almost always part of a new floor we are putting in. If you are planning a larger remodel, call us and we will talk through whether it makes sense for us to handle the floor removal as part of that.
Do you fill cracks in the slab?
We address cracks as part of preparing the slab for the new floor, using the right method for the flooring going down. Wide cracks, cracks with one side higher than the other, or doors that suddenly stick can point to foundation movement, and we will tell you if we think a foundation specialist should look before we install.
Flexible financing available
Flexible payment plans for qualified customers, subject to credit approval. Minimum monthly payments required.
Floor Removal & Prep by city
- Richmond Floor Removal & Prep
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- Stafford Floor Removal & Prep
- Katy Floor Removal & Prep
- Cinco Ranch Floor Removal & Prep
- Pecan Grove Floor Removal & Prep
- Sienna Floor Removal & Prep
- Fresno Floor Removal & Prep
- Meadows Place Floor Removal & Prep
- Pearland Floor Removal & Prep
- Bellaire Floor Removal & Prep
- West University Place Floor Removal & Prep
- Weston Lakes Floor Removal & Prep
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- River Oaks Floor Removal & Prep
- Houston Floor Removal & Prep
Other services
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Hardwood Flooring
Solid and engineered hardwood, measured, supplied and installed by a local Richmond crew.
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Luxury Vinyl Plank
Waterproof luxury vinyl plank and tile, the go-to floor for Fort Bend slab homes.
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Laminate Flooring
Scratch-resistant laminate that looks like wood at a lower price per square foot.
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Tile Flooring
Porcelain, ceramic, natural stone and mosaic tile for floors, showers and walls.
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Carpet
Wall-to-wall carpet, carpet tile and stair runners, with new pad and clean seams.
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Stairs & Trim
Hardwood, vinyl, laminate and carpet stairs, plus baseboards, quarter round and transitions.
Learn more
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