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Learn how to choose flooring for your home with the experts at Footprints Floors in Alexandria.

Flooring Installation


How to Choose Flooring for Your Home in Alexandria

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How to Choose Flooring

Tips From Top Industry Professionals


Every aspect of a home plays an important role in your comfort. You want your home to reflect your personal style, as well as meet the needs of your daily routine. Choosing the right flooring is a huge part of that.

So, how does one choose the right flooring? Should floors be lighter or darker than the walls? Should every room have the same flooring? How often do you want to clean it? Read about the different types of flooring and find the answers to these questions below.

Once you know how to choose flooring for your home, Footprints Floors is here to provide professional installation. Contact Footprints Floors today for a free estimate!

Types of Home Flooring

There are many different kinds of flooring to reflect every kind of style. Choosing flooring for your home - or even a particular room - depends on a number of lifestyle and environmental factors. Here is a brief overview of five different kinds of flooring:

Solid Hardwood


Hardwood is a classic for a reason. Adding hardwood flooring to your home can add to your home value, potentially increasing the resale price. It’s hypoallergenic and easy to clean. If you want to change the color at any point, hardwood can be sanded and refinished - something Footprints Floors can take care of for you.

Hardwood floors come in a variety of colors and finishes for every style, and offer different levels of durability depending on where they’re located in the home (and whether or not you have, say, toddlers or pets running around). Hardwood floors can be glued directly to concrete and have some insulation properties that may help lower energy bills over time.

Laminate


This material is budget-friendly, easy to clean, stain and scratch-resistant, and super durable. It can be installed over most existing floors if you want to change up the look of your home without having to rip out old flooring. This material is a great option for sunny rooms because it resists fading from UV light.

Engineered Hardwood


If you live in a place with high humidity or greatly varying temperatures throughout the year but love the look of solid hardwood, consider engineered hardwood instead. Engineered hardwood expands and contracts less than solid hardwood, meaning it can even be used in a basement and with radiant heat. It’s available in a variety of colors and finishes, and it costs less than traditional solid hardwood.

Ceramic, Porcelain and Stone Tile


Tile is waterproof so it's the favorite for use in kitchens, bathrooms and basements. Tile is low maintenance and can increase your home’s value. From the material to the look, tile provides tons of options for style, color and textures - even tile that looks like wood if you like the look of hardwood but want something different. It can even be installed outdoors on a patio, or in direct sunlight, and it’s easy to repair.

Luxury Vinyl Plank or Tile


Vinyl is making a comeback. It comes in a variety of colors, patterns and textures; it’s durable, attractive and affordable. Vinyl is a great option for homes with lots of pets or kids because of its durability, and it’s also a quieter option than ceramic or hardwood floors (no click-click-click of heels or dog toenails). Vinyl can be installed over most floors, so if you want a change you don’t need to remove existing flooring. All vinyl is water-resistant and some of it is even waterproof, making it a great option for bathrooms and kitchens. It’s easy to clean and stain resistant.

If you’re someone who loves to cook big meals, vinyl is more shock-absorbent than other flooring, making it good for standing for long periods (or accidentally dropping dishes. It happens).

The Right Flooring For You


When you’re wondering what flooring to choose, there’s always the big question: Should you use the same flooring throughout your home? The answer? You can if you want to. However, some rooms require different flooring based on moisture content. For example, even if you love the look of hardwood, it’s probably not the best choice for your bathroom.

You should keep the look of your flooring consistent in one continuous space, but feel free to change it up at naturally existing barriers like walls or doors. If you feel strongly about having the same look throughout your home with your floors, picking something like laminate or vinyl that works in every room is a great option.

As for colors, darker floors next to lighter walls can help make a room feel more spacious. However, if you have low ceilings, a floor that is lighter than the walls can create an illusion of height. In the end, it’s up to your personal preference, and what you think will look best with already existing decor.

Now that you know more about different kinds of flooring, it's also time to consider your lifestyle. How often do you need to (or want to) clean? Do you have young children or pets that make messes?

Footprints Floors is the Top Flooring Company in Alexandria

If you are searching for floor installers in Alexandria, you have come to the right place. Footprints Floors of Northern Virginia has some of the highest ratings, thanks to our quality craftsmanship and incredible customer service.

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Your Professional Floor Installer in Alexandria


Whichever kind of flooring you choose, Footprints Floors is here to provide you with professional-grade installation. Footprints Floors only hires qualified, licensed contractors so you can feel safe about having us in your home. Footprints Floors is also able to offer incredibly competitive prices.

Contact Footprints Floors today for your free estimate on floor installation!

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What Our Customers Say

Jared from Footprints did an excellent job locating a specific floor we were looking for. Not only did he find the floor but was able to get it for us at a lower price per square foot than advertised anywhere else. In addition to excellent consultation, the project was managed impeccably. Dates floor materials and installation were met and cost quote for materials and labor were exactly as quoted. The installation was also excellent. The install team worked tirelessly to complete the job in two days. The tem of 3 were curious and friendly. Their workmanship was excellent as they paid attention to every detail. I would recommend Footprints Flooring Jared Hennings and his team to anyone looking to install new flooring. DCox. Woodbridge, VA.
Daryl Cox 11/10/24 — google
A little pricy but you get what you pay for, they were very professional and friendly and did an excellent job. Also like they they were flexible that I just needed sanding and not all inclusive refinishing
Nicholas Damon 11/8/24 — google
Outstanding craftsmanship and work installing floors throughout our home. Communication could be better to include daily hours of crews and time windows to be home to facilitate house access. Sometimes had to follow-up a few times to confirm an appointment. Amir stopped by to pickup extra flooring, as agreed to. Overall great work and would recommend.
Jeremy Blatt 09/24/24 — google
Great experience. Took great care to communicate clearly and were very fair as our project needs evolved. The crew did great work and most importantly our floors look great!
Stuart Everson 09/24/24 — google
Perfect job and on time! It was a pleasure to talk to Jared. Everything he told me was done to perfection.
Maria de los Angeles Franco 09/19/24 — google
Jared was a delight to work with..he managed from start to finish and was easy to work with..we will be back for future business!
Susan Cavanaugh 09/10/24 — google
Jared did an amazing jobs and the floors turned out spectacularly!
Andrea Hall 09/10/24 — google
Jared and his crew did a great job with my floors. They were very professional, helpful, and cooperative and attentive to the client’s needs. They are the right guys to help with your flooring needs. They are also respectful, kind, and most of all knowledgeable about their craftsmanship. Highly recommended for any flooring projects throughout your house.
Farrukh Kuchakov 09/9/24 — google
Jared and his crew were professional, helpful, and excellent. When traditional methods for fixing a squeak was not working, they patiently worked with us and found a creative solution. They are the right guys to help with your flooring needs. Now we have a beautiful bathroom without that annoying squeak. They are also respectful, kind, and most of all knowledgeable about their craftsmanship.
Sudha Balajapalli 08/23/24 — google
They did a fantastic job on my 100 year old floors! I wanted to keep the floors character and imperfections, but spruce them up, and they delivered. They completed the pretty large job in just 2 days (entire house is wood floors). It has been over a month and the floors still look amazing. During the floor work, a water line on my fridge burst (not their fault- It was related to the fridge being moved 10+ times earlier in the week) and one of the workers was able to repair the line immediately, which obviously saved me a ton of stress. Can't recommend them highly enough, they do great work, have great customer service, and in particular are good with old floors. I was anxious letting someone work on my floors because of their age but they took great care with their work. See photos for the before and after.
Chelsea Gray 08/17/24 — google
Our floors look absolutely elegant. Jared was great to work with!
susan gabrielle 08/7/24 — google
Jared was wonderful to work with right at the beginning. He took the time to explain all the details before we embarked on the major home project that is flooring. What is even better about Jared is his calm and rationale demeanor. He answered all our questions and provided insight and rationale without the intention to get to us to spend more $$. He was able to help us with other, smaller projects too, so that things were getting done simultaneously. The work was done fast and efficiently and we love our new floors!
Ginni Money 07/30/24 — google
Very professional and timely installation, awesome customer service. We would definitely use this company for our flooring needs. Great job Rich!
Joyce Williams 07/13/24 — google
Jared and his team are amazing my floors look awesome !!!!
Debra Bates 07/10/24 — google
I am really excited and pleased with the floor and stair install in my home by Footprint Floors. Jared and the installers were very professional and did a great job. They were easy to work with and I appreciated their attention to details. I am glad that I chose this team for our job. I am recommending them to neighbors and friends.
Carolyn Ashby 06/26/24 — google
Footprints Floors did a great job installing new tile for my fireplace! After dealing with another contractor that was terrible, Footprints Floors did an excellent job of communicating, providing great suggestions and getting the job done quickly! Highly recommended
Marjorie Boursiquot 06/26/24 — google
Great work. Finished quickly. Would recommend
Guy Scafidi 06/4/24 — google
Used Footprints for a kitchen backsplash install. Jared was great to work with - very communicative and punctual. The crew that did the install was also awesome, efficient and the final product looks great. I would maybe take a half star off of the review just because the only room for improvement with these guys is giving a little bit more guidance on what materials to purchase ahead of time - I ended up being instructed to buy way too much tile and other supplies that weren't needed and then also had to scramble the day of install to get stuff I didn't know about. In the end no big deal, just led to making some returns. Overall super happy!
Jennifer Knutzen 05/30/24 — google
From the quote to the install , cleanup and final walk through, professional courteous and ready with a smile. The people make this company the right choice for our flooring installation
Bashman2u 05/25/24 — google
Great job from Jared and team. Had a half bathroom job. Team came in and knocked it out in less than 2 hrs. Excellent work. Would highly recommend
Derrick Jones 04/29/24 — google

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