Stairs and upper floor structures
The beams and boards of the floor between levels are the most common hotspot in two-story houses. When there is access, we also inspect from below.
Comuna 11, Laureles-Estadio
Flooring installation and restoration in Laureles and Estadio, Medellín
Pisos Pro Medellín installs and restores floors in the houses and apartments of comuna 11, from the circular streets of Laureles to the area around Estadio Atanasio Girardot. We are a flooring-only company, with more than 15 years in the trade and more than 900 completed jobs.
Laureles was planned in the mid-20th century with circular streets and two-story houses with front gardens, which now sit alongside low-rise apartment buildings. That mix shapes the work: decades-old poured terrazzo, wooden staircases, upper floors with termites, and houses that became restaurants or medical offices.
The question we hear most here is whether to keep the original floor or modernize it without losing the character of the house. We answer it at the site visit, with the floor in front of us and a written quote.
- Terrazzo restoration
- Termite inspection
- Houses and shops
- 1-year warranty
Comuna 11 neighborhoods we serve
Comuna 11, Laureles-Estadio, is in western Medellín, across the river from El Poblado. Its layout of circular streets and transversals, designed in the 1940s by Pedro Nel Gómez, also defines the type of house: regular lots, interior patios and brick and concrete construction.
Our reference points are Estadio Atanasio Girardot and its sports complex (Unidad Deportiva), the Primer Parque de Laureles, and the Suramericana and Estadio stations on metro line B. We work in all of these neighborhoods:
- Laureles, Las Acacias and Lorena
- Estadio, Velódromo and Florida Nueva
- Conquistadores and Los Colores
- Carlos E. Restrepo and Suramericana
- Bolivariana, Naranjal and San Joaquín
Polished terrazzo and cement tile: what to do with original floors
Many Laureles houses still have terrazzo poured in place (locally called granito), with brass or plastic divider strips, and hallways in cement tile (baldosa de cemento). These are durable floors that can almost always be restored.
There are three routes: polish and seal it with our terrazzo flooring service, patch broken areas with a matched aggregate and color mix, or cover everything with SPC or microcement when you want a complete change.
Before deciding, we tap the floor section by section to find hollow areas. If the terrazzo is solid, covering it is simple; if it is loose, it has to be repaired or removed first.
Termites and carpenter ants in older houses
In houses more than 50 years old, termites (comején) find dry, untreated wood in places nobody checks. We inspect before installing any wood floor, because laying sound wood next to an active colony throws the investment away.
Door frames, baseboards and closets
Termites work from the inside and leave the surface intact. A baseboard (zócalo) that sounds hollow or a frame that gives when pressed are warning signs.
Wood floors on battens
Some houses have boards nailed onto wooden battens, with an air gap where colonies hide. If we find tunnels, we ask for professional fumigation before installing new solid hardwood flooring.
Houses turned into businesses on Carrera 70 and Avenida 33
Along Carrera 70, Avenida 33 and Avenida Nutibara, many houses are no longer homes and now hold restaurants, medical offices, hair salons or offices. The original residential floor rarely stands up to that traffic.
We install slip-resistant porcelain and ceramic tile, commercial SPC and other high-traffic materials, on schedules that keep you open for customers. Before the work, confirm with the city planning office (Planeación de Medellín) that commercial use is permitted on the property.
Here is what we recommend by type of business (more options under commercial flooring):
- Restaurants and kitchens: slip-resistant porcelain with easy-to-wash epoxy grout.
- Medical and beauty clinics: non-porous surfaces and a coved baseboard for cleaning.
- Offices and shops: commercial SPC or porcelain that stands up to rolling chairs.
- Entry from the front garden: transition profiles with no level changes.
Wood and terrazzo staircases in two-story houses
The staircase is what wears most in a Laureles house: chipped terrazzo nosings, sunken wooden treads or loose handrails. It can almost always be restored without demolition.
If it is terrazzo, we polish it and replace the nosings with custom pieces. If you want a change, we clad each step with a new tread, riser and nosing and install handrails through our stairs and railings service.
Wood cladding costs COP $350,000 to $900,000 per step depending on species and finish. We work in sections so the family can keep using the stairs.
Projects in Laureles-Estadio
We do not publish made-up case studies. These are the three jobs we repeat most often in comuna 11, with their scope and usual challenge; the photos are representative of our work.
Our page of projects in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley shows more work like this.
Terrazzo restoration on the ground floor
Living room, dining room and hallway of 50 to 90 m² with dull, stained terrazzo. The usual challenge is matching the color of patches where the floor was broken open for a plumbing repair.
Wood upstairs after termite control
Bedrooms of 30 to 60 m² where the affected wood is removed, the base is treated and a new floor is installed. The usual challenge is leveling floor structures that have sagged over the years.
Converting a house into a business
Ground floors of 60 to 120 m² going from home to restaurant or medical office. The usual challenge is bringing rooms remodeled in different decades to a single level.
Getting to Laureles from El Poblado
Our base is in El Poblado and we reach Laureles by crossing the river, usually via Avenida 33 or San Juan. In normal traffic the trip takes 20 to 30 minutes; at rush hour allow 35 to 50.
At houses with a front garden, we unload the material at the front and leave it acclimatizing indoors, protected from the rain.
Frequently asked questions in Laureles
Can SPC be installed over the original terrazzo in my house?
Yes, if the terrazzo is solid and flat. We tap it with a rubber mallet to find hollow areas and check it with a 2-meter straightedge, because most SPC manufacturers allow only a few millimeters of unevenness.
Sometimes restoring the terrazzo makes more sense: it costs less than a new floor and keeps the value of a period house.
How do I know if the wood in my house has termites?
The most common signs are fine sawdust or dry pellets next to baseboards and frames, small wings near windows and light fixtures, and a hollow sound when you tap the wood.
If you see any of these, do not install new wood yet. Our guide to termites and pests in floors explains what to check and how to tell termites from carpenter ants.
Do you work in the Carlos E. Restrepo and Suramericana buildings?
Yes. In those low-rise building complexes the typical job is replacing old tile with SPC or porcelain and repairing cracked subfloors.
Because they are under the condominium regime (propiedad horizontal), we coordinate work hours and debris removal with building management (administración).
Book a site visit in Laureles
From El Poblado we reach Laureles and Estadio in 20 to 30 minutes in normal traffic, and the site visit is free. Send us photos of your current floor on WhatsApp and we will propose a date within 24 to 72 hours.
After the visit you receive a written quote, itemized into material, labor, baseboards and removal.
We also cover the rest of Medellín and neighboring municipalities: see the full list of areas where we install floors.
Pisos Pro Medellín
Tv. 6 #45-115, El Poblado, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Monday to Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.