Taylorsville is a neighborhood of doers. Working families who bought practical homes and take care of them. The housing stock here is mostly 1970s through 1990s, brick ramblers along 4700 South, split-levels near the Taylorsville-Bennion area, and two-stories from the 90s in the newer subdivisions. Similar housing to what you’ll find in West Valley City and Murray. These are solid homes that have served families well for decades.
But decades of service means decades of wear. The original carpet is well past done. The sheet vinyl in the kitchen has yellowed. The entryway tile is cracked. If you’re reading this, you probably already know it’s time: the question is what to put down that gives you the best floor for the money and holds up to the way your family actually lives.
Taylorsville at a Glance
- Population: 56,538
- Home styles: 1970s ramblers and split-levels, 1980s–1990s two-story and traditional, some newer infill
- Common existing flooring: 20–40 year old carpet, sheet vinyl, ceramic tile in entryways and baths, early laminate from renovations past
- Climate factors: Valley floor, roughly 4,300 feet elevation. Standard Utah dry winters and summer heat.
Taylorsville homeowners tend to be value-conscious and practical. You want flooring that looks good, holds up, and doesn’t break the bank. That’s a reasonable ask, and there are great options that deliver on all three.
Best Flooring Options
Replacing Aging Carpet
If your carpet is original to a 1980s or 1990s build, it owes you nothing. Carpet has a functional lifespan of about 8–15 years depending on quality, traffic, and how many kids and pets have lived on it. Carpet from the 90s has been through three decades of life. It’s compressed, it’s holding allergens and dust deep in the fibers: the EPA notes that carpets can trap allergens and degrade indoor air quality over time, and no amount of professional cleaning is bringing it back.
You have two paths:
Path 1: Replace with new carpet. If you want soft floors in bedrooms and you’re on a tighter budget, quality carpet with a good pad is still a perfectly valid choice. The key word is “quality”, and honestly, the pad matters more than the carpet itself. A thick, dense pad makes inexpensive carpet feel premium and last significantly longer. Budget $3–5 per square foot installed for a solid residential carpet with a good pad.
Path 2: Replace with hard-surface flooring. This is where most Taylorsville homeowners are headed right now. Pulling up all the carpet on the main level and replacing it with LVP or engineered hardwood transforms the look and feel of the home. It’s easier to clean, it doesn’t trap allergens, and it modernizes a 1980s floor plan instantly.
The Best Value Per Square Foot
Let’s talk numbers, because in Taylorsville that matters.
LVP (luxury vinyl plank), $5-10/sq ft installed:
This is the value champion for Taylorsville homes. A quality SPC-core LVP with a 12–20 mil wear layer gives you a waterproof, scratch-resistant floor that handles everything your family throws at it. At the $5–7/sq ft installed range, you’re getting a product that looks like real wood, lasts 15–20 years in residential use, and requires essentially zero maintenance beyond sweeping and occasional mopping.
For a family with two kids and a dog in a 1,200 sq ft main level, you’re looking at roughly $6,000–8,400 for a complete floor transformation. That’s a meaningful investment, but the difference it makes in how the home looks and lives is dramatic.
Laminate, $4-8/sq ft installed:
Laminate is the budget entry point. Modern laminate looks surprisingly good: the embossed textures and realistic prints have come a long way. It’s harder than LVP, which means it resists dents from furniture legs and high heels better. The trade-off: it’s not waterproof. Kitchen spills, pet accidents, and wet boots in the mudroom can damage laminate permanently.
If your project is limited to bedrooms, a living room, and hallways (rooms where water isn’t a daily concern) laminate delivers solid results at a lower price point. For kitchens, bathrooms, and basements, spend the extra dollar per square foot and go with LVP.
For the full breakdown of LVP vs. laminate, read our comparison guide.
Engineered hardwood, $8-14/sq ft installed:
This is the premium option. Engineered hardwood adds real resale value and has a warmth that vinyl can’t quite match. For Taylorsville homeowners planning to stay long-term or preparing for a sale, engineered hardwood on the main level paired with LVP in the basement and wet areas is the setup that maximizes both appearance and practicality.
Full pricing details are in our 2026 flooring cost guide.
Replacing Old Sheet Vinyl
That sheet vinyl in your kitchen has served its time. It’s probably curling at the edges, yellowed from UV exposure, and the pattern screams 1987. The good news: it’s one of the easiest floors to remove, and you can often install LVP directly over it if the vinyl is well-adhered and the subfloor is flat.
LVP in the kitchen is the natural replacement. It’s waterproof, it looks infinitely better, and it gives you a continuous floor from the kitchen into adjacent living areas if you’re doing a larger project. One consistent floor through an open kitchen-to-living-room layout makes a Taylorsville rambler feel twice as big.
Taylorsville-Specific Considerations
Homes Built for Real Life
Taylorsville homes were built for families, and they’re still full of them. Your flooring has to handle the daily reality, kids doing homework at the kitchen table, dogs coming in from the backyard, groceries being hauled through the front door, bikes in the garage entry. This isn’t a home where you tiptoe around your floors.
That reality favors LVP in most rooms, especially if you have dogs or pets. It takes impact, it cleans up easily, and it doesn’t show every scuff and scratch the way a high-gloss hardwood would. If you do choose hardwood, go with a wire-brushed or hand-scraped texture. those finishes mask daily wear naturally and look better with age rather than worse.
Subfloor Conditions in Older Homes
Homes from the 1970s and 1980s may have subfloor issues that newer homes don’t. Squeaky spots where nails have pulled from joists, soft areas near bathrooms from old slow leaks, and height variations between rooms are all common. A thorough subfloor inspection before installation is non-negotiable.
The cost for subfloor repair varies, but expect it as a potential addition to your project budget. A reputable installer will identify issues during the consultation and quote them transparently, be cautious of anyone who gives you a final number without looking at the subfloor first.
Practical Over Trendy
One thing I appreciate about Taylorsville: homeowners here tend to choose what works over what’s fashionable. That’s smart. Trends come and go: the dark espresso floors that were everywhere in 2015 already look dated. The gray-washed LVP from 2018 is heading the same direction.
Neutral, warm, natural tones are the safest long-term choice. A medium oak or warm walnut tone works with virtually any paint color, any furniture style, and any future decorating decisions. It’ll look as right in ten years as it does today.
Utah’s Dry Air
Same climate, same rules. Utah’s winter humidity drops to 10–20% indoors, which is punishing for solid hardwood but manageable for engineered hardwood and irrelevant to LVP. If you install any wood-based floor, a humidifier through the winter months protects your investment. More on this in our Utah climate flooring guide.
What Homeowners Are Choosing
Here’s what Taylorsville projects look like right now:
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Highest-demand project: Full main-level carpet-to-LVP conversion. Tear out all the old carpet, install a quality LVP in a natural oak or warm walnut tone from the front door through the kitchen, living room, and hallways. This is the single biggest transformation for the dollar in Taylorsville homes.
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Best value play: LVP on the main level now, carpet replacement in bedrooms later. Phasing the project lets you get the highest-impact upgrade done first while spreading the cost over two projects.
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Premium projects: Engineered hardwood on the main level, LVP in the basement, new tile in the bathrooms. This is the full renovation package, and it positions a Taylorsville home to compete with newer builds in adjacent cities when it’s time to sell.
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What’s not happening: Nobody’s choosing solid hardwood for whole-home installs. It’s too expensive for the value it adds in this market, and it’s higher maintenance than most Taylorsville families want to deal with. Engineered hardwood gives 90% of the look at better performance and lower cost.
Get the Most Floor for Your Money
We’ll bring samples to your Taylorsville home, look at your existing subfloor, and give you an honest recommendation that fits your budget and your life. No upselling, no pressure. Just straightforward advice from someone who does this every day.