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Flooring Installation FAQs


Flooring Contractor FAQs in Raleigh

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There’s no better way to freshen up your space and add value to your home. But before you update your flooring, there are many choices to make. We’ve rounded up some flooring contractor FAQs in Raleigh to help you with your decision-making process. If you want more information, check out our web pages dedicated to different kinds of flooring.

No matter the flooring you choose, you can trust the qualified contractors hired by Footprints Floors to do the job right.

FAQs

The first thing to figure out when updating your flooring is what flooring is right for the space. For a bathroom or kitchen where there will be lots of moisture and potentially water on the floor, something like tile or vinyl flooring is ideal because it’s durable and water-resistant. Hardwood flooring is a classic choice for other areas of your home, but you still need to choose between solid or engineered hardwood. Consider the upkeep of different flooring and the wear — do you have young kids or pets? Does the room receive much sun? Answer these questions first to help you decide the kind of flooring that will suit your needs.

It depends! Laminate and vinyl flooring can be installed directly over existing flooring, and solid hardwood can be glued directly onto concrete. Consider factors like the age and condition of your existing flooring and whether it will serve as a sturdy base for new flooring.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not difficult to care for wood flooring. You can simply vacuum hardwood floors to remove grit and debris and use a damp cloth or mop to wipe away dust. To reduce potential scratches, ensure footwear (i.e., heels) has proper plastic caps to prevent scratches, or ask guests to remove their shoes. As a bonus, you can switch up the look of your hardwood floors at any time through staining or refinishing.

You probably bumped into three terms when looking up hardwood flooring online: "painting," "staining," and "refinishing." "Painting" is obvious, but what about the others? A wood stain, usually applied by hand, is used to darken the color of the wood. The "finishing" process involves applying varnish and a coating of sealant, which adds gloss and protects the wood. "Refinishing" is the process of redoing your current flooring finish, revitalizing, and rejuvenating it.

Refinishing or restoring existing wood floors can save you tons of money! If you have old wood flooring that doesn’t look great, it can be tempting to rip it out and start over. But wood flooring is resilient and made to last. Most damage can be repaired, and refinishing or restoring can make wood floors look new. If you’re unsure whether your wood flooring can be saved, the experts at Footprints Floors can assess it.

This is another “it depends” situation. Solid hardwood flooring is more expensive than engineered hardwood. However, solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished more than engineered hardwood, so it may last longer. Engineered hardwood is more affordable and is more resistant to moisture and humidity. If you live in a place with high humidity or greatly varying temperatures, engineered hardwood flooring may be the right choice. Both look beautiful and are easy to take care of.

Laminate flooring is a budget-friendly type of layered flooring that can be made to look like pretty much anything. It’s typically made up of wood fibers compressed into a board or a plywood board. The board is then covered in an “image” layer — basically, a photo of whatever you want the flooring to look like (stone, wood, etc), and a “wear” layer, or protective layer. Some laminate may also have a backing layer made of cork or felt. Laminate is an affordable way to get the look of more expensive wood or stone flooring. It’s pretty durable, making it a great choice for homes with pets or kids, and it’s easy to clean. However, prolonged exposure to water can cause the wood part of the laminate to warp, making it unsuitable for rooms like bathrooms.

Laminate’s wood component makes it susceptible to water damage. Vinyl is an entirely synthetic material, which means it’s waterproof. As long as laminate is installed correctly, it’s fairly water-resistant, but still probably not a suitable choice for bathrooms or mudrooms where water might linger. Vinyl is extremely durable and comes in various of colors, textures, and styles. Both laminate and vinyl are great choices for homes with high traffic from kids and pets, and they’re easy to take care of — but whereas vinyl can go in any room in your home, remember to keep laminate out of the bathroom.

There is a much wider variety of colors, textures, and designs in tile flooring than in hardwood. Tile floors have a lifespan of over a century. Whether you're looking for a traditional or modern look, there is a tile pattern to suit you. Regarding durability, aesthetics, maintenance, and cost, tile is an excellent choice. It's also considered one of the most eco-friendly options for flooring in your home.

Ceramic tiles are made up of clay or other minerals that have been tightly compressed and heated in an oven. They can be glazed or unglazed and come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Porcelain tiles are ceramic tiles that have been heated at an even greater temperature, making them more durable and less porous. Porcelain tiles are better suited for rooms with high moisture content like bathrooms, but their durability makes them an excellent choice for any room. However, ceramic tile is more affordable and still offers great durability.

We hope these flooring contractor FAQs in Raleigh have been helpful to you as your start your flooring journey. Contact Footprints Floors for a free estimate when you've found flooring you love. You can feel confident in a job well done with our licensed and certified contractors.

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Footprints Floors provides flooring installation services in Raleigh for both old and new homes. We handle the demolition and removal of the old flooring, as well as the necessary prep work for new flooring. We will even remove baseboards and reinstall them after completing the flooring installation.

Covering everything from design and installation to clean up, our team helps increase the value of your property with brand new hardwood floors. Contact us today to request a free estimate!

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What Our Customers Say

We hired Footprints to replace the flooring in our new home and we couldn’t be happier with the results! Shawna was incredibly communicative throughout the process, letting us know what to expect, notifying us whenever they discovered an issue and what was being completed each day. There were multiple issues with our subflooring but the team was able to fix each of them and still finish by the original timeline! Our floors and stairs look amazing and working with Shawna, Amanda and their crew was an absolute pleasure! 20/10 would recommend to anyone!
Jassimyn Broe 03/22/24 — google
Had a great experience with Footprints and Amanda’s team. We purchased Mohawk Laminate Wood Flooring from Costco for our Bonus Room (over 300sqf). We also wanted the carpeted stairs (to Bonus) replaced with Oak Hardwoods with stain that match the rest of the house. Footprints finished the job in 2 days. The workers were professional and polite, the communication from start of the job (quote) to end (making sure we were happy with the work) was great. Love, love my new flooring!
Alex Flynn 03/6/24 — google
My wife and I recently decided to remove the carpet from our bedroom and replace with hardwood-style laminate. Neither of us have ever looked into any sort of “flooring” job, and had no idea what to expect, as far as cost, timeline, options, etc. We came across Footprint Floors, and decided to get a consult from them. Simply from the consult, we immediately knew we wanted to go with Footprint! Amanda came out and spoke with us, patiently answered all of our questions, and explained everything thoroughly. She had samples, talked us through the different styles and what worked best for us, and helped us settle on the perfect one! Only a short (roughly) two-weeks later, and the entire job was completed with perfection! Between the consult, the ordering process, the initial work, and the final completion, Amanda and her team were phenomenal, and updated us every step of the way. They were quick, incredibly communicative, and cost efficient! The floors in our bedroom look incredible, and we could not have asked for a better experience. 10/10 job, and would definitely recommend to anyone that has interest in redoing their floors. Next time we need any flooring done, we will definitely be calling Amanda back!
David Britt 02/21/24 — google
My wife and I had a great experience with sales and service. Price was fair, good quality and installation was very professional.
Tom Crotty 02/15/24 — google
I’d give Amanda and her team a 10 🌟 review if I could. If you need new flooring do yourself a favor and give Footprints a chance. Craftsmanship and communication were 💯!!
Michael Durling 02/9/24 — google
Working with Amanda and her Footprings Flooring team was incredible. They did such a great job with installations and Amanda was very knowledgeable and patient with answering all my questions. I was quoted 5 working days to get everything installed and they had it done in 3! Working with Footprint Floorings was a breeze and I would recommend it to anyone!
Sarah Koralewski 01/28/24 — google
Footprint Floors did a fantastic job on our flooring not only were they experts in their field. They were also extremely easy to work with. I loved the communication. Both owners stopped by to check the work after it was finished. Overall we could not have asked for a better flooring company, as you see in the photos, the work was done to perfection. Prior to placing this floor they had to remove old tile and they did that without making a mess or anything! Highly recommend this company!
Kelly Karius 01/4/24 — google
I had a great experience with Footprints Floors Raleigh! I needed bathroom floor re-tiled and they did a fantastic job.
Jonathan Reda 12/13/23 — google
We had a great experience with Footprints! Amanda was very responsive and flexible as we were selecting the floors we wanted and trying to figure out when we wanted the installation to occur that was most convenient (I am 7 months pregnant). The work was done very quickly with a high level of attention to detail. My husband was home when the workers were at our house and he said they were all very kind and responsive- and did great work. 10/10 would recommend!
Molly Gupta 12/12/23 — google
Superb people, superb craftsmanship!! It was a bit nerve-wracking to proceed with an entire first floor tear-up in order to have a new LVP floor installed, but from the moment Amanda and her crew entered my house, I knew it was going to be “OK”. Everyone was positive, professional, and invested in getting the install completed as quickly as possible while maintaining high standards with the details. The new floor was needed as a result of flooding from the second floor, so the stress level was high long before Footprints arrived. Within minutes of reviewing the project with Amanda, I could sense the “we got this!” attitude which I was SO grateful for. All of the sudden it became easier. Every step of the process was explained up front so I understood what to expect, and every day during the install Amanda or Shawna would check in to monitor progress and answer questions. Everything went exactly according to plan, and I must say, the floor is absolutely beautiful!!!! I can’t thank the Footprints team enough for providing outstanding craftsmanship and giving me the help I needed in a difficult time - they went above and beyond. I am so happy with the new floor that I bought it it’s own Roomba vacuum - they get along great!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣. Thank you Footprints!
Michelle Gasbarro 11/30/23 — google
Right from the initial meeting with Shawna, I was blown away by her knowledge, professionalism, courtesy, and competitive pricing. Interactions with other contractors were disappointing in comparison. Communication was easy through the whole project, and her team of installers and co-owner Amanda were just as impressive. The floors are stunning, and we can rest easy knowing they were installed properly. We intend to do the rest of our house in the future, and we will definitely be going with Footprints Floors again.
Joy Lester 11/15/23 — google
The team at footprints floors was communicative, understanding, and friendly. I so appreciate them dealing with my crazy schedule. The floors look amazing. I would definitely recommend them to anyone needing new flooring
Dayna Riddle 11/14/23 — google
Awesome experience! My floor looks beautiful. Shawna and her crew did a great job. Thank you Shawna.
Gloria Prout 10/22/23 — google
Footprints Floors did an amazing job helping to finish up my LVP install. They were even able to fix a couple of gaps left by my DIY attempt. They were fast & professional. They did all of the quarter round and floor transitions as well. Very knowledgeable and excellent craftsmanship.
Adam Jacobs 10/17/23 — google
The installers were professional, answered all question while installing and very experienced in installing. Ku is I
John Walser 09/15/23 — google
I had a great experience with Shawna and her team. They showed up on time every time, and worked incredibly hard to get the job done on time, despite a surprise that our floors weren't totally level. Shawna explained everything to me very clearly and the people doing the work were friendly, on time, professional, and very clean! Highly recommend!
Lisa Jaeger Elmer 08/21/23 — google
Was refreshing to have a 'local, neighborhood' business to assist me rather than a larger chain of stores -- excellent craftmanship- respectful, courteous and dependable. Highly recommended.
Robert Pinkham Jr 08/16/23 — google
I cannot recommend Footprint Floors enough. Shawna, the owner, worked with us from day 1 and was in constant communication with us throughout the entire project. She gave daily updates during the project, sharing photos and answering any question I had. She was so wonderful to work with and went above and beyond what she had to do for us. The team that refinished our floors was excellent as well and our floors look amazing afterwards. They were extremely diligent with cleaning afterwards as well and placing our furniture back carefully. We are incredibly pleased with our flooring and the results from Footprints Floors.
Luke Andrew 08/11/23 — google
Footprints provided excellent communication and workmanship throughout the entire floor replacement process. I was very impressed with all aspects of this project, especially the end result.
Megan K. 08/6/23 — google
Footprints couldn't have been a better choice for us. They were knowledgeable, professional and a good value. They installed engineered wood in our kitchen, and it looks great. I highly recommend Amanda and her team.
Terry Kaufman 08/2/23 — google

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Customer Satisfaction


Footprints Floors is a one-of-a-kind residential flooring installation and restoration business. We offer high quality flooring installations and, with over a decade of dedication, we have quickly become the largest flooring contractor by striving to bring a higher level of customer service and sophistication to an industry where it was severely lacking. Our family-owned business is focused on customer satisfaction and quality results, all while passing savings on to you and yours through our low overhead model.

Footprints Floors is a one-of-a-kind residential flooring installation and restoration business. We offer high quality flooring installations and, with over a decade of dedication, we have quickly become the largest flooring contractor by striving to bring a higher level of customer service and sophistication to an industry where it was severely lacking. Our family-owned business is focused on customer satisfaction and quality results, all while passing savings on to you and yours through our low overhead model.

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