Professional hardwood floor refinishing in Cincinnati.

Floor Refinishing vs. Restoration


Professional Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Cincinnati

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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 Cincinnati. 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 Cincinnati.

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 Cincinnati

Professional flooring refinishing near you in Cincinnati - 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

Mike and his team are true professionals! The work they did is magnificent and the care they took to protect my furniture, walls, etc. was much appreciated! They kept us informed of status of the floors along the way, and started and completed as promised. I would have given them 10 stars if that was an option!!
Terri Wallace 03/31/23 — google
Mike and his crew did an incredible job from start to finish. The project started a year ago when they came and quoted a job for me. I did not get it done then but was able to make it work a year later. He was able to be flexible on pricing and was honest, helpful and always on-time. I look forward to using Footprint again in the future.
Gabriel Saba 03/21/23 — google
tl;dr: Amazing customer service and quality work! Thanks, Mike! We are on a tight schedule closing on a house mid November and needing to get the floor refinished before we can move in and host family for the upcoming holidays. Mike was awesome and able to fit us in, even with our aggressive schedule! He was able to put an estimate together just based on a floorplan I mocked up, since we didn't have easy access to the house before closing for him to do a walk-through. He was very knowledgeable and I appreciated his eye for color/undertones and his great stain recommendations as a result. He even came by our current house to pick up the first payment for the project, which I appreciated as a homebody! I would have left a 5 star review on all that alone, but Mike continued to go above and beyond for us. My husband has very exacting standards and there were a few areas he wasn't fully happy with. Mike came back out to reinspect those areas - one or two of which did need a correction, and I'm sure some of which were my husband being a bit picky. Mike not only agreed to have the crew take another pass over the floor, but the crew was already there and got started immediately! Thank you, Mike! You made our lives easier and helped us put one of our first stamps on the new home. I appreciate your friendliness and amazing customer service!
Jennifer Rice 12/1/22 — google
Really great service, Mike was very responsive and helpful throughout the process. He visited every day his team was on site. Professional and personal. Would use them again for future flooring needs.
Colin Beynon 11/28/22 — google
Mike & the Footprints team did an excellent job installing hardwood in our master, matching some existing flooring already in the home. They were kind, efficient and hardworking! Definitely recommend.
Jamie Brocki 11/22/22 — google
I would highly recommend footprint Flooring! I hired them for a smaller job but they did not rush through it. They spent so much time making sure floors were in great shape before the staining process. They repaired every imperfection and did an amazing job. Everyone was super patient as I ask a lot of questions about process. The floors look amazing and we will use them again for next project!
Kelley Dixon 10/20/22 — google
I highly recommend Footprints Floors. They refinished our hardwood floors and installed vinyl tile in our back laundry/hall to the garage. The hardwood floors are stunning and it's hard to believe that our floors could be this beautiful - but they are! Some bedrooms were not refinished and they were meticulous in sanding up to the flooring in the bedroom.. Mike and his crew mixed up multiple stain combinations until we found 'the perfect color'. The workmen arrived on time, worked hard and were courteous. They cleaned up the workspace every evening and did a good job of trying to control the inevitable sanding dust. Every aspect of the job from the original estimating visit through to the end was professional. I highly recommend.
Nancy Kl 10/3/22 — google
Excellent service!
J P 09/30/22 — google
This is the way to run a business! From start to finish, we could not be more pleased. Marshal and Mike came out to our house and presented several different flooring options, with the likely timeframe and costs associated with each. We ultimately decided on luxury vinyl flooring, but would have felt confident with them doing any project. They scheduled the work within a reasonable timeframe once the materials were in stock. They and their crew were very professional, and took very good care of our home, covering everything up to protect from dust prior to starting. They started on time, and actually finished a little earlier than planned. The quote was very reasonable, and they stuck to it (actually discounted it for materials not used). Minor issues were addressed quickly, and completely satisfactorily. The floors look beautiful...even our dog approves (see picture)! We would use Footprint Floors again without question, and recommend them unreservedly. Thank you!
Nafeh Fananapazir 08/18/22 — google
Professional approach, straight forward, transparent pricing. Did what they said, did it well, and did it in the time frame stated. Worked within the stricture of the condo association requirements as well. Highly recommend.
Dave Martin 04/11/22 — google
Highly recommend Footprint Floors. Excellent quality work, very prompt and accurate communication, willing to go above and beyond the standard job expectations. Couldn't be happier with the results of our project.
Rob Frilling 02/28/22 — google
I had been wanting to replace my floors for a long time. Marshal and Mike were extremely patient, knowledgeable and helpful every step of the way. They had a solution for everything and were so easy to work with. And the new floor was put in so quickly and looks beautiful…I absolutely love it and couldn’t be happier. I highly recommend Footprints Floors.
Jennifer A 01/25/22 — google
Great experience. They did a wonderful job, very professional and whole project was completed on time.
Pushpinder Bryant 12/17/21 — google
Mike and his team were wonderful. Very professional, always got back to me quickly, and provided sound advice and suggestions. They also got the work done well and fast. Would definitely recommend!
Meghan Nash 11/8/21 — google
Footprints Floors installed my new kitchen and bathroom vinyl floors for me. I am extremely pleased with the outstanding job they did. Mike Swofford, company owner, was a pleasure to work with on planning and having the project completed by his flooring installers. They did a superb job from start to finish. The completed flooring looks absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend using Footprints Floors for your future flooring needs.
Bruce Eric Kabir Bakie 09/21/21 — google
We were impressed with the professionalism, speed, and cleanliness of the work performed by Footprints. We had very good communication through the process and have beautiful floors as a result.
Susan Gardner 09/1/21 — google
We had a great experience with Footprints Flooring from the professional consultation to the actual install. I was so impressed with Marshall who was able to answer all my questions. The project manager Mike explained the process and what we should expect. Phil and his crew (Justin and Jason) were great. They worked quickly and the floor looks great. I would definitely use them again if we have any future needs.
Debbie Combs 08/27/21 — google
They were very responsive and everyone that came to our house was hardworking and professional. Whenever I had a question or concern, they would listen and do their best to address any concerns. We have a 100 year old home and had some designs that we wanted replicated. They did a great job. It looks as good as I hoped it would. They removed old tile from the kitchen and replaced it with hardwood. We had some other quotes and they were very competitive. One of the other floor companies started complaining about the difficulty of the work. They were concerned about damaging our custom kitchen cabinets. But not footprints flooring. They took on the task and knew it was going to be tough. I was so impressed, I told them they can send people over to inspect our floors. I highly recommend them. I'm not one to write reviews that often. These guys deserve my accolades. I would use them again.
Jerry Taco 08/21/21 — google
They were amazing! From the salesman to the installers! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The installers were prompt every day. They were respectful, efficient, clean and very professional! We had a daily update call in The morning and in the evening. Thank you!!
08/20/21 — facebook
I purchased my own flooring and had the Footprint team install. There estimate wasn't the cheapest but they had recommendations for installing my engineered hardwood that went above any beyond what other companies were recommending. I have had 2 experiences with hardwood installation and Footprints was by FAR superior. The team was responsive from the beginning. We are incredibly happy with the final results.
Dave McMurray 07/24/21 — google

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