Floor Removal & Demo in Cape Girardeau, MO

Cape Girardeau had 39,540 residents at the 2020 census, spans Cape Girardeau and Scott counties, and counts 18,013 housing units with about a 10.6 per cent vacancy rate. Southeast Missouri State University employs over 1,100 people, and St Francis Medical Center and Mercy Hospital Southeast are the largest employers in the city. Thirty-nine sites here are on the National Register of Historic Places, including eight historic districts.

Eight historic districts is the number that matters to a floor. Houses inside them are old enough to have plaster, deep baseboard and original stair parts, and the right answer is usually to work around what is there rather than replace it. We match new shoe mould to existing profiles where we can, and we are honest when a profile is no longer made and the choice is between a close match and re-running the whole run.

The bluffs are the other difference. The city sits around 371 feet in elevation and the ground moves, so split levels and walk-out basements are common in a way they simply are not in Portageville or Matthews. That means stairs — treads, risers, nosings and the transitions at the top and bottom of a flight — and it means below-grade rooms where a moisture test is not optional before a plank goes down.

There is also a large rental market around the university. Landlords tend to want something that survives turnover and cleans up fast, which usually points to a waterproof plank rather than carpet in living areas, with carpet kept to bedrooms where it still earns its place.