Worked case: replacing builder tile and carpet with engineered oak on a slab — steps and cost

The scenario

Picture a two-story house from the master-planned wave of the 2000s, on a slab, with carpet in the living room and den and large tile in the entry and kitchen. The owners are tired of the beige and want one continuous oak floor across the main level.

The main floor measures roughly 700 square feet. The wide plank is a deliberate choice: it looks calmer across a long room, but it also shows a slab that is not flat and seasonal movement more than a narrow board.

The step that is not on the price list comes first. Before adhesive is opened, the slab is tested with an in-slab humidity probe (ASTM F2170). The flooring maker's written limit decides if glue can go down, whether a moisture barrier is needed or whether the plan switches to a floating floor.

The summer calendar matters here. July runs near 95°F, the house is cooled by AC, and the planks are brought inside and left to settle in the temperature and humidity the family will actually live in, as the maker's instructions state.

The HOA wants notice of work hours and a parking plan, and the staircase to the upper floor stays carpeted for now.

What the job involves

1. Carpet, pad, tack strip and tile come out; the slab is ground flat and patched, and tile removal is priced separately per square foot.
2. Probes are set in the slab and the readings are compared with the maker's written limit.
3. Planks acclimate for the time the instructions state, and the layout is dry-fit from the longest wall.
4. A moisture barrier goes down if the readings require it, followed by trowelled adhesive; planks are pressed in with a gap left at the walls.
5. Transitions at the sliding door and hall are fitted, baseboards return and the floor is cleaned.

Materials and tools

• Concrete grinder and a humidity probe kit
• Wide-plank engineered white oak with a stated wear layer
• Moisture barrier and flooring adhesive with a notched trowel
• Transition strips, spacers and a floor roller

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Slab moisture test — +$250–$600. The reading comes first, priced as a flat line for the size of the slab.
• Transitions and thresholds — +$100–$350. Transitions at the sliding door and the hall are flat lines.

Why it is done this way

A big open floor is where the subfloor and the plank width count most, because a long run shows every dip in the slab and every gap. With a glued floor, the slab is tested and the adhesive becomes part of the structure.

The calculator uses one formula for every floor: a rate per square foot for the wood, a surcharge for what is under it, and flat options. The rate sits in the upper half of the engineered range because of the wide plank.

A larger area or tile removal changes the total, and both can be tried out in the calculator before any visit.

What would change the price

• The slab reads above the maker's limit and a moisture barrier is added.
• The slab needs patching or leveling.
• The owners choose a standard plank in place of wide plank.
• The staircase is included.
• The tile removal covers more area than planned.