What Kind of Flooring Do Austin Homes Have? A Look at the Latest Trends

Ken Moncebaiz, , ,

Walk through almost any Austin-area home and you are likely to cross more than one kind of flooring. Carpet may cover the bedrooms, tile may run through the kitchen and bathrooms, and hardwood, luxury vinyl plank or natural stone may define the main living areas.

But which flooring types are actually the most common?

There is no reliable public survey that counts every type of flooring already installed in Austin or Central Texas homes. The best available picture comes from several different sources: national homeowner surveys, remodeling choices, flooring-industry sales and search behavior. Together, they show a market moving toward resilient and wood-look products without eliminating traditional carpet, hardwood or tile.

For Austin homeowners, the practical lesson is simple: mixed flooring is normal, and each material needs the right cleaning method.

What the latest flooring data shows

Recent studies measure different things, so their numbers should not be treated as interchangeable. Some ask what people already have, while others measure new purchases, remodeling selections or online interest.

Here are several useful findings:

  • A 2025 survey of 1,300 U.S. homeowners found that luxury vinyl plank or luxury vinyl tile led recent flooring selections at 39%. Hardwood followed at 19%, carpet at 15% and tile at 14%.
  • In Houzz’s 2025 kitchen-remodeling research, vinyl or resilient flooring became the leading choice at 22%. Hardwood followed at 21%, with ceramic or porcelain tile close behind at 20%.
  • Flooring-industry research reported that soft-surface flooring, which includes carpet and rugs, still represented 33.3% of the overall U.S. flooring market in 2023.
  • A 2026 analysis of 240 million flooring visualizations found tile generated 31% of visualizations in 2025. Hardwood accounted for 12%, laminate 10%, and carpet and vinyl 7% each. That study measures shopping interest, not completed installations, but it shows how actively consumers are considering tile.

The numbers point to a diverse market. Luxury vinyl has grown rapidly, but homeowners are still buying and living with large amounts of carpet, hardwood and tile.

What that means in Central Texas

No current, statistically representative dataset breaks down installed flooring by material for Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander or the rest of Central Texas. Any precise claim that, for example, a certain percentage of Austin homes has carpet or luxury vinyl would be an estimate unless the publisher discloses a local survey and its methodology.

What can be said confidently is that the Austin-area housing stock spans very different periods and building styles. Older homes may contain original hardwood, terrazzo, Saltillo tile or natural stone. Newer subdivisions and multifamily properties often combine carpet with tile, laminate or resilient flooring. Remodels add another layer, sometimes placing a newer surface over an older one.

That variety is one reason an Austin floor-cleaning company needs experience beyond carpet alone.

Carpet is still a major part of the flooring market

Hard surfaces may receive more attention in design coverage, but carpet remains common, especially in bedrooms, upstairs spaces, apartments and offices. It provides softness and sound absorption, but its fibers can hold dry soil, pet hair, spills and residues that ordinary vacuuming does not fully remove.

Regular vacuuming is the first line of defense. Periodic professional carpet cleaning can remove embedded soil and address spots, odors and high-traffic lanes. The cleaning process should match the carpet fiber, construction and condition rather than relying on a one-method-fits-all approach.

K&M Steam Cleaning has provided professional carpet cleaning in Austin since 1996 and also offers carpet repair and pet stain and odor treatment.

Tile remains a strong choice for Austin kitchens and bathrooms

Ceramic and porcelain tile remain competitive with hardwood and vinyl in national kitchen-remodeling data. Tile also appears throughout Central Texas homes in bathrooms, entries, kitchens and living areas.

The tile itself may be relatively easy to wipe, but grout is more porous and can darken as soil and cleaning residue collect in its surface. Mopping can move dirty water into grout lines rather than extracting it.

Professional tile and grout cleaning in Austin uses equipment and methods designed to loosen and remove accumulated soil. In many cases, a deep cleaning can revive the existing floor without the disruption and expense of replacement.

Luxury vinyl plank is gaining ground

Luxury vinyl plank, often called LVP, has become one of the most prominent flooring choices in recent consumer research. Homeowners often choose it for its water resistance, wood-look appearance and relative affordability.

LVP is not hardwood, however, and it should not automatically receive the same treatment. Excess water can reach seams and edges, while abrasive tools or unsuitable chemicals may dull or damage the wear layer. Follow the flooring manufacturer’s care instructions, remove grit regularly and avoid assuming that “water resistant” means every cleaning process is safe.

When requesting professional service, identify the floor as vinyl or resilient flooring so the technician can evaluate it correctly.

Hardwood remains desirable — and needs controlled moisture

Hardwood remains one of the leading choices in kitchen-renovation data, and the National Association of Home Builders continues to identify hardwood flooring as a feature buyers value.

Wood floors can lose clarity as soil, oils and cleaning-product residue build up. They also require careful moisture control. Saturating wood or repeatedly using the wrong household product can create problems rather than solve them.

K&M offers hardwood floor deep cleaning for Austin-area homes. A professional should first identify the floor and finish, inspect its condition and determine whether it needs cleaning, recoating, refinishing or repair. Deep cleaning can improve a maintained finish, but it cannot reverse worn-through finish or structural damage.

Natural stone and Saltillo tile need specialized care

Central Texas homes also feature travertine, marble, limestone, granite and Saltillo tile. These materials should not be grouped together with ceramic tile or cleaned indiscriminately with acidic products.

Natural stone can be sensitive to chemical choice and may need cleaning, polishing, honing or sealing depending on the material and its condition. Saltillo is a porous clay tile whose appearance and performance depend heavily on its finish and sealer.

K&M provides natural-stone floor maintenance and Saltillo tile cleaning and restoration in the Austin area. An on-site inspection is the safest way to select the right process for an unfamiliar stone or tile.

Concrete is part of the modern Austin flooring mix

Polished, stained and sealed concrete appears in homes, restaurants, retail spaces and offices across the Austin area. Although concrete looks nearly indestructible, its coating or sealer can still scratch, wear, haze or react badly to unsuitable chemicals.

Cleaning should be based on the actual surface treatment, not simply on the fact that the floor is concrete. K&M provides concrete floor maintenance for residential and commercial properties.

The right cleaning method matters more than the trend

The latest data does not point to a single floor taking over American homes. It shows a competitive mix led by resilient flooring, hardwood, tile and carpet — often under the same roof.

Before cleaning any floor, answer three questions:

  1. What is the material?
  2. What finish, coating or sealer is on it?
  3. Is the problem routine soil, staining, residue, surface wear or physical damage?

Those answers determine whether a floor needs ordinary maintenance, professional deep cleaning, polishing, sealing, repair or replacement.

If your Austin-area home or business contains several flooring materials, K&M Steam Cleaning can evaluate and clean multiple surfaces during the same visit. K&M has served Austin since 1996 with carpet cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, hardwood floor cleaning, natural-stone care, Saltillo tile restoration, concrete maintenance and more.

Call 512-866-5599 or contact K&M Steam Cleaning to request an estimate.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular flooring right now?

It depends on the measurement. Luxury vinyl led a 2025 survey of homeowners’ flooring selections, while 2025 kitchen-remodeling research placed vinyl, hardwood and ceramic or porcelain tile within two percentage points of one another. Carpet also continues to hold a substantial share of the overall flooring market.

Is luxury vinyl replacing carpet in Austin homes?

Luxury vinyl is gaining market share nationally, but there is no reliable public dataset showing how much installed carpet it has replaced specifically in Austin. Many homes continue to use hard flooring in living areas and carpet in bedrooms.

Can one company clean carpet, tile and hardwood in the same home?

Yes, provided the company has the training, equipment and cleaning products appropriate for each surface. The technician should identify each flooring material and use a separate, suitable process rather than treating every floor alike.

Is professional cleaning less expensive than replacing flooring?

Often, yes, when the problem is embedded soil, residue, spots or a dull but intact surface. Cleaning cannot repair every kind of wear or damage, so an inspection helps determine whether restoration or replacement is the better investment.

Sources and editorial notes

Editor’s accuracy note: Purchase share, remodeling share, overall market share and online visualization share measure different populations and behaviors. They are presented separately and should not be combined into a single estimate of flooring installed in Austin homes.

Published by Ken Moncebaiz

After learning the steam cleaning business working for the Steam Team in Austin, Ken Moncebaiz (pronounced mon-se-BYE-ez) ventured out on his own and founded K&M Steam Cleaning in 1996. He started out as K&M's only employee with just one cleaning van and a dream. Over the years, Ken’s devotion to his customers and pursuit of excellence fueled K&M Steam Cleaning’s growth into one of the premier carpet cleaning companies in the Austin area. Ken says that treating every customer’s home like he would his own mother’s, and training his entire team to do likewise, has been the “secret” to the company’s continual growth. Today, the company has grown to operate a continually expanding fleet of cleaning vans performing residential and commercial disinfecting, carpet cleaning, carpet repair, air duct cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, stone counter cleaning & restoration, stone floor & surface cleaning, Saltillo tile restoration, furniture & upholstery cleaning, dryer vent cleaning, pressure washing, and maid/janitorial services.

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