Professional hardwood floor refinishing in West Chester / Chester County.

Floor Refinishing vs. Restoration


Professional Hardwood Floor Refinishing in West Chester / Chester County

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So you know your floors need help—but how do you know if they need to be restored or just refinished? There are several factors to keep in mind when making this decision and finding professional hardwood floor refinishing in West Chester / Chester County. Understanding the needs of your hardwood floors can save you thousands of dollars and a good deal of stress.

Determine What Your Floors Need

There are three main factors to consider when determining if you need floor refinishing or restoration: the condition of your floors, the age of your floors, and the type of hardwood.

Hardwood floors in homes built after the 1940s with light scuffs or scratches, some wear from foot traffic and have lost a bit of shine probably just need to be refinished. Floors installed before the 1940s with more significant signs of damage (deeper scratches from furniture, or floorboards that are warped or cracked, for instance) will likely need to be restored instead.

If you’re not sure what your floors need, consult with a professional hardwood floor refinishing company like Footprints Floors. We’ll be able to advise you on whether your floors need to be restored or just refinished and provide you with a free estimate for the work.

Footprints Floors providing beautiful, professional hardwood floor refinishing in West Chester / Chester County.

The Refinishing Process


Broken down, the steps to refinish a hardwood floor are very simple.

  • 1. Strip the floor of its current finishing.
  • 2. Sand or “screen” the floor to remove scratches or other signs of wear and tear from the surface.
  • 3. Give the floor a brand–new finish!

Refinishing a floor is not just a weekend project. Weather, the type of wood and the size of the floors you need refinished are all factors that play into how long a refinishing project takes. Also, despite the simplicity of the steps, a lot can go wrong. Uneven sanding or incorrect application of a finish can make your floors look worse than before.

As a professional hardwood floor refinishing company, the licensed contractors of Footprints Floors can get the job done quickly and correctly, so you aren’t inconvenienced in your home for long. And you can feel confident about the work done, so you don’t have to refinish your floors again for a long time.

The Restoration Process


Restoration of a hardwood floor is more labor intensive than refinishing. Hiring a company that understands different types of wood and how different kinds of damage will impact the restoration process is essential.

Some restoration steps are similar to refinishing—both require stripping away a current finish, sanding and applying a new finish. However, floor restoration involves more significant repairs and may even need patches of complete replacement. Depending on the depth of restoration required, these projects can take more than a week to complete.

Both refinishing and restoring floors are time–intensive, labor–intensive processes involving heavy, dangerous equipment. It is generally much more cost–effective and time–efficient to hire an outside contractor rather than attempt to do the job yourself.

The Best for Your Floor—and Your Budget Professional Hardwood Floor Refinishing in West Chester / Chester County

Professional flooring refinishing near you in West Chester / Chester County - Footprints Floors.

There are many things that homeowners can do to care for the hardwood floors in their homes. For instance, regular cleaning of your floors can help keep them looking nice and prevent long–term damage. Sweeping with soft–bristled brooms, regular vacuuming to remove dirt, and mopping with specialty hardwood floor cleaning solutions can all work wonders on your floors.

Of course, even with care, hardwood floors are not impervious to damage. Your pets might scratch the surface. Water damage might cause a section of the floor to warp or have a loose board that wobbles. You might notice gaps appearing between planks over time and as the weather changes, causing the wood to expand or contract, or you might have dents in the wood from high foot traffic areas. Perhaps your floors just don't look as shiny and new as you'd like. When your own cleaning and maintenance doesn't go as far as they used to, it's time to refinish or even restore.

While it is possible to DIY hardwood refinishing and even restoration, someone without experience can easily damage a hardwood floor. Instead of paying for a costly repair, get it right the first time by calling a professional hardwood floor refinishing company. They'll get the job done right the first time.

Footprints Floors has years of experience working on all kinds of flooring in all types of conditions. From beautiful, rare mahogany floors in Victorian homes to the stunning red oak floors of a mid–century modern suburb house and everything in between, Footprints Floors can do the job right.

We're committed to providing high–quality finishes at the lowest possible rate in a reasonable amount of time. We work to save our clients stress (and money!) as we work to give them floors that look brand new! We won't offer you services you don't need and are confident you will be satisfied with the finished project. Contact us today for a free estimate on your hardwood floor refinishing or restoration project.

This beautiful spiral staircase was refinished by Footprints Floors.

Great Floors & Great Impressions Are What We Are All About!

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What Our Customers Say

Arnett and his crew were fantastic! We were in a time crunch to get our floors done and Arnett came out immediately to do a consultation. The crew was extremely punctual and professional. They cleaned up after themselves and ensured all areas that didn’t need work were properly covered. Absolutely recommend Footprint Floors!
Katie Taggart 12/13/23 — google
From start to finish, Arnett & his team were excellent! Responsive, accommodating, friendly and timely — Arnett prepared me well for what to expect throughout the process and gave insightful info about how to maintain the floors afterward. I had a wonderful experience with Footprint Floors of Southeastern PA refinishing my older oak floors, and the finished product was just stunning!
Katie Hickman 11/28/23 — google
Live in a home built in 1940 and they did amazing job on new treads ,risers and refinishing landing and hallway. The royal mahogany color selected with help of the installer worked wonderful with trim and beams and hardwood floors within our house . We love the finished product
Marissa Faust 10/5/23 — google
The guys were prompt, professional and quick. I am very satisfied with the results.
Jim Householder 09/15/23 — google
Had a great experience. Doug did an excellent job explaining the process for refinishing our floors. We were given extensive instructions on preparing for the work. Communication response was prompt. Work was done as scheduled and the floors came out great. Glad we chose Footprints Floors for our job.
Alan Fineman 07/17/23 — google
Team was responsive and professional. Showed up on time and performed work in a timely manner. Work was completed same day and was of high quality.
Eric Butler-Roberts 07/5/23 — google
I cannot speak highly enough of this company. We had Floorprint Floors resand, stain, and polyurethane our hardwood floors. They worked around our schedule to complete the job while we were away on vacation (and over a weekend!) so we could have our toddler out of the house. The did a fantastic job for a great price! The workers were all incredibly kind and professional. They took care to cover & protect our new kitchen cabinets & furniture.
Stephanie Groer 07/4/23 — google
We had Footprints Floors install wood laminate for our entire first floor and it came out gorgeous! Arnett & his team listened and helped combat all of my concerns and the project was done promptly. I am very happy to recommend them and would use them again.
Emily H 05/28/23 — google
Excellent work from estimate to completion. We couldn’t be happier with the results. Will hire again definitely.
Adel G 05/5/23 — google
Arnett and his team were excellent. The process was super easy, his team was on time, professional and completed the job in one day! The flooring is beautiful and they left everything spotless. I have heard about nightmares for flooring installation from other people and I feel thankful (and grateful) that I had a wonderful experience.
Caroline Thompson 05/1/23 — google
We needed the original oak flooring which had been installed 60 years ago refinished. The team from Footprints Floors arrived on time and completed the refinishing process in great time! They replaced some stained or damaged boards and they look perfect! They were helpful in assisting with color selection and the finished job looks fabulous! I would definitely use them again.
Sandy Reel 03/9/23 — google
Arnett Hudson and Footprints Floors of Southeastern PA did an outstanding job of installing new hardwood throughout our first floor. Arnett was very accommodating and provided an affordable and reasonable quote. The crew showed up on time on the scheduled days and worked very hard. The resulting floors look great and the craftsmanship and attention to detail were excellent. The crew cleaned up the job area when the work completed and left the new floors clean. We're very pleased with the experience and results.
Scott Vey 03/3/23 — google
Great experience all the way around. We received a quick response from Arnett and his team after submitting our information. They came out the same week for our free quote. The floors look great and we couldn’t have asked for more. Everyone we spoke with was very friendly and professional.
Eric Thomas 03/1/23 — google
After almost 6 months of going back and forth with potential contractors from one of the big box stores, Arnett and his team saved the day and installed new flooring in my photography studio. They were extremely responsive and customer service driven. For example, Arnett was able to meet with me over a holiday weekend to take measurements and provide a quote. Additionally, during the install, the team kept in constant contact with me to let me know how the install was progressing, solutions to manage potential roadblocks, and even made multiple trips back to the appropriate stores for additional materials when needed. My project was done in less than 2 full days, despite the fact that it involved flooring in 5 different rooms. I am so happy with the results and would recommend Footprints to everyone! Update 2023 - hired them again to do additional flooring and also the stairs in my studio and extremely happy with results!
Courtney Criddle 02/26/23 — google
They refinished our floors, which include sanding, the old finish, applying to finish in coating
Angelo DeGeorge 02/17/23 — google
My wife really liked the finished job and that was all that mattered to me. I also was very pleased with the results and I watched a good deal of what was being done and I was very impressed with the crew and the work they did. Highly recommend
Thomas Smith 10/26/22 — google
Wonderful work! On time, friendly, and professional.
Eric Dees 10/10/22 — google
Arnett and his team were punctual, professional and did an incredible job. His staff were polite and a pleasure to do business with. I highly recommend Footprints if you want top qulity project results at a very reasonable cost. Will definitely use again!
Bill S. 10/6/22 — Thumbtack
We used Footprint Floors for a bedroom, siting room and a hallway and we were satisfied with their professionalism, work ethics , quality job and on time completion. I Strongly recommend them
Dereje Hawaz 09/12/22 — google
Arnett and his crew did a great job on our floors. The team was timely, clean, and polite. They did the job exactly as quoted!
Kelly McLaughlin 08/29/22 — google

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