Family-owned, licensed & insured. Free in-home estimates in Arlington and nearby cities. Call (817) 555-0123
Slab and pier-and-beam prep
Slab grinding, self-leveling underlayment, crack repair and pier-and-beam subfloor fixes that get an Arlington floor flat and solid enough for the flooring you picked.
Family-owned · Licensed & insured, Lic. #238190 · Financing available
Subfloor repair and leveling in Arlington, TX is the work nobody sees once the new floor is down, and it decides whether that floor stays flat, quiet and under warranty. Click-lock vinyl that pops apart at the seams, tile with raised edges and hardwood that squeaks with every step usually trace back to a floor that was out of flat before installation began.
We work on both kinds of floors found around Arlington: concrete slabs, which sit under a large share of the homes built during the city's growth in the 1970s and 1980s, and pier-and-beam framing in some older houses near downtown and UTA. We measure first, tell you what your flooring maker requires and quote only the prep your floor actually needs.
Depending on what we find, the work can include:
Some of these show up in the old floor. Others only appear once it comes up, which is why we check again after old flooring removal:
The right fix depends on how far out of flat the floor is, what it is made of and what is going on top. Many jobs combine two or three of these.
| Method | What it does | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Grinding | Takes down humps, ridges and old adhesive on a slab | High spots and curled edges at slab joints; needs vacuum dust control |
| Patching | Fills and feathers small dips and trowel marks | Low spots a few feet across, not a whole sloping room |
| Self-leveling underlayment | Cement-based layer poured over a primed slab that flows out flat | Wide low areas, whole rooms and prep for large-format tile |
| Plywood over slab | Plywood fastened or floated over a moisture barrier on concrete | Solid 3/4 inch hardwood that has to be nailed; raises floor height |
| Joist sistering | New lumber fastened alongside a cracked, notched or sagging joist | Pier-and-beam floors with bounce or a sag; does not fix a failed pier |
Planning tile? Our tile flooring installation page explains why it needs the stiffest, flattest base of any floor.
Subfloor work is hard to price until we have measured it, and sometimes until the old floor is off. The main factors:
Subfloor work gets its own line on your quote, separate from the new flooring.
The expansive clay under much of Arlington does more than crack driveways. As it takes on water and dries out, sections of a slab heave up or settle down, leaving humps and dips that new flooring cannot hide. Foundation repair is common across DFW, and if your home needs piers, that work should be finished, with final elevations recorded by your foundation contractor, before we level anything. Leveling first means paying for it twice. In older central Arlington homes on pier-and-beam, the trouble is usually the framing instead: crushed or slipped shims, decking loosened over decades and joists notched by past plumbing work.
Why choose us
3/16 in.
over 10 ft, a common LVP and laminate flatness limit
Flatness requirements are written into flooring warranties, and they differ by product. Many LVP and laminate makers ask for 3/16 inch over 10 feet, and some for 1/8 inch over 6 feet. We read the installation guide for the exact product you chose, measure the floor against it and record the results, so the prep matches the warranty instead of a rule of thumb.
1/16 in.
in 12 in., the short-span limit for standard tile
A floor can pass a 10 foot straightedge test and still have a sharp dip right where a tile edge lands. ANSI A108.02 limits short-span variation under tile to 1/16 inch in 12 inches for standard sizes and 1/16 inch in 24 inches for large-format tile. We check with a short straightedge as well as a long one, and we feather patches out wide so they do not leave a new ridge.
ASTM F2170
in-situ relative humidity test for slabs
Patches and self-leveling underlayment add water to a slab. Before new flooring goes over repaired concrete, we test it with in-situ relative humidity probes under ASTM F2170 or calcium chloride kits under ASTM F1869, whichever the flooring maker specifies. If the readings come back high, we talk through moisture barriers or more drying time instead of covering a slab that is not ready.
Free estimate
One call books your in-home measure, and you get a written, itemized quote after the visit.
Mon to Fri 7 AM to 6 PM · Saturday 8 AM to 2 PM · Financing available
Our job-site standards
No surprises on install day. These standards apply to every room we touch, from a single bathroom to a whole house.
We test concrete slabs and wood subfloors before installation and record the numbers on your job sheet.
We check the floor with a long straightedge and fix humps and dips to the flooring maker's tolerance.
Material, underlayment, prep, removal, trim and labor are listed line by line, so you can compare bids.
Floor protection on walkways, plastic dust barriers where we cut or sand, and doorways kept clear.
Debris hauled out, tools stacked, and rooms left usable at the end of each workday.
We walk every room with you, fix anything you flag, and leave labeled spare boards or tile for future repairs.
FAQ
Yes. If your Arlington home needs piers or other foundation work, finish that first. Lifting a slab changes its elevations, and leveling done beforehand can end up with new humps and dips. Once the foundation work is done, we measure fresh and level to suit your flooring.
It depends on the product, but many LVP and laminate makers require the floor to be flat within 3/16 inch over 10 feet, and some ask for 1/8 inch over 6 feet. We check the installation guide for your exact flooring and measure against it.
A cement-based material mixed with water and poured over a primed slab, where it flows out to fill low areas and cures to a flat, hard surface. It works well for wide dips and whole rooms. High spots still have to be ground down, because self-leveler only fills the lows.
Often, yes. On pier-and-beam homes many squeaks come from loose decking or failed shims, and we can sometimes reach those from the crawlspace. When the floor is coming up anyway, we screw the decking down to the joists and replace damaged panels.
Most hairline shrinkage cracks only need to be cleaned and filled, and floating floors tolerate them well. Cracks telegraph through rigidly bonded tile, though, so under tile we add crack isolation or an uncoupling membrane. Wide, offset or growing cracks should be checked by a foundation professional first.
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Installation
Refinishing & Repair
Call for a free in-home estimate. We measure, test the subfloor and leave you a written quote.
Call (817) 555-0123Mon to Fri 7 AM to 6 PM · Saturday 8 AM to 2 PM · Licensed & insured, Lic. #238190
