Flooring Trends for 2025 Remodels in Houston, Texas

Clients often approach us to work on floor replacement projects. While replacing floors in your home can be time-consuming and disruptive, it’s certainly worth the inconvenience for updated floors… that will last for many years to come.

When you’re ready to replace the flooring in your home, you want to make sure you’re selecting the best floor option - durability, functionality and time-lasting nature.

At ALE Renovations, we always recommend taking a look at your top one to two needs, and making a decision based on the best flooring option available for your needs. While flooring trends come and go, we think these these flooring trend options will be around for years to come and remain flooring trends for 2025 remodels in Houston, Texas.

custom stained hardwood floors in our client’s kitchen remodel in Spring Valley Village.

Hardwood Floors

There’s a reason hardwood floors have been “trending” for decades! They’re timeless, durable and a beautiful flooring option - you cannot go wrong with them. Hardwood floor types include: Solid Hardwood, Engineered wood, Rigid Core Bamboo flooring, Bleached and distressed woods.

We regularly work with engineered wood. It’s a hardwood product made of compressed wood, plywood and fiberboard with wood veneer, and it offers increased water resistance - something extremely important to many customers within the Houston-area. Engineered wood floors are often more cost-effective than solid hardwood floors as well. We love how hardwood floors can be unique to a home, as stains vary and can even be custom-made for your remodeling project.

Luxury vinyl tile utilized in this tanglewood-area bathroom remodel

Tile Flooring

Another flooring trend that ebbs and flows with popularity, tile flooring is a great and cost-effective flooring option, depending on the material. Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) is made to look like hardwoods, without the maintenance. We love the Luxury Vinyl Tile options at Arizona Tile, and have worked with the product for a number of Houston-area renovation projects.

Concrete-look tile and designer tile shapes are also continuing to be trending flooring options. Concrete-look tile is a popular choice for a modern or industrial design aesthetic, whereas designer tile shapes such as hexagons, fans or arabesque shapes are extremely popular flooring options for laundry rooms, powder bathrooms or mudrooms.

Large format tiles with minimal grout lines are a growing flooring trend we’ve seen throughout the years. Stone-look tile are often large format tiles we install for our Houston-area clients in outdoor patio spaces or around pool decks.

Luxury VInyl Plank (LVP Flooring) utilized in a Heights Area home renovation by ALE Renovations

Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP Flooring)

Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) and its counterpart Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) both continue to grow in popularity thanks to its durability and price. We love to recommend LVP for Houston-area homes, as it’s a waterproof flooring option.

Because real hardwood floors need maintenance, can be expensive, and easily susceptible to scratches or water damage, Luxury Vinyl Plank is an option many homeowners turn to for their flooring needs. LVP is a top flooring trend because it’s 100% waterproof (again, great for Houston homes), and extremely durable (especially for children and pets). It’s available at a variety of price points and finishes.

There are many flooring options to choose from! Don’t feel overwhelmed by the selection process. Let our team at ALE Renovations, in Houston, Texas, guide you through the process. Get in touch with us today to schedule a consult.

Case Study: Aging in Place Small Secondary Bath Update River Oaks, Houston

Tub to Shower Conversion and Guest En-Suite Bathroom Update

River Oaks neighborhood; Houston, Texas

Tub to shower conversion project total cost: $23,000

Key Updates:

• Tub to shower conversion

  • Curbless shower conversion for wheelchair accessibility

• Recess shower floor & adjust framing to create a curbless shower

• Relocate plumbing

  • Relocate shower controls to entrance so they’re easily accessible

  • Relocate drain to make it linear

• Tile selection & installation to match existing Carrara marble

• Shower glass panel with pony wall

Aging in Place en-suite bathroom update

We were tasked by the homeowner to re-work the existing en-suite bathroom for a relative who would be moving in and needed aging in place accessibility. The original bathroom was tastefully remodeled years before, so our team needed to make the tub to shower conversion look as seamless as possible. This included selecting both tile and marble slabs that matched the existing selections.

Upon initial inspection, the project manager suspected that the original framing for the bathtub would need to be adjusted to create a curbless shower.

Project Goals

The tub to shower conversion was the most important part of the project. The homeowner’s relative would be moving in immediately after the project was complete, so we needed to make sure to stay on schedule.

Challenges and Solutions

Because of the historic nature of our client’s home, originally built by architect John Staub, our team needed to closely assess the plumbing, flooring and subflooring. Located on the second floor of the home, it wasn’t immediately clear if the tub to shower conversion would be possible since the shower floor would need to be recessed to create a curbless shower.

Estimated vs. Actual Project Price

The estimated project price was $18,000. Due to a few change orders, including carpentry/framing and plumbing costs, the actual project price was $25,000 total.

Change orders

As noted in the project challenges, assessment of the shower flooring would need to take place following demo. Adjusting the framing of the floor joists did need to occur to recess the shower floor. The client also requested a pony wall be added into the scope of work, which required additional Hardie Board and tile installation.

6 Ways to Make Your Small Bathroom Feel Larger in Houston, TX

A bathroom is so much more than just a spot for washing up and hygiene. It can be a retreat that’s both relaxing and spa-like, offering you a place to refresh, both at the start and end to your day. However, if your bathroom is cramped and small, achieving peace and relaxation in the space can be difficult. There are a handful of ways you can create the “illusion” of space in a small bathroom, and below we’ll outline six of our favorite ways to make the space feel bigger.

1. Lighting Will Always Make a Space Feel Larger

   Regardless of the square footage, a poorly lit bathroom will always feel small. If you’re fortunate enough to have a skylight or window(s) in your bathroom, take advantage of this natural light source.

   However, if you don’t have natural light, consider adding lights from multiple sources. Overhead lighting or sconces on each side of a mirror can help. Just remember that even the lightbulb you choose can help to make the space feel smaller or larger. Choose bulbs that give off white light, like LED or halogen bulbs.

2. Use mirrors - the larger the better

   Mirrors can create an illusion of space by reflecting light in an otherwise small area. Mirrors trick our eyes into thinking we’re looking into the distance when we’re actually just seeing a reflection. Not only is it a must in a bathroom, but it serves as a window for the light to reflect off, giving the illusion of space. The larger the mirror, the more light it’ll reflect. And a taller mirror will help ceilings feel higher.

3. Opt for white or light colors

   White and light colors are your friend! A bright and airy bathroom will always look larger than one with bold colors. White reflects light, and also seamlessly fades into the background, creating an illusion of a bigger space. Keeping most everything white – tile, paint, flooring, can create an unbroken visual plane, making the room look and feel larger.  

   If you’re worried all white will feel boring, perhaps consider a marble or marble-look tile that has enough variation to add interest, while still keeping in the white color scheme.

4. Consider a pedestal sink

   Pedestal sinks are often the natural choice for a small bathroom or powder bath because they can really open up the surrounding space. Since they’re tall and thin in nature, they help to make the room look larger with the untouched space on either side of it.

   However, the downside to pedestal sinks is they lack storage. Recoup some of the lost space by installing a mirrored medicine cabinet that’s flush with the walls or use shelving.

5. Use wall niches

   A wall niche is a recessed shelf that’s literally built in to your wall, or most commonly, a shower. Using wall niches is a great alternative to open shelving, because they pull back and create more space. Visually speaking, they create the illusion of pushing the walls back a few inches, especially when used in the shower to hold shampoo bottles or soap.

   Wall niches not only provide extra storage without taking up more of the footprint, but they can also add interest to a bathroom design.

6. Remodel your bathroom

   Sometimes the best fix for a smaller bathroom is to simply make it larger. Ready for an upgrade in your Houston-area bathroom? Considering a renovation that’s a little more involved than repainting some walls or adding a larger mirror? We can help!

Here at ALE Renovations, we’d love to help you embark on a remodeling journey. If you’re in Houston, contact us today, and we can discuss how to make your dream bathroom a reality.