The shop is here in Murray
The shop is on Cottonwood Street, just off State Street. Murray is where we work out of, which means a Murray job is a short drive for us, on day one and in year two.
What Murray houses are made of
Most of the city filled in between roughly 1940 and 1975. That era in Salt Lake County means brick ramblers and split-levels on generous lots, framed with real dimensional lumber, over wood subfloors that have already proved they can carry a load.
Two things follow from that, and both come up on almost every Murray job.
The first is hardwood. A lot of these houses were built with oak floors as standard, and then carpeted over in the eighties and nineties. We pull carpet in Murray and find original oak underneath often enough that it is worth checking before you spend money on new flooring. Sometimes it is in refinishable shape and the cheapest good floor in the house is the one already there. Sometimes it has been chewed up by tack strip and staples along every wall. We will tell you which one you have.
The second is that the subfloors are usually sound but rarely flat. Sixty and eighty year old framing has settled, and it has not settled evenly. That is fine for carpet, which forgives a lot, and it is a real problem for rigid core luxury vinyl, which does not bend to meet a low spot. On older Murray homes we check flatness with a straightedge before quoting LVP, because the honest number usually includes some floor prep.
The newer side of town
Murray is not all mid-century. The Fireclay area and the redevelopment around Murray Central have brought in townhomes, condos, and apartments over the last fifteen years, and those are a completely different job.
Newer multifamily construction here typically sits on concrete over a wood frame, or on slab at ground level. Concrete brings moisture into the conversation in a way a wood subfloor does not, particularly on a ground floor unit. We meter the slab before installing anything that would trap vapour underneath it. It is a twenty minute step that prevents an engineered hardwood floor from cupping a year later.
Condo and townhome work also usually comes with an HOA that has opinions, most often about sound transmission to the unit below. Many buildings specify a minimum impact insulation rating for hard surface flooring. Get us the HOA requirement before you choose a product and we will make sure the underlayment meets it, rather than finding out after the floor is down.
Basements
Murray basements are mostly slab, and a good share of them are finished. Below grade in this valley means vapour drive up through the concrete, all year, whether or not you have ever seen water down there.
That rules some products out and makes others the obvious answer. Solid hardwood should not go below grade. Engineered can, with the right moisture barrier and after the slab tests within range. Luxury vinyl is generally the easiest correct answer, and polished concrete or epoxy is worth considering if you like the look, since the slab is already there.
Getting to us
The shop is off Cottonwood Street near State Street, a couple of minutes from I-15 and I-215. If you want to look at samples in person rather than deciding from photos, call first and come by.