How Long Does Flooring Installation Actually Take?...

The Answer Nobody Wants to Give

Every homeowner asks how long their flooring project will take, and most contractors give an answer that's optimistic at best and misleading at worst. Here's the honest version — with the caveats that actually affect the timeline, because skipping those is how you end up surprised.

The short version: a straightforward room takes one to two days. A whole-home project takes four to seven days, sometimes more. The variables below are why the range is that wide.

What Affects Timeline More Than Square Footage

Subfloor condition: This is the biggest wildcard. We don't know what's under your existing floor until we start pulling it up. If the subfloor is flat, dry, and structurally sound, we move straight to installation. If there's adhesive residue, soft spots, moisture damage, or significant leveling work needed, add at least a day — sometimes two. We always budget extra time for subfloor work and try not to promise a finish date until we've seen what we're working with.

Existing floor removal: Pulling up carpet is fast. Pulling up 1990s full-spread mastic tile is slow. Floating LVP removal is fast. Glued-down hardwood removal can be brutally slow depending on the adhesive. The demo phase can be anywhere from a couple of hours to a full day or more depending on what's coming up.

Furniture: Moving furniture in and out of rooms adds time. We work with homeowners to stage this efficiently — typically moving one area at a time so the family can still function — but it's real time in the project.

Product type: LVP click-lock is the fastest installation. Glue-down products are slower and require adhesive cure time. Tile is the slowest — mortar needs time to cure before grouting, and grout needs time to cure before the floor can be used. A tile floor is typically a two to three day minimum: setting day, grout day, cure day.

Room-by-Room Estimates

These are honest estimates based on normal conditions — competent subfloor, no major complications, furniture staged appropriately.

Single bedroom (200–250 sq ft)

LVP: Half a day to full day including subfloor prep
Engineered hardwood: Full day
Tile: Two days minimum

Kitchen (250–400 sq ft, large-format tile)

Tile: Two to three days (including subfloor leveling, which kitchens almost always need)
LVP: One day

Main living area (400–600 sq ft)

LVP: One to one and a half days
Hardwood: One to two days
Tile: Three to four days

Tile shower (per shower)

Full Schluter waterproofing system with tile: Three to four days minimum. Day one: substrate and membrane. Day two: tile. Day three: grout and detail work. Cure time before use: 24 to 48 hours after grout.

Whole-home project (1,200–1,800 sq ft, LVP or hardwood)

Four to seven days, depending on subfloor conditions found during demo

The Honest Part About Tile Showers

If someone quotes you a one-day tile shower, ask specifically how they're handling the waterproofing. A properly built shower with a Schluter membrane cannot be done in one day. The mortar bond time alone requires an overnight cure before the next step. Fast timeline on a shower is almost always a signal that the waterproofing system was abbreviated.

How to Plan Your Project

For projects that affect the whole house, plan to be home but out of the installed areas during the day. Most homeowners manage this by working in phases — main floor first, then bedrooms — so the house remains livable throughout.

For tile showers, budget for one week of project time and three to four days before you use the shower after the last work day. Rushing the cure time is one of the most common reasons tile grout cracks early.

We serve homeowners across Shreveport, Bossier City, Tyler, Longview, Texarkana, and the surrounding Ark-La-Tex region. Call Kevin at (318) 250-4948 for a free estimate and an honest timeline for your specific project.